Do our horses become like us, or do we pick them?

[Liz]

Goodness - I have had all sorts but they have, with only one exception, been a pleasure to own and easy to handle if not always easy to ride! POSSIBLY reflects me as my ground skills are certainly better than my riding!

[fin]

Lol, mine's nothing like me at all. Honest. I wouldn't dream of buying a stroppy, opinionated, vocal maniac who's prone to occasional moments of dopey laziness and spaced out oblivion but otherwise goes everywhere at 100mph, is obsessed by food, and .... um .... cough, cough.... well, okay. I'm not blonde and I don't sniff people and pull faces, alright?

Wish I looked like the person equivalent of him, though!

[kofihorse]

............mmmmmmmm...........let's see, Kofi and I both have good legs,no waist,bit of gray in the mane, look like country bumpkins when not groomed but scrub up very well, big brown eyes and can both probably be aged by our teeth. We both alternate between couch potato mode and screaming hysteria, need firm but sympathetic handling to get the best out of us, love eating and long for a quiet life!

[ren]

i defo think that we pick them, i mean if you are only able to buy one horse for example you dont just settle on the first one unless you really like them, i think a meeting of minds is important with horses, i love them all, but you have your favorites dont you? and its defo normally down to characteristics.

although i do believe that some horses take to some people better than others,
so maybe it is a bit of both.

[cesca]

This is weird, just recently I've been struck by a few things that made me think how alike me and my horse are. For starters he's been treated for a back problem (created by nasty saddle), and after I had my shiatsu lady do him I noticed that everything she told me about his problems in that area were just like mine (I got run over years ago and still have to have treatment). The other thing that struck me is, he's moved yards recently, and I've noticed how he's a bit of a loner and doesn't make friends that easily - really reminding me of me! We spend all our time together and aren't interested enough in our own species, I fear sometimes.

We're also both greedy, lazy, nutty, clever and gorgeous

[dlogan]

Arab saying: Your horse is the mirror of your soul. So, they reflect back to us what we show them. Given their natural inclinations - to get along and survive by watching each other - how can it be otherwise?

PS One day, as my instructor came round the corner, and I was late tacking up and getting on as ususal, both Jess and I turned to face her having just stuffed in our last mouthfuls of food - her hay, me cookie - having to drag her face away from the haynet, having recently been dislodged from the biscuit tin myself. And I thought, I wonder where she gets it ;-)?

[marywelsh]

well i have two choices, i am either a half blind half deaf 18 yr old with a couple of teeth missing, a few battle scars who only likes to eat and do not much else
or a leggy neurotic, nervous lad who has had his b***s chopped off
umm not much choice he he

[BeTheBest]

up for holly

[Sutton]

I think they behave according to who is riding them. My first hore was laid back with me but get someone else on him for jumping and he went like a stag. I think it is them accommodating us rather than they becoming like us.