horses as therapy?

[midnightmare]

Does anyone else find that going to the yard/being with horses/riding is theraputic for them?
I suffer with a few problems mentally but as soon as I am with horses I can just forget about them :D The yard is like a haven lol, to get away from the stress of my family and school and just be with 'sane' people and horses lol :D
I am so ready for tomorrow, jumping lesson and a day at the yard to take my mind off the horrible week I'm gonna face next week :(


ETA They aren't serious mental health issues, just depression, anxiety, eating problems etc... abit ott but just wanted to point it out lol :)

[twigs]

I dont get to spend any time at the yard apart from my lesson, but my dogs give me alot of therapy when Im stressed about something or feeling low, a walk in the woods with them does the trick, so i imagine spending time with horses would do the trick too
sorry to hear you suffer from depression, hope you get help for it, have been there and its rotten

[Gypsycobdaisy]

Definitly. I am at my happiest when am doing my horses, whether its riding, grooming or poo picking! i can spend hours and hours down there (which i often do and get the usual - what DO you do down there ALL day??? :D

[dessert_storm87]

Yeah I think so :) They take your mind off whatever is troubling you, and the fresh air etc is good too. I always go to the yard if I'm feeling stressed/ a bit depressed, and I find the horses always get me through hard times.

[beating_hooves]

College stresses me out beause I hate it so much, riding stops me going insane ;)

[sarchie]

Yes definitely! It's my chill out time, the most relaxing time of the day. Life would be a lot more stressful without them in it.

[lottie.dot]

Forget Therapy. I am never ill down the yard!! Whenever I feel ill or have a headache or whatever, the moment I am down the yard I am always fine. Never had a days illness down the yard...

(and yes, always forget anything that's bothering me too whilst there)

[midnightmare]

I dont get to spend any time at the yard apart from my lesson, but my dogs give me alot of therapy when Im stressed about something or feeling low, a walk in the woods with them does the trick, so i imagine spending time with horses would do the trick too
sorry to hear you suffer from depression, hope you get help for it, have been there and its rotten
Thanks, I should be getting help soon, when I get brave enough to ask someone for it lol, hoping next week as this has gone on too long :( :)


Oh yeah, when I'm ill I go down to the yard and I feel fab, I'd much rather ride/groom/poo pick than mope about at home lol :)

[popularfurball]

If I know I am being unreasonable about something at home, or if OH is grumpy with me then I will disappear :) I come back refreshed and having forgotton about what went on before.

I love spending the time up at the farm - OH has no idea what I do up there - and like someone elses said finds it confusing I can spend so much time up there! It keeps me sane, and happier - I love the space and the time together especially when we are both in good moods :)

It helps keep me positive and motivated, which has been tough while waiting for job checks to clear and stuff (no routine, minimal money, nothing to keep busy with) and also gives us time apart which I think is healthy - we bicker less as I am out more :) he gets time on playstation/computer/tv without me nagging in his ear, and I get time with ponypants! :D

[pmcc]

can work either way for me. At the moment because my horse isnt working out I am really short tempered because I'm kicking myself that I bought him and should have realised he wasnt for me. I feel under pressure because I don't know whether to try to sell him or not. So sometimes it helps, when its going ok, but when it's not it adds to my stress levels.

[titch_]

100% my mum has serious mental problems. (after 18 years they have only TODAY decided to diagnose it as bipolar)
Before they just label it as severe depression. She is also agoraphobic, OCD and anxiety.
Before we got candy she didn't leave the house for 3 years! we still have a LOT of ups and downs (currently in a down turn but can now see the light at the end of the tunnel) but the yard is mums space to unwind and chill.

[x-Marmite-x]

Toby is my therapy no doubt :). I'd go bonkers without a horse in my life. He has such a calming influence on me even when he's having a loopy day :p. I've never left the yard less happy than when I arrived :). It's a bit frightening how much I rely on him for my happiness :o, but he takes my mind off everything :). I forget all of my worries when I'm with him, and even when I can't, he'll at least listen to me pour my heart out about them :). He's a little pillar of equine strength :D.

[lobeliaoverhill]

I'm Carer to my elderly/disabled parents, and suffer from stress, anxiety, panic attacks, and Depression. I don't get any respite, and until recently had no help looking after them, I bought my horse 4 months ago and being at the yard gives me "time out" from my day to day chores, my panic attacks have stopped, my anxiety is diminishing and the Depression is slowly going. I still get very stressed out but I can cope with it better now :)

[abisheridee]

I didn't realise how therapeutic they were until I sold my horse, and went back to how I was a few years ago, a complete emotional wreck. They are wonderful animals, even when they are making you cry and breaking your bones! :)

[crazyhorse97]

they help - was totally stressed out before going on holiday (dont ask, my family is screwy...) so went up to see Jas as she is about 5 mins from my house. even though she was a complete grumpy cow, it made me relax and think good things about going on holiday, not focussing on the bad bits...

Works a lot of the time when i am upset or depressed...

xXx

[horseygal90]

Works both ways though - Whilst horses have carried me through my bad patches a lot (especially when I was at uni, where it all got too much) atm I'm not riding because of the complete apathy towards life and loss of motivation. I'm pretty much a walking emotional/mental train wreck right now and it can only get worse so I should probably be trying to get back into riding. But again, the loss of motivation is killing all thoughts of it!

[vimto92]

HG90, I can really relate to that, I just feel I have nothing to look forward to in life.:o

MM, I think horses, and well... animals in general, have a very therapeutic effect on people. :)

[huskyfinn]

i too have mental health issues and horses have been the only consistent thing in my life since i was born. people have come and gone but i've always had my horses. through all the tough times i've had too.

my step daughter made out she wanted to be around horses so i got her one and it turned out she was just trying to take the one thing i had in my life away from me, it caused alot of problems and i even got put off being around horses for a while.
my horses are what give me the peace in my life and i go to the yard and tell my OH that i will only be a couple of hours but i end up being there from 2pm until 7pm! :eek::D i get home about 8.30pm just in time to put the kids to bed! lol

[midnightmare]

Today was a failure.. It was a fantastic lesson, my RI said it was the best I had ever ridden him and I can start riding the other horses there :D
Then I got off and was leading Jack to the stables and my mum came over and said 'well that wasn't very good was it' I was like 'whaaa?' lol anyway after I put him back mum carried on about how bad I looked today, so rather than forgetting about my problems I left the yard feeling depressed and crying :o (I know I am over-reacting but i am really emotional at the moment)

[x-Marmite-x]

Sorry MNM but I don't think you're overreacting at all. I'd be crushed if my mum said something like that to me after I'd had a good lesson (especially one that my RI - the qualified one ;) - had been pleased with too). Is your mum horsey? Sometimes it's difficult for non-horsey folk to appreciate the hard work that is riding and how it doesn't always look the neatest or that you may not be heading for the Olympics just yet. Maybe she could have a talk with your RI so that s/he can convince your mum that in fact you are actually doing really well, and maybe such negative comments aren't exactly going to be helping your self-confidence right now :).

[Gruntfuttock]

Sweetie, it WASN'T a failure. You had a good lesson. Your RI said you were good. You are ready to move onto more challenging horses. None of that sounds like a failure to me.

Your mum's reaction (which sounds quite uncalled-for to me) is HER problem. maybe she is depressed, maybe she is jealous, maybe things are going wrong in her life and the only way she can cope is by sniping at the people around her. The fact remains, what she said is nonsense. Of course its deeply upsetting, she's your MUM, she OUGHT to be supportive and couraging of your hobby. For whatever reason, right now, she isn't. You know she knows next to nothing about horses and riding, so she isnt exactly qualified to judge whether you looked good or not.

Just bite your lip, think about the awesome lesson you had, and focus on perhaps having another horse next lesson.

[midnightmare]

Thanks :)
I did tell my mum what my RI had said but all she heard my RI say was her telling me to sit up e.t.c so she probably thought I wasn't doing anything right. For the first 10 minutes I was lacking energy but it was my first week at school and I have had so many late nights recently. But my possition was alot better than last week, and the week before etc
I hope she wont change her mind about letting me get a horse :(