Stress and Anxiety in your Daily Life: Stop to smell the Roses—or the Horses

Have a stressful job? Finding it hard to relax when you are supposed to be off the clock? Is a loved one struggling with an illness or life-long condition that causes you long-term stress? Time around a horse can be just the escape you need.

We watch performances like Cavalia when they come to town. We comment about how majestic the performing animals appear. And we leave the performance with a smile on our faces, but we can't pinpoint that there might be a reason beyond the neat acrobatics causing the smile.

What the horse trainers and handlers know is exactly what the average stressed out person needs to tap into. Just an hour with a horse can leave you feeling like you just met your best friend for coffee and a chat.

We hear about the good deeds places like Therapeutic Horsemanship provide to children with developmental disabilities. We don't think about how a horse could help our daily lives. If they are capable of performing apparent miracles, such as bringing a shy, blind or autistic child out of his or her shell, why couldn't a horse relate to an adult, too? They do. It's just that our children are often who pay more attention to the fact that a horse is engaging them in communication.

Horses communicate silently for the most part, but they communicate all of the time through body language.  They like to be people pleasers and they also expect you to be a restorative part of their day.  With the IQ of a 12-14 year old human child, they are looking for a back-and-forth partnership.  The end result is a happy horse... and oddly enough, a very happy, peaceful person!

So next time you're stressed out, consider finding a horse companion for an hour or two to keep you company and bring you back to center!  Watch the horses at Grant's Farm.  Go for a trail ride.  Take a riding lesson.  There are lots of local venues to give you a chance to relax with a horse without you needing to have your own.