Top 10 Reasons I Am Thankful For Horses

Today is Thanksgiving and I have so many things to be truly thankful for, not the least of which is the horses in my life. So after watching David Letterman the other night (love his top 10 lists) I sat down and made a list of why I am so thankful for horses (in no particular order).

1. They constantly show us that it isn't how big you are on the outside, it is how big you are on the inside that counts. Yes, ponies can be very naughty and trying to one's patience; but they never cease to amaze me with the huge size of their personalities, their bravery, and their sheer determination.
2. They remind me to be present in each moment. To lay my worries at the barn door, and simply experience each moment with them. Horses have pasts and futures, and while they remember their pasts, and act to influence their immediate futures, they do not get stuck in either as we humans do. Horses simply are what they are in the present moment.
3. They inspire me to believe in the impossible even when the world gets me down. In those moments when I ride and the horse and I achieve perfect harmony, if only for a few moments, everything in the world becomes perfect, and it is entirely possible to fly.
4. They never lie, and they never manipulate. With horses, what you see is what you get. In a world full of people with endless agendas who will say and do anything to further those agendas it is refreshing to deal with creatures who will always be honest with you. That doesn't mean that you'll like what they think or "say," but at least you're never left trying to read between the lines.
5. They have the ability to heal wounds no human can. From many years of involvement in therapeutic horseback riding, hippotherapy, and equine assisted psych I have gathered probably a hundred stories of the awesome power horses have to heal. Whether it is a troubled teen who finally found the difference between agressiveness and assertiveness with a horse; the ten year old autistic child who had never spoken saying "horse" clear as a bell after a summer of riding lessons; or perhaps the child with spina bifida who could not stand or walk gaining the strength and balance to start doing so on the back of a horse; the stories are many and varied. One thing however is clear, horses simply by being horses have the ability to help heal what we humans have failed to.
6. Horses constantly teach us the meaning of patience. Trying to rush a horse through a learning experience is like trying to stop a tsunami. If you loose your temper you might as well go home, because you are likely to make things worse rather than better.
7. Horses judge based only on what really matters. They don't care if you are wearing perfectly polished dress boots, or a beat up pair of sneakers if you're a dependable leader and caretaker. They don't care if their pasture mates are shetland ponies or percherons or if they are bay, black, grey, or chestnut. As long as everyone can find their place in the heard and play by the rules, they are content.
8. I will never grow bored of the paradoxical nature of horses. They are incredibly strong and fast, but they are also amazingly graceful, and capable of great gentleness. They tend to be cautious, but can also exhibit great bravery under the right circumstances.
9. Horses don't understand love the way we do, but they understand something far more powerful: trust and respect. We don't know if a horse loves their human, or if that would be sufficient motivation for them to do as the human asked. But we do know that if you gain a horse's trust and respect and give him the same and you will have a lifelong partner you can always depend upon.
10. Horses never think they are too old, too beautiful, too important, or too busy to play. Whether they go roll in the mud, see how far they can fling the nearest bucket, or race the gathering storm around the field, horses do what feels good. They don't get self conscious or inhibited about a little harmless fun. We humans could stand to learn something from them.