I first stumbled across this term about a year ago on Instagram and as soon as I saw it I thought it was the perfect way to sum up life as an equestrian and how we see the world. To me horses have been a part of my life since before I was born, as my Mum has been a rider for most of her life too. The first time I sat on a horse I was 18 months old, and I cried as they tried to take me off….so my wallet has had no chance…ever!
Having horses as a part of my life has meant that I have been able to challenge myself and grow as an individual, I’ve learnt skills that can be applied to just about anything I do and I’ve even been fortunate enough to travel the world and make life-long friends along the way.
Within the equestrian world there is a variety of different jobs and opportunities, of which I have been lucky enough to try a few of these. I’ve ridden and worked with polo ponies, including a wee attempt to play. I’ve worked as a wrangler in Canada and learnt how to ride western. I’ve show jumped, done dressage, hunting and eventing; and discovered along the way my love for competitions on the show hunter circuit. The great thing with horses is that they are so diverse and each horse can teach you something different.
With my mare Diva, I’ve learnt to be patient as sometimes things don’t always go to plan. With my old pony Napoleon, I learnt that being the tortoise does pay off when going up against the hare, and the lessons I learnt from Brad, the horse I rode in Canada, were so numerous in a short amount of time that they almost need to be their own blog.
I love that going for a ride is the one part of my day where I can forget everything that is going on and be 100 percent present in the moment. Horses have got me through break ups and helped me celebrate new beginnings, and not once do you have to pretend to be someone you’re not. I think the only time I have been judged by a horse is when I have been late with a feed bucket…which I guess is fair enough!
I hope that horses will always be a part of my life as they truly make me so happy, and even after a not so good ride I still walk away feeling content and at peace with my day. It’s amazing how you can solve all your problems just by looking at life between the ears of a horse.
I hope you’ve enjoyed looking into what life between the ears means to me, if you ride I would love to know what life between the ears means to you and I hope that you too find life between the ears just as enjoyable.
Until next time….
L-J x
