Took a kid client to see the horses yesterday

@TheHorse I know that now there is a sort of therapy with horses. I don´t know much about it, but relating to animals can be easier for a troubled kid than doing it with human beings that are so judgamental

@marguicha Yes! I did some work at a therapeutic horseback riding academy in Santa Barbara CA. Horses tend to affect people in positive ways.

I agree. I try to take every kid I work with to see both the horses at my old place, and the goats and chickens up at Borges Ranches.

@TheHorse LOL. Especially when she shows it back. I love this dog. She is amazing, not only with him, but all of us.

Having someone to care for is a good thing.

At many stables, the stable manager will help you out. Horse people are always willing to share their wisdom as well (sometimes TOO willing).

@TheHorse We don't have many stables here. In face we don't have many horses in this country.

It really is good for kids. I think it teaches them sensitivity to others' feelings.

She was a good friend, and a good co-therapist as well. A lot of kids got to ride her who otherwise would never had ridden a horse. I'm glad her buddy Mooch is still out there.

Very true. I'll never forget my horse or the time we spent together.

@TheHorse for sure ...

@TheHorse I can imagine it is as you both bonded and now yo u must go your own ways again sort of sad

Ending these one-year relationships is always hard.

@Hatley Yeah, it makes me think about how all relationships have to end. But I think those that we've loved become a part of us.

@TheHorse Your caring did it I am sure.

@allknowing Love IS a powerful force. She knew she was loved.

She lived to be almost 36. Most horses live to be about 27.

It's really enjoyable. A tad hard on the back, though, if you do it enough.

@TheHorse I did it for half of an hour; after which I ended with my two legs cuuuurved and unable to walk straight. Ialso felt the tad in the back!

@quantum2020 Sometimes I feel like a hip-sprung old cowboy. I've been riding most of my life.

@TheHorse I cannot even begin to imagine your loss, I remember when we lost our dog, that was traumatic on me, but the relationship that an owner has with a horse is much different.

It's been a hard year for me. But I think that she had a perfect life. Lots of love and attention, both from me and her horse friends.

@TheHorse People will respond better to a calmer person than they will to someone who isn't so calm, too. IDK why though.

@DaddyEvil With horses, it just means they know you don't want to eat them . Maybe it's the same with humans.

Yep, I'm teaching him how to be gentle around animals so they can respond to you positively.

We had some incredible times together. It may be the most perfect relationship I've had so far on this planet.

@ElizabethWallace I love helping kids from rough areas find their own potential.

@TheHorse Been there, done that. I loved the looks on the faces of students from rough areas when I taught them foreign languages, helped them raise money and took them to Europe for three weeks. They were then impervious to harm and knew it. So much fun.

Yes, that's my horse on the right, and her buddy on the left (from the photographer's perspective). I'm not sure if I'll get another.

She was pretty healthy to the end. I could still ride her, though I only rode her bareback for the last couple of years.

I get the kids who are struggling or acting out in their schools. We hike and do other outdoor activities, and that frees them up to chat about what's going on in their lives.

@TheHorse .. I am curious about a couple of more things... a) What constitutes as "struggling or acting out"? b) Who decides that they are "struggling or acting out"? Are you sure those folks who are deciding are "normal"? c) You must've tried to read about that teen who shot so many teachers and children...out of curiosity...was he ever classified as "struggling or acting out"? d) Does "struggling or acting out" ever stop considering the society we've developed and confusion it can create in the minds of little ones? Why would I want to tell another person good morning..for instance..if I don't feel it is good morning...lol.

@TheHorse these were mostly disabled children.The program worked out well there.

She was a co-therapist with me for more than 20 years. I put a lot of troubled kids on her.

@TheHorse I know there is something, well healing, about having animals trust you and care for you. no matter how depressed I am, or how bad I feel, or how unloved, my dogs think I am the center of their world and are excited for me to come home

I've heard the same thing. Even the goats and chickens at Borges Ranch seem to soothe the kids I work with.

The average life is maybe 27 years. No. I don't have any horses right now.

Oh, yes. She was my best friend for 23 years. I'm still grieving.

I find that animals in general are very therapeutic for kids.