That feeling of just keeping our head above water, like we are going to sink at any moment, can be worse for those of us with horses. They are an expensive passion. The fear of vet bills to care for our furry friends. The anxiety of maybe having our job go away. All of this stress and anxiety can affect our horses.
We may not realize it, but when we go see our horses, if we take that financial anxiety with us, they can feel it. They don't understand it. They understand that it is anxiety and we are stressed and their life depends on recognizing stress. I think anxiety could be one of the reasons horses shut down, to protect themselves from all the anxiety that is overwhelming to them. The opposite ones are the ones that get really spooky, looking for what the heck we are afraid of. Where is it? They don't see it.
So, how do I deal with anxiety over finances?
First and foremost, I know in my heart that God will provide. I have always believed this. It is how I got my first pony when I was five, that my family didn't have the money for. I believed God would provide a pony and I had a pony. During times of trouble, where I didn't have the money to make it to the end of the month, I trusted. A random check would show up in the mail that perfectly covered the rest of the months bills, or I would get a job offer that was just perfect.
The second thing was implementing a system for my finances. I tried a bunch of programs but the one that worked for me was T. Harv Eker. His system worked amazing, and I was able to build a cushion and pay off all my bad debt. Yes, there is good debt. It is debt that earns you money.
The third thing was talking to others, especially horse people that were making it happen and had the life I wanted. How did they do it? Having honest conversations with others that were where I wanted to be really helped.
When I go see my horses, I leave the anxieties I have behind. I don't carry them with me to the horses. It isn't fair to them.
My free guide, The Ghosts of Anxiety - Past, Present, and Future, might help a little more if this resonated with you.
Sarcoids are so frustrating, but I have had great results with all the ones I have had on my horses.
I walked into our three-sided shed one day, and there was blood everywhere. I was shocked. All three mares were standing their, quietly munching their hay and it looked like one of them had lost a leg. I searched and searched, running my hands all over them and nothing. Fresh blood and it just appeared out of thin air.
I sat down in complete frustration, not knowing if my horse was going to die or even which one. As soon as I sat down, I could see the Sarcoid, between my mares thigh and her udder, up as far as it could be. It was about the size of a golf ball and I could see where it must have burst and then clotted over. This would not be the last of the blood, or the sarcoids, but I knew I had to do something until I could get the vet there.
I called my vet friend that uses Young Living Products since I knew I had a bunch of stuff on hand and might be able to help my poor horse. Here is the protocol she recommended twice a day until the vet could get here:
First, clean really well with Thieves Cleaner - 3 capful strength in 16 ounces of water.
Dry really well.
Gently rub in this blend: (it lasted me about 5 days, twice a day)
Copaiba - 20 drops
Purification - 20 drops
Thieves - 10 drops
Longevity - 10 drops
Tea tree - 20 drops
Cover with Animal Scents ointment (I mix with a tiny bit of coconut oil to get good consistency to apply).
It took a few weeks but the sarcoid disappeared before the vet came. She had a few more pop up and he was able to see one and confirmed it was a sarcoid and was surprised that the big one had gone away.
Usually, sarcoids go away on their own but not always and it is important to have a vet look as soon as possible. The above supports the healing along with what the vet needs to do.
Mounting your horse, with the thought of "throwing" your leg over, sends you into fits of pain just thinking about it. It really could be any stiffness or pain. Think about it from your horses perspective. Horses rely on healthy, strong, horses to be their leaders. The ones that are weaker or not up to the job, get pushed to the bottom. It is the survival of a prey animal, to make sure the weak are not amongst them.
So, do you need to be fit to horse ride? No, but it helps tremendously with the trust of your horse. Also, if you are stiff and/or sore, you are not going to react to situations as fast as possible to keep yourself safe. This can compound anxiety and fear. Also, I know for me, when I am stiff, I tend to slouch and ball up. I don't have the tall, looking to where I want to ride, poise, not sure what you call it, but I don't have it when I am stiff.
Think about the amazing riders, you see dancing with their horses in the dressage ring, or the jockeys, riding the horses flying down the track. The jumper riders and cutting horse riders that have to be nimble and have reflexes that rival the best in the world. Those riders are not going to perform to their best and their horses will also be challenged if the riders aren't fit.
In a related way, fitness also gives us the energy to ride and care for our horses. It takes strength to groom, tack up and ride. It takes strength to dance with your horse as you ride and not just be a passenger. Fitness is so key in my opinion to the relationship with your horse in all of these ways.
If you would like some ideas on getting fit, get my free guide - 5 ways to feel like a kid again! Click Here!
I would have said NO WAY. I had tried everything.
When I was 5, I wanted my aunts to sit on the floor and play a board game with me. They declined and said they would be in too much pain. I remember I was shocked. I vowed right then and there; I would NOT be that person that couldn't sit and play a board game with the kids.
Fast forward 50 years and guess what, I was that person. Not only could I not sit on the floor to play a board game, but my horse riding had suffered since I just had lost my flexibility and was so stiff and sore. Even putting on my socks was a challenge.
I tried this and that and there was improvement but not a complete solution. I tried yoga but hated it. I tried exercising but I already get enough of that with the farm. I tried eating different but that was just a challenge to know what to eat, what not to eat, I just didn't have directions. What happened to our owner's manual? Life would be so much easier.
Well, the wonderful Marth Krejci, gave me the owners manual. It came in the form of an 11-day jumpstart that I did the beginning of January. It has the food to eat. When to eat it. The Water to remove the toxins. The supplements to latch on to toxins and allow the water to remove them. It was easy. Step by step. For the first time in years, I am looking forward to spring riding! I am looking forward to the grandkids visiting.
I feel GREAT! The flexibility and balance I have gained reduced my anxiety getting on my horses!
If you would like to check out the 11-day program (and the bonus stuff I am throwing in for horse people!), just click here!
This is a GREAT question. Think about it, do we ask, how do you drive a car safely? Or, how do we walk down stairs safely? Or, how do we walk through the shopping mall safely? All of these things can be dangerous but we don't ask all the time about their safety. I think because riding a horse, is an agreement and a partnership between two beings, it is a little more daunting but really, driving a car is an agreement with all the other drivers if you think about it.
So, there are things we can do to improve our safety riding. First of all, mentally, we need to be ready to ride. Think about going to the shopping mall with your friend, and the entire time, she is worried about being robbed, that person doesn't look nice, what if that person has a gun, etc. You would be a stressed mess and not enjoy it. We do this to our horses when we are not mentally in a good spot to ride. There are so many exercises we can do to get our mind right, before getting on our horses (and I love using CBD under my tongue to also help just take the edge off, to see the one I use, just click here),
We need to make sure our horses are ready to enjoy a nice ride. I have created some pre-ride checklists, like a pilot checking out a plane for flight, to make sure our horses are ready and look for signs that we may need to make a different decision. If we can have bad days, our horses can too! I also love to put a big pile of hay in front of my horses while I groom and tack up. A full stomach keeps their stomach acid from sloshing while riding so they want to be ridden the next time. If it always hurts when you are ridden, you wouldn't want to do it again.
When we go to get on our horse, are they standing quietly, waiting for us to get on? This is a big one! If they are not super quiet and relaxed, I don't get on, ever. We work through what is causing their worry and stress. It may mean I don't ride that day. I think the best thing we can do for our horses, is to always give them a choice. A partnership is about agreement of both parties and our horse deserves that respect from us.
If you enjoyed this, I did do a short video talking about it too!
