Horses

To people barrel racing and jockeying is just a thing but to the right people it is so much more. I don't just ride horses because it's fun; it's not just fun, it's a life style. Not everyone belongs on the back of a horse. A person that believes a horse is only a crazy animal can't outride a person who sees the horse as what it truly is: a horse is a gift that is place on this earth for amazing reasons. Some reasons are unknown and it takes a true cowgirl to look deep into a horse's eyes and figure out just what they were placed here for. I see horses as mirrors of our own human souls. I believe a horse and its rider should have this special connection. This connection is a beautiful piece of magic. Some people understand the importance of making it and understand it all their lives but others might not ever find it. Defining a horse is very complex but true riders can untangle the vines of a horse's soul. They're just like people: they hurt, they feel, and they care. Horses are not a danger but some people see them as one. I don't understand how but I know there are people in this world who do. Some people think the only way to control and to teach a horse is with spurs and whips. I'm not saying it is a sin to hit a horse because that would make me a sound very hypocritical. I believe it is okay punish your horse, but I think you should break them without hurting their spirits. I think it's wrong to hit a horse so much that it strikes fear deep within its soul.
Barrel racing is a true sport to me. It's not just getting on a horse and running through a pattern. It's so much more. To barrel race you have to have that connection with you horse. I think it is not fair to buy a "big money horse" (a horse that is been sent to school and hit and only knows barrel racing, a horse that you have not spent lots of time with only lots of money) because you have not made the connection with it. Some horses come from breeds that were made just for barrel racing, you can buy this horse and to me it is not the same as buying a big money horse because you still have to take your time to teach it. The breed is just for the speed. I don't believe in order to win shows and completion you have to have a horse that is breed for it. To me any horse can make a barrel horse if you put enough time and effort into it. My favorite thing about barrel racing is the fact that there is three barrels, two hearts, and one dream.
The connection between horse and ride to me is not just an imaginary thing that few people actually believe in. The connection is hard to put into words it's just a feeling. It's when a horse and rider kind of complete each other and can think as one. A horse and rider is a team they work together to accomplice great goals. Every team has a leader, not a dictator that tries to take over but just a leader that points out the way. It is important to me that the rider is a good leader. This means you have to truly know how to listen to your horse, how not to push too hard but know when to push just enough to accomplish goals and get the job did. Sometimes your horse thinks it can be the leader of your team but there is no where you can go with this because a horse is like a child when you give them a little they try to take a lot. If your horse is your leader then there is a problem in your team an equation because if the horse is tired it will not push itself. This all takes part in the connection you should have with your horse.
I don't think a horse is just an animal. It's much more, a horse is most of the time your best friend if you are a true rider. A horse has this amazing gift, it can see inside you. It can tell how you feel and can help take all the bad things away like pain sadness and madness. A horse can read your body language and tell or at least that is how I believe they know your emotions. They try to comfort you. For example you can go down into a horse's pen after a bad day and when you're almost about to break down in tears and your horse might walk to you and it might bump you with its noise or lean its head into you. A horse knows when it is time to unwind and just go for a ride. A horse feels just like you and me. The horse can build a fear of certain thing. So if a horse is hit with spurs and wipes it gets a fear of people. This fear is hard to take out of these precious animals. Some may think it's impossible, but to me nothing is impossible. It make take a lot of time and effort. If you just show the horse that you're on their side, not out to get them, then you can take the fear away simply. Some horses trust is harder to win over than others, but I believe every horse has a way to gain trust in you. The first steps might seem the hardest and make you feel as if you're just wasting your time. One thing is for sure though if you give up on a horse, you have only added to its down fall. Sometimes a particular horse can be too much for you to handle so it might be best to try another rider for that horse. That's not exactly giving up on the horse, its only admitting that you're not experienced enough to or that you need a little help. Giving up on a horse is when you lose hope for it; you lose the thought of it ever being trainable or ever connecting to someone. A horse can tell when you give up on it. It's kind of like when you know that someone is finished being your friend and cuts you out of their life.