I have spent the past month and a half working with both children and horses at the Rock Springs 4-H Center. In my time doing this as a "wrangler" I have learned that my job title is listed as just "wrangler" for a reason. I am not just a designated horse wrangler, but also a kid wrangler.
As the summer went forward I started comparing the horses to the children with their behaviors and actions. Here is my list of why horses are just children.
They need supervision, sometimes constantly
Like many children, especially the young ones, horses need supervision. You have to make sure they are taken care of and will not hurt themselves.
They can't tell you how they hurt themselves
You can put a horse in a padded room and somehow they still hurt themselves. You can ask a child how they hurt themselves and you usually get the "I don't know" answer. Same thing.
They can't feed themselves
Horses' food is kept in a feed room in a barrel, bag, etc. and a toddler's food is kept in the kitchen cabinet or fridge. As you can tell they are similar places that a small child cannot get to without assistance. See the similarity?
They get REALLY dirty
GiphyIt is uncanny how filthy these little critters, I'm counting the kids in the word critter too, can get in such a short amount of time. And what is worse about their filth, they're proud of it too!!
They can't groom or bathe themselves
After filth comes bath time. You can't expect a baby to clean themselves after they make a mess, you can't expect that out of a horse either. A horse was just drink out of the water hose and never even glance at the soap bottle.
They hate bath time
GiphyVery common!!! They don't want to take a bath, there is fighting and screaming on both parts and someone is occasionally scared of getting water in their eyes, in case you're wondering, I'm talking about the horse.
They get cranky
Nothing is worse than a cranky toddler or a horse, it is not a party for anyone. What is worse, is when they throw fits and tantrums!
They need naps, or some type of break
GiphyPlease for the love of everything holy, give your horse or child a break from the play time or ride time, they get tired and that leads us back to reason #7, they get cranky.
They are always putting things in their mouths
GiphyYou always find them chewing or biting on something and they usually put it in their mouths too like it is appropriate for them to eat a wooden board.
Everything they touch, turns into a mess
This reason can be argued, some toddlers and horses are just clean, they pick up their toys or they poop in the corner of the stall and don't step it. HOWEVER, the majority that falls under this category outnumber that small amount by a large percentage.
They're really funny
GiphyFrom the crazy things they do to the weird things they say, horses and kids both keep us laughing, and it's a good thing too, because we put up with a lot of their crap (literally).
