A friend and I were talking the other day and we got on the subject of the perception of people that handle and ride horses.
For people that have not spent time around horses, it is perceived that horses are big dangerous animals. They think of getting “bucked” or kicked or bit. And I think to a certain extent they think this is a normal way of life around horses.
I’m sure, however, if someone put some thought into their assumptions they would realize that we are all still here and doing it in one piece.
This realization on people’s perceptions has only occurred to me in the last couple of years.
I have never thought of horseback riding as a “tough” sport. Keeping in mind that I have not “played” any other sports to anywhere near the degree of that which I have ridden horses. So, I suppose my perception is a little skewed.
I have always considered myself an “animal” person. Only meaning that I do not see the negative aspects to pets and other animals in the way many others do. When I think of a pet, I don’t think of poop and hair. I think of a companion that is always happy to see me.
I have always been that way. Watching the Discovery channel as a kid, I didn’t get mad at the lions for eating the zebras. I felt bad for the zebras but I was never mad at the lions.
A friend of mine had a goat once that was an enormous pain in the butt to have around. Goats have a way of really pissing people off and this one was really over the top. However, my friend was never mad at the goat. She always said, “You can’t get mad at him, he’s just being a goat.” So true, and a great way to sum up animal ownership.
Call it empathy, sympathy or just plain intrigue, I am someone who has always been a good candidate for the addiction that is horses.
Like I said, I have never thought of horses as “tough.” Challenging, yes. Humbling, yes. Exhausting, yes. Granted, I always wanted to be so "good" at it, I took things like falling off, getting bucked off and making a plethora of mistakes as minor setbacks to reach a goal.
But I’ve never thought of it as a sport where person ‘man-handles’ a 1,000 pound animal around. Probably because I CAN’T man-handle a 1,000 pound animal around. There is no other option for me other than to use my brain, to not hate the horse for being a horse and to know that what I do with a horse is the cause to the effect.
Horseback riding has a lot more to do with convincing, reasoning, resourcefulness and partnering then it does with head to head fights, bullying or being an “alpha.” I think this "tough" misconception is the main component with horses that keeps people from them, chases people away from them and for some people, is the draw to them.
I will also readily agree that flies, dirt and never-ending ginormous piles of poop, probably deter people from horses as well.
As far as difficulty, I do not mean to downplay the amount of work and the athletic ability needed to work every day with a horse. It is definitely there. But I also think a big part of it is mental strength. In the way of handling challenges and persevering when times are tough.
If you are going to be in horses, you are going to get your ass handed to you in a variety of ways. That is a sure thing.
Because people consider horses to be “tough” and “dangerous,” I also think it is thought to primarily be a man’s sport. Historically it has been. It’s only been in the last 125 years or so that it was socially considered normal for women to ride horses. Not very long compared to the last 6,000 years or so that people have been colliding with horses.
I know many horse women. I’ve mostly only worked with women and horses. While men have owned the properties and barns, it has almost always been women that I have shed sweat, tears and injuries with. Fixing fences, scooping poop, throwing hay, teaching, riding, training, driving farm equipment, driving ginormous trailers, etc.
So, for me, it is not at all weird for women to be training horses, to be running things and taking care of what’s around. In my life, that has always been normal. However, getting into conversations with people who do not own horses, they have a perception of me that I am tough, probably tougher than I really am, just because I am a “horsewoman.” I find this very interesting and it sheds a new light on many things.
Stopping here. I have found it difficult up until this point to actually sit and write about horses. It causes me some angst because I have some pain points on the subject. Also, horses are difficult to write about because I have so much to say!
To be continued…
I added this song in because this is what I was listening to in my car when I was thinking of this subject. Love the song!
For people that have not spent time around horses, it is perceived that horses are big dangerous animals. They think of getting “bucked” or kicked or bit. And I think to a certain extent they think this is a normal way of life around horses.
I’m sure, however, if someone put some thought into their assumptions they would realize that we are all still here and doing it in one piece.
This realization on people’s perceptions has only occurred to me in the last couple of years.
I have never thought of horseback riding as a “tough” sport. Keeping in mind that I have not “played” any other sports to anywhere near the degree of that which I have ridden horses. So, I suppose my perception is a little skewed.
I have always considered myself an “animal” person. Only meaning that I do not see the negative aspects to pets and other animals in the way many others do. When I think of a pet, I don’t think of poop and hair. I think of a companion that is always happy to see me.
I have always been that way. Watching the Discovery channel as a kid, I didn’t get mad at the lions for eating the zebras. I felt bad for the zebras but I was never mad at the lions.
A friend of mine had a goat once that was an enormous pain in the butt to have around. Goats have a way of really pissing people off and this one was really over the top. However, my friend was never mad at the goat. She always said, “You can’t get mad at him, he’s just being a goat.” So true, and a great way to sum up animal ownership.
Call it empathy, sympathy or just plain intrigue, I am someone who has always been a good candidate for the addiction that is horses.
Like I said, I have never thought of horses as “tough.” Challenging, yes. Humbling, yes. Exhausting, yes. Granted, I always wanted to be so "good" at it, I took things like falling off, getting bucked off and making a plethora of mistakes as minor setbacks to reach a goal.
But I’ve never thought of it as a sport where person ‘man-handles’ a 1,000 pound animal around. Probably because I CAN’T man-handle a 1,000 pound animal around. There is no other option for me other than to use my brain, to not hate the horse for being a horse and to know that what I do with a horse is the cause to the effect.
Horseback riding has a lot more to do with convincing, reasoning, resourcefulness and partnering then it does with head to head fights, bullying or being an “alpha.” I think this "tough" misconception is the main component with horses that keeps people from them, chases people away from them and for some people, is the draw to them.
I will also readily agree that flies, dirt and never-ending ginormous piles of poop, probably deter people from horses as well.
As far as difficulty, I do not mean to downplay the amount of work and the athletic ability needed to work every day with a horse. It is definitely there. But I also think a big part of it is mental strength. In the way of handling challenges and persevering when times are tough.
If you are going to be in horses, you are going to get your ass handed to you in a variety of ways. That is a sure thing.
Because people consider horses to be “tough” and “dangerous,” I also think it is thought to primarily be a man’s sport. Historically it has been. It’s only been in the last 125 years or so that it was socially considered normal for women to ride horses. Not very long compared to the last 6,000 years or so that people have been colliding with horses.
I know many horse women. I’ve mostly only worked with women and horses. While men have owned the properties and barns, it has almost always been women that I have shed sweat, tears and injuries with. Fixing fences, scooping poop, throwing hay, teaching, riding, training, driving farm equipment, driving ginormous trailers, etc.
So, for me, it is not at all weird for women to be training horses, to be running things and taking care of what’s around. In my life, that has always been normal. However, getting into conversations with people who do not own horses, they have a perception of me that I am tough, probably tougher than I really am, just because I am a “horsewoman.” I find this very interesting and it sheds a new light on many things.
Stopping here. I have found it difficult up until this point to actually sit and write about horses. It causes me some angst because I have some pain points on the subject. Also, horses are difficult to write about because I have so much to say!
To be continued…
I added this song in because this is what I was listening to in my car when I was thinking of this subject. Love the song!
