For the past three years, I’ve been blessed by having my horse here at college with me. This has been a lifesaver for me in so many ways. Here’s five things I’ve learned from this experience.
1. It teaches you responsibility
Since the first day I dropped Buckshot off at the barn in August 2013, I have been responsible for this 1,000-pound animal two states away from my family. He needs shoes, shots, feed, exercise, proper nutrition and so much more. Taking care of him is my job, and I’ve known that since the first day I brought Buckshot home. (And let’s be real: horses are expensive)! You have to plan ahead for bills and time invested in riding/training. That’s a lot of responsibility for an animal!
2. It gives you a way to become a part of the community
I mean, hello! You have a horse! You're going to need connections for farriers, vets and just general know-how. If you’re lucky, you’ll find the perfect barn family that will be willing to help you make these connections. Don’t be afraid to make personal connections with your barn owner and other boarders. You never know when you might get stuck in the mud and need someone to pull you out. Because of my barn family, I now have the perfect internship, job and more connections to the community than the average college student.
3. You make friends on campus!
If you've never received odd looks before in your life...just ride a horse around a campus full of college students. During a free afternoon period I had, I rode Buck from the barn to my campus. We met a whole class on their way to practice! College students don’t get the chance to see animals often and there are studies showing the positive effects of animals lowering stress-levels. Riding a horse around will be a guaranteed way to open up conversations and you never know who you’ll meet.
4. It provides you with alone time.
If you're like me, you need some one-on-one time with yourself. College students are constantly surrounded by people, even when you’re in your room. Everyone needs time to relax and have some peace and quiet. Personally, this happens through horseback riding or hiking. But I can't even begin to stress how helpful being able to go out to the barn to get away during finals week has been. Everyone needs a break from the world. Why not take it surrounded by animals?
5. It keeps you in shape.
Don't believe me that horseback riding is exercise? I have links to prove you otherwise! This article has a chart that can show you how much you typically burn at the barn. Just to mention a few things, by lifting a 40-pound western saddle on and off your horse, you burn about 56 calories. Riding at a trot for 10 minutes burns an average of 74 calories and that’s not counting a posting trot! Loping for 10 minutes burns 93 calories. So, if you ride for 20 minutes at a trot and canter, you’ve burned 167 calories! If you have a hard-to-catch horse, just look at it this way . . . you're getting in shape! If you chase your horse for a hour, you’ve burnt about 550 calories!
What have you learned from having a horse at college with you?
