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My daughter turned sixteen years old today; which is a milestone for
most people. Besides looking
at baby photos and childhood trinkets with her, I took time to reflect
on the young woman my
daughter had become and the choices she would face in the future. As I
looked at her I could see
the athlete she was, and determined woman she would soon be. I started
thinking about some the
girls we knew in our town who were already pregnant, pierced in several
places, hair every color
under the sun, drop outs, drug addicts and on the fast track to no
where, seeking surface identities
because they had no inner self esteem.
The parents of these same girls have asked me why I "waste" the money on
horses so my daughter can
ride. I'm told she will grow out of it, lose interest, discover boys and
all kinds of things that
try to pin> the current generation's "slacker" label on my child. I
don't think it will happen, I
think she will love and have horses all her life. Because my daughter
grew up with horses she has
compassion. She knows that we must take special care of the very young
and the very old. We must
make sure those without voices to speak of their pain are still cared
for. Because my daughter grew
up with horses she learned responsibility for others than herself. She
learned that regardless of
the weather you must still care for those you have the stewardship of.
There are no "days off" just
because you don't feel like being a horse owner that day. She learned
that for every hour of fun
you have there are days of hard slogging work you must do first. Because
my daughter grew up with
horses she learned not to be afraid of getting dirty and that
appearances don't matter to most of
the breathing things in the world we live in. Horses do not care about
designer clothes, jewelry,
pretty hairdos or anything else we put on our bodies to try to impress
others. What a horse cares
about are your abilities to work within his natural world, he doesn't
care if you're wearing
$80.00 jeans while you do it.
Because my daughter grew up with horses she learned about sex and how it
can both enrich and
complicate lives. She learned that it only takes one time to produce a
baby, and the only way to
ensure babies aren't produced is not to breed. She learned how babies
are planned, made, born and,
sadly, sometimes die before reaching their potential. She learned how
sleepless nights and trying
to outsmart a crafty old broodmare could result in getting to see, as
non-horse owning people
rarely do, the birth of a true miracle. Because my daughter grew up with
horses she understands the
value of money. Every dollar can be translated into bales of hay, bags
of feed or farrier visits.
Purchasing non-necessities during lean times can mean the difference
between feed and good care, or
neglect and starvation. She has learned to judge the level of her care
against the care she sees>
provided by others and to make sure her standards never lower, and only
increase as her knowledge
grows.
Because my daughter grew up with horses she has learned to learn on her
own. She has had teachers
that cannot speak, nor write, nor communicate beyond body language and
reactions. She has had to
learn to "read" her surroundings for both safe and unsafe objects, to
look for hazards where others
might only see a pretty meadow. She has learned to judge people as she
judges horses. She looks
beyond appearances and trappings to see what is within. Because my
daughter grew up with horses she
has learned sportsmanship to a high degree. Everyone that competes
fairly is a winner. Trophies and
ribbons may prove someone a winner, but they do not prove someone is a
horseman. She has also
learned that some people will do anything to win, regardless of who it
hurts. She knows that those
who will cheat in the show ring will also cheat in every other aspect of
their life and are not to
be trusted.
Because my daughter grew up with horses she has self-esteem and an
engaging personality. She can
talk to anyone she meets with confidence, because she has to express
herself to her horse with more
than words. She knows the satisfaction of controlling and teaching a
1000 pound animal that will
yield willingly to her gentle touch and ignore the more forceful and
inept handling of those
stronger than she is. She holds herself with poise and professionalism
in the company of those far
older than herself. Because my daughter grew up with horses she has
learned to plan ahead. She
knows that choices made today can effect what happens five years down
the road. She knows that you
cannot care for and protect you investments without savings to fall back
on. She knows the value of
land and buildings. And that caring for you vehicle can mean the
difference between easy travel or
being stranded on the side of the road with a four horse trailer on a
hot day. When I look at what
she has learned and what it will help her become, I can honestly say
that I haven't "wasted" a
penny on providing her with horses. I only wish that all children had
the same opportunities to
learn these lessons from horses before setting out on the road to
adulthood.
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