For this blog, I thought I would focus on happiness, because when you talk to most people who ride or own horses, and you ask them what it is about horses, along with the various other reasons such as “I love the buzz”, “it makes me forget about all the other stuff”, etc. they will also invariably end up mentioning the fact that it makes them “happy” or will include the word “happiness”.
Horses make us happy in so many ways, and so I thought it might be interesting to ask a couple of our brand associated riders for their thoughts on what they think makes for a happy horse. Asking some of the UK’s biggest rider names is just one of the great perks of this job and I was interested to find out their thoughts (as I am sure many of you are!), so in a nutshell, here are their insightful thoughts on the subject…
Dressage horses are often thought of as wrapped up in cotton wool, and whilst professional riders are indeed careful in their everyday care, they do acknowledge that treating them like, well, horses is also key to their happiness, as we found out from two of our sponsored riders.
Leah Beckett is an international dressage rider and she believes that horses are just like any other animal: “…They just want to be fed, watered and warm, and given a happy life/work balance. They also need plenty of variety in their social life, such as going out in the field or hacking, and in their training… Oh, and a good sense of purpose and plenty and plenty of kisses!”
Natasha Baker has won Olympic Gold medals and is a leading international Paradressage rider and cites a happy horse as one which has: “Routine, varied work, food, and field time! And lots of love!”
Interestingly, love and kisses seemed to be key to ensuring that your horse is kept happy… and I think that applies to human happiness too!
Many thanks to Natasha Baker, courtesy of Golly Galoshes, & Leah Beckett courtesy of Aloeride.
