Michaela Jaycox

Horse&Rider Magazine •

More than a Mirror

This article is part of our Mental Health Awareness Month. Brought to you by Touched by a

We all do it—we go to the barn to hang out. There might not be anything specific we want to work on with our horse or maybe we don’t even want to ride. We just want to spend quality time with our horse. We know that spending time at the barn is good for our soul.

What we may not know is why it’s good for our soul.

Horses allow us to be mindful and can do powerful things to discharge our negative energy.
Horse&Rider Magazine •

Horses Notice What We Avoid

You’ve gone to the barn after a long, stressful day at work and you have strong emotions flooding you. At work, you have a fellow employee who has made your job miserable and now you want to quit. You’ve been to human resources about him because he’s loud and reactionary. When you’re in the boardroom and he wants to get his point across, he stands up and talks in a loud voice. He might even toss his pencil or pad as he’s talking and pacing around the room. As you’ve been struggling with your ability to manage your feelings toward your coworker, you carry those emotions everywhere with you. You try to avoid those emotions while riding. But notice that your horse has begun to pick up on how you feel.