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Equestrian sport – both a hobby and a lifestyle. Can you imagine a life without horses? No, right? The smile on your face when you are in the stable says it all. The way you look forward to it every time you go out for a ride or cuddle with your best friend. You are a true horse lover. Here are some thoughts from the editorial staff as to why equestrian sport is the best. And why it is the coolest thing in the world to be a horse person.
You may also like to read: Riders in the stable – which type are you?
Of course, your horse must have the very best. Therefore, 80% of your wishes for Christmas and birthdays are horse related. Maybe you need a new blanket, a grooming box, riding equipment or what about a new riding jacket? You can never get too many things for either yourself or your horse. So the wish lists are always well stuffed, and family and friends will know exactly how to make you happy.
It is healthy to stay be outdoors in nature and in the fresh air, which is truly something that horse people do. We do a lot of hacking and ride in outdoor arenas, because feeling the wind from the back of your horse is an absolutely amazing feeling.
"It is healthy for the economy that we spend money". This is often heard from economists and other wise people. They do not have to say that twice to anyone connected with the equestrian sport. This is a place where horse people do really well, because if anyone can spend money, it's us.
It may well be that equestrian sport often raises questions with people outside the sport as to whether we actually get any exercise sitting on the horse? YES, we do. It may be that the riding itself does not look very sweat provoking but that is exactly the point. It is supposed to look easy. But it takes a lot of time to build stamina and aerobic condition to make that happen.
Also, we often muck out in the stall, drag around hay, straw, wood pellets and feed - we generally do a lot of work in the stable that has nothing to do with riding. Maybe you also ride your bike to and from the stable. Plus, all the walks with the horse to and from the field. At the same time, our stable visits usually take longer than the average 40 minutes in a gym. So often many hours go by where we do not have the opportunity to put food (or sweets) in our mouths.
There is something wildly amazing about being the primary source for making sure one's horse has a good life. You may also enjoy mixing feed and nerd the latest supplement products so that Bully, Mickey, or whatever your horse is called, can do even better. It is also satisfying in being able to cross of all the things on your to-do list. Fixed the stall, swept stable aisle and had a great ride. One of those rides where the horse really got to use his back, or whatever you are focusing on in the training at the moment. This is when you just know that equestrian sport is the best.
There is no better feeling than sitting on your horse, which by its very nature is large animal, and getting that feeling when it just reacts easily and elegantly to your signals. You feel a little invincible, right?
The many hours at the riding school as a child and later maybe in different stables is guaranteed to create friendships across the board. The cool thing is that the conversations never get awkward, because we can always talk about the horses and the equestrian sport.
Another reason to love the equestrian sport is this. The horse is an ingenious means of acting as if you are busy and therefore unable to attend the boring family birthday parties. Maybe you have young children acting out and you kind of need a little bit of a break. Here, the horse can be an obvious "excuse" to just take a much-needed pause from the chaos of your living room. Provided of course that another adult can take over so you can run of to the stable.
Boredom is not something we deal with in equestrian sport. We always have things that need arranging or rearranging either in the stable or around the horse. Therefore, it can also be a bit of a challenge when non horse people ask if we want to go on a spontaneous visit to a café visit or on a shopping trip. Yes, we really want to, but it just has to be planned around the stable work.
We are so to speak a "small, secret" club – everybody who lives and breathes in and around equestrian sport. No one outside of this universe really understands what it is we are doing. It may seem a little crazy to outsiders that we defy rain, wind, mud and crazy vet bills to take care of our horses. But not for us. We love it, because it means everything when you feel that the muzzle sniffing your cheek. Or when the horse rests its head gently on your shoulder. It's all worth it, and we all know what the others are missing out on.
