"She keeps hangin' on to the dream she's always known. For the glory damn the pain; holds it all within them reins. She is country tough and there's no giving up. From her boots down to her precious latigo, her heart is a rodeo."
From the time I was really little, I always had something to do with horses. I loved riding them, petting them and just watching them. Something about these creatures captivated my heart, and I knew it was something I would never get away from. When I was 9 years old I learned to barrel race, pole bend and kind of rope -- I wasn't very good at it. However, the sport of rodeo that I was picking up on only deepened my love for horses.
The dream of rodeo wasn't the main reason why I loved horses so much though. Horses truly fascinated me because there is so much to be learned from them. Growing up with horses taught me to be tough. There are times when you're going to get bucked off and land face first in the dirt and yes it;s going to hurt.
The difficult horses also taught me determination. No matter how many times you get bucked off you always have to get back on. There are times when giving it all up and walking away would be the easiest thing to do but there's no reward in that. There's no lesson learned in that.
Growing up with horses teaches patience and perseverance, You have to have the patience to take a rescue horse and show it the love and compassion it needs to trust again. It also teaches the perseverance to keep working with that horse even when it seems like it;s going nowhere,
Growing up with horses teaches communication skills. It's letting a 1,000-pound animal know exactly what you're thinking and trusting it to undertsand you and do what you want it to. Very well knowing that there could be a misscommunication and one of you could end up hurt.
Growing up with horses teaches work ethic. It's early mornings and late nights spent working towards a goal that seems crazy to everyone except yourself, It's believing in yourself and your goals and knowing that that's all you need.
Lastly, it's growing up and moving away. However, no matter where you go or how far away from home it is it's taking all of those life lessons you learned from growing up with horses with you and applying them to your everyday life. It's knowing deep down that no matter how old you get or where you go the love for horses you have in your heart will live there forever.
Growing up with horses has taught me so much and undoubtedly has made me the person I am today. I think there is so much benefit to be had from kids growing up with horses. I intend to keep horses a part of my life for as long as I possibly can.
"No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle."-- Winston Churchill