I share horse advice on the Yahoo! Answers website once in awhile, and the question I see listed in the Horse Section more than any other is: How do I convince my parents to let me have a horse of my own? While I hope this post doesn’t evolve into a rant, I do want to point out the benefits of buying your child a horse, or at least letting them lease one for their middle school through high school years.
1. A horse gives you a sense of responsibility.
One hundred years ago, this wasn’t an issue. Kids were expected to do chores, help out with menial tasks, and work alongside their parents. It was common for twelve year olds to be taught how (and trusted with!) driving a team of horses. They knew how to put up hay, how to grow and preserve food, how to make and mend clothing, and other productive tasks. Compare that with today’s kids, and while I won’t slam those who have been raised to be respectful and appreciative young people, I will say that the typical kid today isn’t expected to do anything. They are lavished with name-brand clothing, cell phones, the latest hairstyles and accessories, and expensive entertainment. They’ve been taught an entitled outlook where their input never matches what they are given.
But give a kid a horse and see what happens. A horse teaches love and affection. It gives a kid the feeling that there’s someone depending on them to take care of them. It teaches that hard work is rewarded, and you get back as much as you put into it—no less and no more. When you have a horse, you set goals for yourself, no matter where you’re starting from. And you get a sense of self-worth and achievement when you work with a horse.
2. A horse puts you in a better environment.
If you ask me where I would prefer my daughter spend most of her time—at the mall or at the barn, I would choose the barn. A woman named Tracey Meisenbach wrote an inspiring essay about “because of horses, my daughter is…” and listed the many things she was thankful for and how her daughter had missed out on many terrible pitfalls some teenage girls face, all because she was involved in horses. (Unfortunately, I can’t quote her essay, because it was shared on many different horse forums without paying Tracey for using it, and she threatened to sue them for copyright infringement if they didn’t remove it, and even removed it from her own website.) I wish it was available to share with you, as it was a good example of why parents should buy their daughter a horse. In today’s society, so many good kids get in trouble just by having too much time on their hands. Let’s just say I would rather have a horse-crazy daughter than a boy-crazy one.
Horses are hard work, but there are many valuable lessons to be learned from them. Shoveling out stalls, measuring feed, grooming and bathing the horse, learning to ride—this might sound like simple physical labor. But the mental awareness it takes to control a large animal is a good skill to hone. Paying attention to minute details will come in handy later when your child is grown and seeking employment. A good work ethic is an asset that’s becoming increasingly harder to find. A horse will give you one.
3. A horse gives you a listening ear at the time when you need one the most. I remember when I was about thirteen, I had some serious authority issues with my mom. She was filling in as my teacher that year in school, and while she was a very good teacher, it bothered me that she treated me differently while in the class room. The teenage years are never easy anyway, but battling with my mom became a daily habit of mine. I could basically do as I pleased during the day, just to spite my mother, but then get in deep trouble with my dad when he got home and heard about my attitude. I remember one particular day after school, I ran out to the barn and hid in the hayrack. Laying in the hay looking up at the blue sky, listening to the horses chewing, and letting my anger fade away, I just had this very strong urge to get on my horse and run away. I got my bridle and climbed up bareback on my horse and just let him run as fast as he would. We went through three or four pastures until we reached the edge of the land my dad owned. And then there was really nothing more to do except turn around and walk back home. But it felt good, to just let the horse run and let my own feelings vent without anyone else to see. A horse always takes your side, listens without condemning, understands because he has been through frightening and confusing situations too, and softens your anger because of his own gentle nature.
I firmly believe that having horses not only enriched my life as a teenage girl, it strengthened my character and prepared me for life as I know it today. Because of horses, I learned to be patient. Training colts gave me a good start in training kids, and I used many of the same principles when I taught school for five years after I got out of college. I would not trade my childhood with horses for anything in this world.
So if you’re trying to convince your parents to buy you a horse and you need a positive adult opinion, give them some of these reasons. But at the same time, give them your own solid reputation for always holding up your end of a bargain. If they have faith in you to believe you will take the responsibility for all of the work that goes into horse ownership, then there really is no other strong argument against getting you a horse of your own.
