Life has been going a million miles an hour lately. Stress, anxiety, and many different emotions have completely exhausted me mentally.
I know I always say that my horse is my therapy, and I couldn’t imagine life without him. This completely explains why he is so important to me, and why I put in the effort to go out and spend time with him every day. He is my calm, my best friend, my shoulder to cry on, my heart.
Not only that, but my barn friends have always been there for me as well, through thick and thin. When my family had to put our dog down last April, I immediately went to the barn when we got home. It’s my happy place, my favorite place, my safe place. My barn friends were there and comforted me, gave me hugs, shared stories about their canine friends to help console me. Caesar was there for me to cry into his mane, and give me quiet, unconditional love. I don’t know what I would do without all of them.
My horse and my barn friends understand me better than just about anyone else. I was scrolling through Facebook, trying to distract my mind before falling asleep the other night, and I saw someone had shared this post, so I thought I would share it with you, as it resonated so deeply with me. So, if you are wondering why the horse person in your life spends so much time at the barn, this is why:
To the girl who just isn’t feeling it…
We see you trying. Trying to spend time with friends, trying to enjoy the happy moments, trying to cherish time at the barn, trying to set goals, trying to get out of bed.
We see you put on a smile. We hear you say you’re fine. We also feel something still isn’t right with you.
We see you take that moment to bury your face in your horse’s mane and wipe a tear. A tear of self doubt or fear or stress or pain. A tear that you just have to let out and shed upon your beloved soul healer. Your horse takes the tear and soaks it in their soothing and ever soaking hair. As the tear disappears and the pain is partially and slowly absorbed into your equine friend, you gather yourself up for the ride, the time with your horse, the walk in hand for a nibble of grass while you soak up the sun, the air upon your face and the warmth your heart feels from the time with a nonjudgemental friend.
We see you hanging out and taking it all in and trying to let go of the anxiety you had earlier that day from school, work, relationships… We see you let the magic of your horse gently caressing your hands as you rub your horse’s neck and try to let go of the pain of a recent loss, news of a loved one… We see you kiss your horse’s muzzle and let the moment of their kind, caressing nose engulf your entire being and for a moment you feel free of all the bothers.
We your barn family, see you. We see you not really feeling the greatest. We see you needing that time with your horse alone, or with us on a trail ride talking about everything else in the world so that you can escape. We see you working hard in your lesson so that you can focus on something that takes your brain to a productive state all while letting go of the other thoughts if just for a minute.
We see you and we are here for you.
Love, your barn family.
-Written by Cassie Law
