I thought it would be interesting for people to share how a horse has helped you or someone you know, heal in some way. Currently I'm dealing with my one and only child just moving from home, to 2 hours away in a large city, he's almost 20, I know this is normal but it's left a big hole in my heart and life. Every time I go be with my horse (riding or whatever) I feel peaceful and that the hole is slowly healing.

How about you? 

Just recently my Nana passed away, and that night when I was at the barn, our  horse laid her head on my arm and sighed so gently.  She is not too affectionate towards humans and that went right to my heart.  I got a big lump in my throat and knew she was feeling bad also.  Just going to the barn and mucking stalls or wiping cobwebs down or washing water buckets has helped to ease the pain.  You can talk to your horses and they hold no judgement against you. 

I suspect that grooming and riding lower my blood pressure. I'm always pretty peaceful at the barn.

We have a friend who suffers from severe, chronic depression. Riding is his saving grace. He says he never feels suicidal when he's around horses.

I volunteered at a therapeutic riding center. It would be a book to detail the small and large miracles performed by horses at a place like that.

My husband is stationed away from home. On the weekends, he works away from home as well getting his retirement business of building steel horse barns going. Im by myself most of the time, with my 6 year old son. My horses offer me sanity, truly.

Lena helped me through a very rough time in mylife afew years ago and she continues to to this day.

I've had Annapolis for 19 years, and he has seen me through a lot.  Through and following my divorce, going to the barn each weekend and either riding or just grooming and giving treats held me together.  Same thing when the next long term relationship fell apart. Nowadays, when stress at work or hormonal changes have me tearing my hair out, he's there for me to cry into his mane if I need to. Just driving to the barn, I can feel my spirits lifting the closer I get and whether I'm going out for a pleasant trail ride, or just spending quiet time with Annapolis and Star grooming or whatever, they keep me sane.

Horses are definitely good for the soul :)

I can relate to this thread. I gave up most of my life over  having Fibromyalgia, and myofascial pain syndrome. This included having a job. I'm glad I had encouragement to go back to my first love which was horses. I would say that from being a client at a therapeutic riding center this helped me in so many ways.

I was an officer in the Navy - if  told you what my job was, I'd have to kill you - very high stress with some interesting excursions.  Anyway, I exited the service with no hard feelings but some serious physical problems and the usual PTSD, panic/anxiety, blah,blah, blah... It took awhile to get something resembling a life back, then I hooked into  2 high stress jobs in a row.  I mean really, where were the brain cells? One lasted 7 years, the next three... the jobs, not the brain cells.

During the 2nd job I decided to finally indulge my lifelong, unrequited dream of owning a horse.

Started slow, with lessons for several months, then  I was progessing pretty well and wanted more, so I leased - but not the calm, bombproof, old lesson horse everyone wanted me to take.  I didn't like him for several reasons. So who else did they have?

Weeellll... there was this teenaged TB gelding that the equestrian h/j team used...NOT!!!  His nickname was the Rocket Launcher and no one would ride him.  So bring him on!

The thing was I wasn't jumping.  He had never been properly retrained from the track, so when someone pulled on his mouth, he reverted to racehorse mode and WENT.  This does not work with h/js, duh!

He and I bonded, big time.  My trainer helped me teach him that pressure on the bit meant slow down or stop (we made the acquaintence of many walls, bazillions of tiny circles.  He learned that he could function outside a fence.  So at the end of the lease I got down on my knees and begged them to sell him to me.

And every single second with him was time spent with a totally forgiving, non judgemental, soft, warm, empathic, loving friend.  He was the love of my life and my soul mate.  I could bury my face in his mane and cry when I needed to cry and he would turn and lay his head on my shoulder. I could climb on and fly and there were no worries or pain.  He asked only for love, his basic needs, and an open heart. He gave me back strength and confidence and faith in myself.

I was only blessed with his companionship for 5 years before he left me behind.  I miss him every day.

Just being on a horse can make everything go away for a while.Although I am new to the horse world, I feel much calmer and happier when I'm at the barn. My riding school in just down the street from me, so even if I drive by, I automatically feel better! Horses have definitely given me a new lease on life! Thank you thank you!

Years back, while in a bad relationship, I would go to the barn and cry in my horse's mane. Joy wasn't the most affectionate horse, but she somehow know I was hurting and would lay her muzzle on my arm or shoulder and let out a deep sigh as if to say "It will be ok, Mom." She saved my sanity.

 There's an old quote I heard a long time ago - "There's something about the outside of a horse which is good for the inside of a man". So true!!

I know what you mean! Horses are such wonderful knowing creatures.

Hi, I have been going through a very rough time this summer.  My husband decided he doesn't love me anymore.  I have been beside myself for months now.  I haven't been able to ride, but I do go and hang out.  I especially love pony kisses and hearing her nickers.  She's pretty green and a bit aggressive, but when I'm down, she knows it, and comes and puts her head against my chest and patiently allows me to kiss her nose (usually I have to chase her around to get kisses).  I would probably have to be medicated if it werent' for the critters right now.  My dog has been my loyal companion as well.  The burro provides comic relief.  I am so grateful for my three four legged therapists!

When I was in jr. high, there was a foal born at my house; I didn't know it, but that horse was later on going to, with God's grace, save my life, and give me a reason to keep 'pressing on'. 

 I wound up buying that colt in 1995...when he was three months old, he came home for good. He was a bright sorrel, with a big blaze, and a white sock on one back foot.  Already, he was very bonded to me, because from the day he was born, I had been the one to start playing with him...he trusted me.  During the first couple years I had him, life was 'pretty normal'...then in my high school days, I started to struggle with depression, and later, suicide...

 But I didn't struggle alone...however, I wasn't really realizing that quite yet; while I was enjoying my now 3 year old, coming 4 year old gelding, life just seemed 'empty', and when I wasn't in the barn, or out on the trail with my trusted partner, I felt a sense of incompleteness, and inadequacy; of course, it was all based on lies that people around me were feeding me...but to a teenager, well...you know how it goes if you have gone through it before, and if you are a teenager now, you know what I am talking about; people say things about you, and the more that they say them, the more that you believe them, until you finally believe that you really are worthless, ugly, and what ever else it is they tell you. 

 I sank deeper and deeper into a depression; but I was one of those that was really good at masking how I really felt around people...especially my family, because that is what they taught me what to do...if you show how you felt, you were weak; so I didn't show how I felt...but it was killing me inside, and the only ones I thought knew were God and my horse, and my other animal companions.  I started struggling with suicide...mainly the thoughts; how I could do it, where, when...a few occasions I did more than that.

 On one of those occasions late in the night, with an exacto knife poised over my wrist, I heard a voice, ever so gently whisper "stop looking at your pain, and look at what my Son has done for you".  Right then, I realized how selfish taking my life would have been; then I also realized, what would have happened to my best friends out in my barn? The ones who, even now, I believe that God sent to give me a reason to keep trudging forward...I knew my family wouldn't have kept them...and who knows who may have wound up with them...I went out and gave each of them a hug, and cried on my horse's mane, thankful I was still there to do so...

pygmysong your honesty has given me the courage to post this after debating since the thread was started.  Thank you!

I am bipolar... manic depressive... whichever term you prefer they're two names for the same condition.  Right now my condition is controlled well enough for me to live like a regular person (go out in public, hold down a job....) but that wasn't always the case.  Unlike the majority of sufferers, I've been struggling with the condition since childhood -- mine was caused by a head injury when I was still a toddler.  For those who don't know, bipolar is a rollercoaster of terrifying highs (you'd think I was on speed), suicidal lows, and extreme rages, most or all unrelated to anything that's going on.  Emotion takes on a life of its own, and any stops in the "normal" range are usually infrequent and short.  My version also includes hallucinations at times, though not everyone gets that part.  I've attempted suicide seven times, and once my heart had to be restarted.

After quite a while away from horses, I bought Squeaker as a weanling, and both my doctor and my husband started noticing things.  When I got depressed, I didn't retreat as far into myself... horse still had to be fed, watered etc and that took precedence over my state.  When I was manic, having the horse provided a check on my judgement... I wouldn't risk her, and I couldn't do things like blow the board money either.  When I was raging, a trip to the farm would calm me down.  Suicidal periods became less frequent... maybe I didn't want to leave her, maybe I was concerned over where she'd end up without me, I don't know.  But they did.

Now don't get me wrong, a huge part of my stability today is also because (after lots of trial and error) we've finally found the right combination of meds for me, but Squeaks was an anchor when the process wasn't working so well.  And when I almost lost her, my doctor was prepared to testify in court that she's a necessary part of my therapy and losing her would probably result in my being hospitalized.  And not just "a horse" but Squeaker specifically.  I'd say something's working!

 And that's not even touching on the physical therapy she provides for my ruined knees and back.....

Suzanne

Oh Squeek and Pygmysong - you are both amazing people

My own horses have helped me overcome physical illness in the past, I had the stables built near my bedroom so that I could hear them when I lay in bed and I can see the paddocks and watch them eat and play - food for the soul!

I cant imagine life without my ponies and dont want too really!