A horse walks in to a bar. The bartender says, “Why the long face?” While we humans may find humor in that joke, a horse probably wouldn’t. Let me tell you why.
Now before the letters to the editor come pouring in about how East Point Horspice personifies horses and pretends to ‘know what horses are thinking’, anybody who has experience around horses would agree that one of their admirable traits is the remarkable ability to be completely non-judgmental and accept everything around them for what and who they are, not what they want them to be; this is a curse that humans need to actively fight every day. Horses do not judge by appearances; they merely accept you for who you are and who you represent yourself to be from deep inside. This leads to a further reaching miracle of horses: even if in a human perspective one might appear to not be challenged by physical ailments or obvious impairments, the horse understands and can relate to mental situations deviously hidden from our narrow perspectives, (think PTSD or depression).
By their very nature, horses prove to be incredible therapists and counselors. EPH has witnessed many times where new riders come out to begin sessions and it is the horse who chooses the rider, not the other way around. A connection is made and a relationship of growth and self-development begins for both parties. Time and again, even an untrained eye can see where the horse will match the energy of the rider at that present moment; if the rider has had a bad day and is perhaps a bit grumpy, the horse will accept that and adapt to the rider’s frame of mind. Then, through the active participation of riding, grooming and conversation with the horse, that frame of mind will most likely improve significantly through the horse’s simply being present, accepting the negative mindset and allowing the rider to expel this to make room for more positivity and an overall better attitude. Horses are tremendously talented listeners and will never interrupt or interject non-solicited opinions.
Even if not riding, horses can lessen the stresses of a not so perfect day at work. Horses don’t live in the past, that is to say they don’t hold grudges. Horses don’t plan for the future, meaning they don’t have an agenda. Horses have a purely amazing ability to live in the present and appreciate what is happening right in front of them at that precise moment and make that their intention. This soaking of your negative, unhealthy mental state will be absorbed by the horses and you will realize that the headache of your human existence is literally gone. The simple act of grooming or listening to a horse munch on hay will have a calming, sedative-like effect. It must be tried to be understood.
It is because of the horse’s ability to accept us for who we are while trying never to change us to fit their idea of a perfect human, that EPH continues to use these animals in an effort to make the world a better place. It never ceases to amaze us when we consider that these rescued horses are rescuing us. Horses do make us better humans.