Although there are many boys who enjoy the company of a good horse, it is a well known fact that girls have a special place in their hearts for equines. Parents of girls often hear their plea for a horse. Girls are drawn to movies like "The Black Stallion", and not because of the boy in the story but rather because of the horse. Why is it that so many girls are attracted to these noble animals, to the point that some are willing to forgo everything else, for the chance to go riding?
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Go to any boarding, or riding, stable and you will likely find that many of the people there are girls. Some may be lucky enough to own their own horse or pony, and others simply hang around to fulfill a void in their hearts that aches for horses. There is something magical about them. A beauty that a horse lover cannot shake.
When I was young I did not own my own horse, but was lucky enough to get riding lessons at a rather large riding stable in Edmonton, Alberta. I rode English and was terribly jealous of all the girls younger than me who owned their own horses. Many of them competed regularly in local horse shows, and spent pretty much every day at the barn. When not riding they would brush their horse or take it for walks to eat grass along the road. Some of these girls were very competitive, but for the most part, they loved their horses as friends, not just as tools for getting ribbons.
Some times girls beg their parents for a horse, and their folks feel it is just a passing fad. In many cases this is true, but I bet there are thousands of adult women out there who still feel a void for a horse. Perhaps they have filled it with other things. After all, a horse is a goal few can attain, something I realize now. One of the most costly of pets, unless you have a farm, the board costs are difficult to meet.
I begged my parents for a horse, we did not own a farm, and when young, a person really does not understand why their parents just don't get the message how much they need a horse. My parents were not horsey people, in fact they were a bit frightened by them. I now consider myself lucky that they did award me with the gift of horse lessons.
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I started painting horses because I wanted to have nice horse things, and often couldn't find them in the stores. I was a horse junkie, magazines, books, and Breyer models. I even went to College to study horses, and learn how to train them. My parents idea that horses were a passing thing, was incorrect.
I eventually was able to own my own horse, a lovely Arabian Gelding, and we did attend many shows. My best times were not just in the saddle, I truly enjoyed brushing him and making him look pretty. Arabian horses love to look pretty. I had suffered from depression most of my life, and was painfully shy, but when with the horses I felt great. What is it about the horse that makes girls feel good about themselves?
Could it be that horses give girls a sense of self confidence? A girl who is otherwise not sure of herself, is often quite at home with an eight hundred pound equine. Does the fact that she can control this animal give her some sort of mental strength? I do not know, but what I do know is that for many girls horses are an attraction they cannot explain, and a desire their hearts yearn for. To everyone, male and female, who has ever longed for a horse, I hope that at some point you can reach that goal.
