I'd like to introduce myself, and discuss the horse-human bond. I am a lifelong rider, and have shown through PSG, as well as high modified jumpers. Although I've had several horses, it wasn't until an unexpected personal tragedy that I began to really consider just what was really going on between me and the horse (I say the, because at the time I had 18 of various ages). Also in graduate school for psychology, I began to really consider the ways in which horses help people overcome trauma, and the ways in which horses, themselves, handle trauma. These concepts have been the central tenets of my book, ON THE BACK OF A HORSE: Harnessing the Healing Power of the Human-Equine Bond".
I'd love to hear others thoughts on the horse-human relationship, and also to offer a free pdf of my book for anyone interested in writing a review on Amazon.
What can I say? My horse knows all my secrets - when I'm scared, when I'm confident, and when I'm filled with joy, which is most of the time I am with him. He knows it all.
I've always found that if you treat an animal as 'just a cat, dog, horse, goat...etc' - you will get a 'pet' - an animal that is 'just' there to accept the attention food etc that you offer. If you treat them as a companion - as a friend that has the ability to think, reason and form oppinions - another individual - you will be blown away by the way the animal blossoms and you will be amazed by the bond that can form