For parents who complain about the cost of horses
Very often we hear parents at the riding school complain about the cost of horses. While we know they eat a hole in the pocket, a father recently shared why he forks out for the animals. We’ve copied this from Facebook and definitely think you’ll enjoy the read:
My daughter turned sixteen years old today; which is a milestone for most people. Besides looking at baby photos and childhood trinkets with her, I took …time to reflect on the young woman my daughter had become and the choices she would face in the future.
As I looked at her I could see the athlete she was, and determined woman she would
soon be. I started thinking about some of the girls we knew in our town who were
already pregnant, pierced in several places, hair every color under the sun, drop
outs, drug addicts and on the fast track to no-
Because my daughter grew up with horses she has compassion. She knows that we must take special care of the very young and the very old. We must make sure those without voices to speak of their pain are still cared for.
Because my daughter grew up with horses she learned responsibility for others than herself. She learned that regardless of the weather you must still care for those you have the stewardship of. There are no “days off” just because you don’t feel like being a horse owner that day. She learned that for every hour of fun you have there are days of hard slogging work you must do first.
Because my daughter grew up with horses she learned not to be afraid of getting dirty
and that appearances don’t matter to most of the breathing things in the world we
live in. Horses do not care about designer clothes, jewelry, pretty hairdos or anything
else we put on our bodies to try to impress others. What a horse cares about are
your abilities to work within his natural world, he doesn’t care if you’re wearing
$80.00 jeans while you do it. -
Because my daughter grew up with horses she understands the value of money. Every
dollar can be translated into bales of hay, bags of feed or farrier visits. Purchasing
non-
Because my daughter grew up with horses she has learned to learn on her own. She has had teachers that cannot speak, nor write, nor communicate beyond body language and reactions. She has had to learn to “read” her surroundings for both safe and unsafe objects, to look for hazards where others might only see a pretty meadow. She has learned to judge people as she judges horses. She looks beyond appearances and trappings to see what is within.
Because my daughter grew up with horses she has learned sportsmanship to a high degree.
Everyone that competes fairly is a winner. Trophies and ribbons may prove someone
a winner, but they do not prove someone is a horseman. She has also learned that
some people will do anything to win, regard-
Because my daughter grew up with horses she has self-
Because my daughter grew up with horses she has learned to plan ahead. She knows that choices made today can effect what happens five years down the road. She knows that you cannot care for and protect your investments without savings to fall back on. She knows the value of land and buildings. And that caring for your vehicle can mean the difference between easy travel or being stranded on the side of the road with a four horse trailer on a hot day.
When I look at what she has learned and what it will help her become, I can honestly say that I haven’t “wasted” a penny on providing her with horses. I only wish that all children had the same opportunities to learn these lessons from horses before setting out on the road to adulthood.