Rider Insider: Time for Horses

How do you make time for enjoying your horse?

28-Sep-12

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In a perfect world, you’d be able to spend all day riding, grooming and doting on your horse. However, real life doesn’t usually allow for that luxury. Most horse owners have to spend their days working for a paycheck in order to keep their horses fed and cared for. Finding the right boarding situation sometimes means there’s a long commute between your home or workplace and your horse. For those who keep their horses at home, a long day at work is often followed by an evening of barn chores with little time left over for actually riding or enjoying the horses.

Horse owners have to be resourceful with their time, whether it’s getting up early to ride before work, foregoing social activities to make room for barn time, or sharing chores to make the work go faster.

What strategies have you developed to make time for your horse, and how do you make the most of the time you have with him? Click “Submit a Comment” below and share your tips with other HorseChannel.com visitors. Some of the responses may be selected for a future issue of Horse Illustrated.

One selected response may be selected by the editors to win a monthly prize! If you would like to be eligible for the prize, please include your email address in the comment form (email addresses are not publicly displayed.)

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Rider Insider: Time for Horses

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Morgan    Embarrass, WI 5/7/2013 6:22:20 AM I work with horses all day long, so sometimes its hard to go out to the barn every day to ride my own. I still do every day after work, and I feel a million times better every time I'm there. My horse gets time with me every day no matter what. I've skipped vacations just to stay home with him! Evin    Rushford, MN 3/5/2013 5:51:03 AM I go out early the morning to take care of my horse and other animals and I ride every time when I ride my horse I feel like I'm soaring! My horse is my best friend...forever! Sharron    Laurens, SC 2/14/2013 6:58:37 AM • I have always heard that all horses need a job. That it is important and cost worthy. I use to think that too. But I have come to realize that it is not a job they need. But a Purpose! If it is their purpose to stand in the field and make you smile, good. If it is their purpose to get hungry every morning so you will drag yourself out of bed, when depression hits and you’re feeling sorry for yourself and would rather stay under the covers, good. Or if is their purpose to give you wings, to let you feel the wind on your face as you gallop across the field and forget all the trials you have been going through, good. So it is not a job that horses need, they need us as much as we need them. Thank you Lord for the beautiful horses in my life. They have saved me!!! Morissa    Toppenish, WA 2/9/2013 8:19:16 PM I make time for my horses by getting all my homework done at school and by getting rides home from school. I love my horses and I tend to come off as a bit anti-social to people because instead of hanging out with people on weekends, I'm out with my horse riding up in the hills or working on training my saddle-cow.