Transcript:

[0:04]

[Music] Can you recall the very first time you ever touched a horse? Many of us were probably very young, but that sense of awe you had the first time you approached a horse — how about the first time you ever slid a leg over the back of a horse, feeling the power under you? A sense of trepidation, maybe a little bit anxious, worried — that’s normal. But yet again: awe, joy, wonder, the fascination of that beginning of a connection with that animal.

[0:51]

Study after study shows us that interacting with animals — and specifically horses — benefits us in ways that only in today’s modern world we can understand. There’s a series of biochemical reactions going on when we interact with horses, and then even throw nature in there. The fact is, working with, riding, and being around horses not only makes us healthier, it gives us a greater quality of life. And even though for thousands of years we haven’t known the “why,” because we didn’t have the technologies 100 years ago to measure hormones, things like that — if we even go back 2,400 years, Hippocrates, the famous Greek philosopher and who was known as the father of medicine, even he knew the benefits of riding horses. And I quote: “Riding a horse is excellent for the health. It stirs the limbs and is a remedy for many diseases.”

[2:12]

So even then, he knew — they knew — that being with these incredible creatures can not only improve your health, but brighten your soul.

[2:27]

Secretary being led — he is number... the horse, and the horse is the best thing in the world, isn’t it? I’ve always loved them, really, ever since I was a little girl. Everybody’s in line — and they’re off! Secretariat away very well, has good position… The love — I never thought owning a horse could mean so much to me. Secretariat now taking the lead. The madness — what kind of a horse is that? I’ve never seen a horse like that before. Lightning — now he is moving like a tremendous machine…

[3:04]

Their story — Mustangs were more involved in the early development of this breed than I thought they were. But there were… Secretariat has opened a 22-length lead — he is going to be the Triple Crown!

[3:19]

[Music] Welcome to Mad About Horses. Hello, I’m Dr. Chris Mortensen. I’ve been an equine researcher and educator for over 20 years, and in this episode of Mad About Horses, we’re going to talk about the actual benefits of horse ownership. Now this is going beyond what they do as far as work. In our past episodes, we’ve talked a lot about the history of horses — just in our recent episode talking about draft horses, the gentle giants, why we owe them so much. This is beyond. This is actually looking at the true physical and mental benefits of riding and owning and working with horses. What does the science tell us? How do they help us physically? And then how do they help us improve our moods, or improve our mental well-being?

[4:18]

Well, in today’s modern world, like I said in the beginning, we’re able to measure that. We’re able to look at stress hormones or “feel-good” hormones, or do scientific studies that, back in Hippocrates’ day, they weren’t able to do. But just to look at him — if you don’t know who he is, he is known as the father of medicine. The Hippocratic Oath is what doctors take, and that is known throughout the world for treating people ethically — and that dates back to him. When he talks about the benefits of horseback riding — he was born in 460 BCE — so 2,400–2,500 years ago, and he understood the physical benefits of horseback riding and then probably the psychological benefits of being around horses.

[5:11]

And so, anybody that’s worked with horses or is involved in the industry — there’s a reason we’re so fanatical about these animals. It is because we have felt this connection and we understand this lifestyle. For many, it’s just… it’s an amazing quality of life.

[5:36]

When going through the literature and looking at the benefits of horseback riding — and something I’ve talked about a little bit before, and we’ll talk a little bit about it today — but it does translate to just everyday riding or everyday working around horses. But a lot of it ties back to therapeutic riding, because equestrians have been pushing it for so long. If we go back to the story of Liz Hartel, and how she was paralyzed from the knees down and still able to go and win a medal at the Olympics — it’s just a fascinating story, right? And so, she was very instrumental in pushing for therapeutic riding. It is becoming such a well-recognized treatment option for not only physically disabled people, but those with mental issues. All of us deal with mental issues — stress, daily stress in this modern world we live in.

[6:40]

So it’s always fun when we do a literature search to look at some of the titles — and just a couple that really stood out was, quote, “It’s like being in another world: demonstrating the benefits of horseback riding.” And then the other one — the title was “The Life-Changing Power of the Horse,” and it talks about the benefits for those with psychiatric disabilities and physical disabilities, and then just general day-to-day work for all of us around horses.

[7:14]

Now to start all of this off, I would like to do a little bit of a visualization. So use your imagination and put yourself on the back of your favorite horse — or if you’ve never ridden a horse, just try to imagine you’re on this large animal and you’re in the middle of a well-worn track through a bright green forest. The leaves are reaching out towards you off the tendril branches of the trees. Spears of light are cascading through the foliage. It’s quiet, with some birds chirping above and around you. Your horse is walking slowly under you. You feel your hips move side to side and you’re just absorbing the atmosphere. You smell the dampness, the musty odor of the vegetation around you. You can even taste the heavy air — the forested air. It’s tangy, that sweetness of plants. And your horse is just walking casually as you take it all in.

[8:34]

How do you feel? What is your body telling you? Yeah, your muscles are moving with the horse, but your heart rate’s probably a little bit lower than normal. You probably feel relaxed in your seat. And you probably have a smile across your face, and your eyes are looking around as you enjoy your ride through this forest.

[9:00]

Research has shown there are many benefits when we’re out in nature, and multiple studies have documented this phenomenon. When we, as biological beings, go out and walk through trails in a forest, or horse ride through a forest, or just sit on the beach on a quiet day and listen to the waves and maybe some seagulls…

[9:32]

Some of the benefits that have been documented — and why — using all of our senses, scientists have been able to go and measure some of this. And one of the things I remember reading — a book a few years ago on forest bathing — and something I didn’t realize: being near water or certain parts of nature, there’s these charged ions, there’s all this biological signaling going on that we’re not conscious of, that makes us feel one with nature, makes us feel better.

[10:16]

So, breaking this down: first thing is sight. Okay, so viewing nature — just viewing nature, not just being out in it — but let’s just show pictures, and maybe that’s why, like, on all the social media channels, the highest likes, the most comments are ones of drone shots in nature or beautiful photographs of islands or different parts of the world. What research is showing is that just viewing nature — okay, not using any of your other senses — reduces anxiety, reduces stress. People that are in hospitals — they have shorter stays when they view nature. Their heart rates are down. And some of the reasons they think this is, is it’s probably our evolutionary brains in there, too. In nature there’s a density of contrast changes, density of straight lines, different color saturations, different hues. And they said that that had an effect on our brains, and they call them fractals, and they’re found in many natural images, and so it has a stimulus on us to make us happier.

[11:37]

So that’s just sight. Then you throw in some of the other senses — so, sound. I know listening to a river, or a stream, or a brook, or listening to the waves of the ocean is very calming, it’s very soothing. And research has shown that people prefer those sounds way more than things like traffic or loud recreational noises, or industrial noises — you know, like jackhammers or tractors or big trucks. Rural soundscapes actually improve our mood.

[12:21]

And again, they’ve been used therapeutically to relieve stress and help with attention recovery and positive reactions in people. So the research shows just the sounds of nature can improve our quality of life.

[12:35]

And then you throw in some of the others — the smells, the taste. Smells definitely have an effect on our moods, our behavior, and our cognition. The smell of the forest — leaves, plants, flowers — are very pleasant. That damp earth — they all evoke feelings of pleasure, where rotting stuff, food, and other things that are unpalatable — that ties into taste — is very repugnant to us, and we don’t like that.

[13:12]

So just the smell of nature — it’s one of the things I notice when I go down to the ocean. The smell of the heavy salted air improves my mood, and it just makes your life better. So just to summarize: being out in nature — which, again, to tie this into horses — when we work with our horses, when we ride our horses, generally, unless you’re riding in arenas or whatever, you’re still outdoors. It gets us out of the houses, it gets us out of the cities and towns, because most barns and facilities where we have our horses tend to be outside major industrial areas or major cities. So nature helps reduce stress, enhances our moods, helps reduce mental fatigue.

[14:07]

One of the things they talk about in the research is: being in cities and being in built-up areas, like traffic — I’m sure if I say “traffic,” and some of you may be in traffic as you listen to this, you have anxiety. You’re just like “ugh.” And I lived in California — L.A. traffic is by far the worst, so I get it. But being out in nature reverses all of it — helps people be more creative and solve problems.

[14:43]

Now, that’s just being outdoors — so that is the first big, overarching piece of being with horses. The other aspect is this animal connection we have with them. And how do you feel when you’re with your horses, or with a horse, or just, say, your pets — if you have cats, dogs, birds, rodents, maybe some of you have reptiles as pets — how do you feel when you’re interacting with them? We have them to enhance our lives. I have two dogs — I love them dearly. They’re part of my family, and they enhance my life. Just petting them and loving on them and cuddling with them makes me feel happier.

[15:28]

And the research shows that when you go in and do the research studies, it shows pet ownership — being around animals — makes you feel better. Not only is it the physical activity — so let’s just say dog ownership, walking your dog — but then the mental connection. You’re less lonely. Studies have shown dog owners have less cortisol, less stress, they feel better. And a lot of studies have shown the benefits, especially for older people, older adults — that it gives them a sense of purpose and meaning. So, like retirees, when their careers are over and they’re trying to find something to fill that time, spending time with animals, like dogs and horses, helps them. You know — mental acuity, stimulates their mental health, and improves their lives.

[16:26]

So, specifically getting to horses — so, out in nature, we know, has a major positive effect on our quality of life, mental well-being. Being with pets or animals definitely has benefits to our mental well-being. And then physical traits — so then when we look at horse ownership, the two major ones, obviously, are physical health and mental health.

[16:48]

So, physical health’s huge — I mean, that’s big. Horse riding is an intense activity — or it can be. Even going at a walk through a forest, your heart rate’s not up, but you’re still using different muscles. And the big ones are the hips. So when you ride a horse, it stimulates our hip muscles and flexors like we are walking. So even if you go for a ride, you’re using muscles that you don’t even normally use day-to-day. So when you first start horseback riding, you’re going to be sore in different areas — you’re like, “Oh, I didn’t know I had muscles there.”

[17:25]

But then when we take it up — and we increase from a trot to a canter to a gallop — you’re using your entire body. So horseback riding is recognized as a very physical activity, and there are many, many benefits. It is good for the human body, right? It’s not only just the mental stuff, but the physical — that’s really where we’re breaking it down. And there’s a very good journal — The Health Benefits of Horse Riding in the UK — and this was published by the British Horse Society. Just an excellent read — you can find it online.

[18:04]

When you ride your horse and you do a little bit of trotting, maybe a little bit of cantering, they can classify that as moderate exercise. Now, if you push it — and you push your horse and you push yourself — you can get more into intense exercise. But just general riding for about 45 minutes is like a workout. It’s moderate exercise, and the research supports that. And when we say moderate exercise, this means your heart rate’s increased, your breathing rate’s increased, and you’re sweating — but you could carry on a conversation. So you’re not out of breath — it’s not like you’re sprinting until you can barely breathe anymore. It’s, “Yeah, okay, my heart rate’s up — yeah, I can talk to you — yeah,” go like that.

[19:01]

And to help demonstrate that, I’m going to put you on the back of a horse again. Feel into your body — the horse is walking, like I said earlier, your hips are moving. But let’s start at your feet, okay, and we’ll work our way up. You’re in the saddle, your horse is under you, and the horse is walking. What are your feet doing? What do your calves feel like? How about your ankles, as you flex and push those heels down a little bit in the saddle? You’re flexing and you’re working those calves as that horse walks, right — so there’s a little bit of muscle movement there.

[19:34]

Move up your leg — okay, we don’t want tight legs, but you’re still flexing your muscles, right? Your thighs, going up to your hips, your hip flexors, your seat — okay, those muscles are flexing a little bit as you uphold your body, right? Your posture — this is where a lot of the benefit comes from. The hips up — your core, your stomach muscles, your back muscles, your posture — okay, your horse is just walking right now, but you’re still using those muscles.

[20:13]

And then what about your arms? Right — we want our relaxed hands, relaxed neck, posture up — using your neck muscles, right, your head. When you think about it, just the way all of those muscles in your body are in action. Now, let’s go to a trot — up and down, up and down — two-beat gait for the horse. Now, are you posting? Does that mean you’re going up and down, up and down, up and down? Or are you trying to relax through the trot? But just that movement — your legs, your back, your stomach, your upper body.

[20:56]

And then let’s go to a canter — now the horse is really moving under you. Relax — you relax those hips, you relax those legs, but you’re still… What are your calves doing? Okay — what’s your back muscles doing? What’s your stomach muscles doing? Your neck? Okay. And then a gallop — wow — now the horse is really working under you, and you’re really working. But you can feel the intensity build.

[21:15]

And then you go back to the walk — okay, breathe, breathe — okay, okay, relax into your seat. So if you can go through your mind — I mean, and any of you doing this day in, day out, you know — but next time you’re riding, just feel into your body. Feel in from your toes all the way up, and try to feel what muscles are working.

[21:45]

That is a workout — and that is the benefit, that is a massive benefit to riding horses, is the physical activity. Just another aspect that we haven’t even mentioned yet is you still have to go walk to your horse’s stall, pull your horse out, groom them, get your tack out, saddle them, walk them to the arena or wherever you’re going — or maybe you trailer them somewhere. You get out, you tack them up, get on, bring them home, you wash them or groom them again, let them out. Then you go muck their stalls if they’re in a stall, then you put them back and get their feed. And you’re doing all this physical activity — that’s not just the riding, that’s on top of the riding. So that’s why it’s such a great physical fitness activity.

[22:33]

And just to look at — like I talked about — the 45 minutes: if you go out and just do some walking and trotting and then cantering, this study out of the British Horse Society — just a quick summary — their peak heart rates were 178, with an average of 128 during the riding activity. And then when they looked at their VO₂ max — so that’s their breathing — 70% was peak and 40% was the average. So when they looked at heart rates and they looked at VO₂ max, it was all within a moderate exercise. Now, some people it was a little bit harder — which, you know, if you’re not as fit or you haven’t ridden as much, it’s going to be a little hard at first. But the more you do this, the more fit you get, and your heart rate’s not going to go up as much. But it’s still a very physical activity.

[23:25]

When they looked at oxygen consumption — the VO₂ max — and then also heart rates, it was during trotting and trotting and cantering that it reached the highest. So when that horse was really moving under the rider — like I talked about, using those muscles, working the body — that’s when it peaked. And then it was interesting: when they dropped stirrups, it was less — significantly less. And I couldn’t find any more specific details on it, but I kind of assumed when you drop stirrups it forces you to relax more in the movements of the horse. But it’s a very, very interesting study. The take-home message is, it’s on par with moderate exercise.

[24:09]

Then when they went to look at doing survey results — and I’m going to ask you this question, how would you answer this — they asked equestrians: how would you describe the physical intensity of your activity when you go horse riding — low, medium, or high? So what would you rate yours? Okay — 73% of the respondents said medium, so medium physical intensity; 16% said high; 11% said low. So the vast majority would say it’s a medium type of physical activity.

[24:49]

Then I want to ask you — okay, not during riding, so take riding out of it — how about all the other activities I described? Getting into your barn, feeding your horses if they’re stalled, turning them out, mucking stalls — how would you describe that physical activity: low, medium, or high? Well, again, 63% of respondents said that was medium — that’s a medium activity. Mucking stalls is… oh, it’s part of owning horses. And it reminded me of a time when we had a strangles outbreak on our breeding farm down in Texas, and we had all of our horses in training — our yearlings and two-year-olds — at our boarding facility. And it was 75 stalls. And because I was a graduate student — I was just about to graduate off to my first job at Clemson University — I got volunteered, because that’s what we did down in Texas, to help clean stalls for a few weeks over the Christmas holidays. And I was mucking out 30, 40 stalls, and I was exhausted at the end of that. Mucking out stalls is an activity in itself — so you do that on top of everything else. Yeah, I could see medium to high, why people would say that. Most other people described it low at 22%, and then 15% high. I mean, mucking out 30-plus stalls — that was insane, and I never did that again. Then you feed them, then you water them, and do all those fun things.

[26:19]

So the broad view of this is: riding does stimulate a lot of muscles — it is a total body workout from toe to head — and the benefits are it definitely enhances postural balancing, muscular strength, and flexibility. It does help promote blood circulation, and it’s activating muscles and joints that aren’t commonly used. Like I said, the first time you ever ride a horse, or you haven’t ridden in a while and you get back on and ride for a good duration, you’re sore — you’re sore, and you will be saying, “I did not know I had a muscle there” — because it is sore.

[27:08]

And in a study just looking at the analysis of basal physical fitness and lumbar muscle function, some of the things they mentioned is horse riding produces an exercise effect similar to general low-strength exercises that are ideal for aged people with pain in their knee or waist. And it also helps with muscular endurance, agility, coordination, balance, aerobic and anaerobic capacity. So there are all these benefits — and then when you start tying it into therapeutic riding, that’s why there’s just this whole flurry of research out there. It can really help people that can’t go out and run, or can’t go out and lift heavy weights, or go to the gym and do some of these things.

[28:05]

So one of the studies I was looking at — they had stroke patients and were looking at their balance ability and their abdominal muscle wall thickness. And so they had them do horse riding simulations for 30 minutes over a series of weeks, and then they did ultrasound imaging of their muscle wall. So they were looking at the external oblique, internal oblique, and transversus abdominal muscles. They had one group riding horses or doing horse riding simulation, then they had another group — which was the control — performing trunk exercises using the big Swiss balls that you sit on, those big massive balls, and doing exercises there. And they looked at the two groups. Just to get to the end of the study — yes, horse riding was vastly superior in helping these patients. Not only were their abdominal muscles thicker, but they also had way better stability in their body compared to what normal therapeutic intervention was doing with these trunk exercises.

[29:13]

Then, when you take it to the elderly — and this one hit home. A few months ago, I lost my stepfather, and it’s still hard to talk about. But he was 91, lived a long, loving life, loved him dearly — and he fell and broke his ribs, and he passed away within the week. That happens a lot to elderly patients, and I’m sure people listening to this have known people in their own families — breaking hips, things like that. And I came across this study and I was like, “Oh, I just wish I could have got Dad on the back of a horse,” because this study — this is in the Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, just published a few years ago — and it was the effect of horse riding simulation exercise on muscle activation and limits of stability in the elderly.

[30:07]

And watching Dad walk with the use of a cane — he didn’t like to use the walker — but you do see old people using walkers, too. That helps them because they lose that stability, that muscle tonus and ability to walk. And Dad was wobbly — he just was. The last time I saw him earlier in the year, I would walk with him and help him and make sure he could navigate and not fall over and break a bone. So when they did this study with elderly patients and they looked at the trunk muscles — not just abdominal, but the pelvis and the spine and all of those things that help us walk and be stable as we stand — they had these patients ride a horse riding simulation for 20 minutes, five times a week, for eight weeks, and then had the conventional therapy that they normally do. Horse riding was superior — it helped increase muscle activation and increase stability in these patients. So again, horse riding is just a physical activity that is hugely beneficial to the young, to the elderly, and everybody in between.

[31:28]

Now, that brings me back to the next biggest aspect of horse ownership — and that’s the psychological. I can honestly say, as much as I love education, when I reflect back on my academic career — as much as I led my students and delivered great lectures in the lecture hall, and interacted with them before and after class or in my office — my favorite times in Florida and South Carolina and Texas was when I was working my horses and doing my research and being out on the farm, being outdoors. Didn’t matter — it was hot and muggy, especially Texas and Florida — but those were some of my happiest memories, when I was working my mares and working the foals and working with stallions and training horses. Or if I was teaching a riding class, I could say that was probably some of my favorite moments.

[32:22]

And again, if you can just go back to your connection with the horse, and being out in nature, and that stress reduction, your mood — you just feel better. Even when horses can challenge you — and they do, and they do — it’s just… there’s just something with it.

[32:51]

And then when you look at the data and the research, it backs it up — it does improve our psychological state. One of the papers — the hypothesis about the psychological benefits of horses — was going in and looking at all the research studies, and then, yes, a lot of it’s therapeutic riding, but you can also infer that information just to the everyday person that’s not in a therapeutic riding program. But a lot of these studies were looking at riding horses improving self-esteem, self-efficacy, motivation, emotional well-being, improving social and interpersonal relationships. And the overall finding of just looking at all the studies out there is the most common emotional benefits associated with riding include increases in confidence, self-esteem, and a sense of control.

[33:41]

So if you could, in your head — why do I love horses so much, or why do I love riding so much, what does it do for me emotionally — go through your head and start thinking, “Okay, okay, that’s why you do it, that’s why you’re listening to this podcast.” Or, if you don’t work with horses yet, hopefully this will encourage you to get involved in some way, because there are so many not just physical benefits, but now the psychological.

[34:22]

If I asked you, “To what extent does horse riding make you feel…” — with the following: cheerful — would you say not at all, a little, moderately, quite a lot, or extremely? Okay — in a survey, 91% said quite a lot or extremely. It was even — 45 and 46. How about relaxed — does horse riding make you feel relaxed? If you go through that forest visualization — yeah, yeah. I mean, quite a lot was 45%, extremely was 37%, and moderately was 14%. Only 1% said not at all — they must have a difficult horse or something like that.

[35:10]

How about happy — to what extent does horse riding make you feel happy? Well, 56% of respondents to the survey said extremely, 36% said quite a lot. Then if you go to “To what extent does horse riding make you feel frustrated?” — could you get frustrated? Sometimes — I just said a minute ago that they can frustrate you — yeah, you’re not alone. Okay — 36% said a little, but 55% said not at all. That’s interesting, because you’ve got to learn to be patient, right? Even on your most frustrating day, I go back to my youth and I remember chasing — oh — chasing mares around a pasture, early days, not fully understanding horse behavior. And if I would have just backed off and taken my time, maybe it wouldn’t have been spending 30 minutes chasing this hacky horse around the pasture.

[36:11]

But there’s really no negative associated with this — and the survey says that. How about dissatisfied — does horse riding make you feel dissatisfied? 71% said not at all. Angry — 86% said not at all. Guilty — 88% said not at all. Bored — does horse riding make you bored? Oh gosh, no — you can never be bored around horses, it’s always something exciting or something’s going on. 95% said not at all. So over 90% of respondents that are involved with horses respond positively — that it’s almost all positive feelings almost all the time.

[36:51]

And just some of the quotes that came out of the study: “Having experienced a bout of moderate depression, working with my horses has been an integral part of both initial recovery and staying well.” Another one: “I have suffered from depression from the age of 18. There was a time when I couldn’t ride for a while due to a fractured knee — it was then that I realized how much horse riding helped me cope with my depression.” Another said: “I hate it when I can’t ride. Riding makes me feel happy, healthier, relaxed, and ready to cope with the rest of my life and work.”

[37:28]

I mean, let’s face it — we live in a world bombarded with social media, bombarded with news, bombarded with negativity, advertising, those “buy this” ads, traffic. Daily life is stressful. But going out and working with horses, being around horses, really overall improves your quality of life. And study after study shows — you know, it’s like being in another world. And this was a study out of Yale University, and they were demonstrating the benefits of therapeutic horseback riding for individuals with psychiatric disability.

[38:02]

And they had a cohort of people with psychiatric disorders, and they put them through a therapeutic riding program. So you’re taking humans that are facing challenges — right above the norm — and you’re saying, “Okay, we’re going to see how this can affect you in a positive way.” And just to summarize what they found — it said by the end of the program, riding was transformed from something scary into something enjoyable. Going out to ride added variety to the participants’ lives. They learned about riding, but they also had positive exposure to riding. And the overall finding was it helped these people improve their self-worth and self-confidence.

[38:53]

Because they talked about that first time you got on the back of the horse — remember that anxiety? And I mentioned it earlier — you know, you’re up high, so you have this new vantage point, and you’re excited, but you’re scared because you’re scared you might get hurt. But then as you became more confident and you had an excellent instructor or trainer, the more you rode, the more confidence you gained. So for young children, or disabled people, psychiatric disorders, teens in trouble — if we could get them involved with horses, it could change their lives.

[39:32]

And then when you link it back to the biology — okay, we can do the surveys, we can ask the study participants how they feel — but then when we look at the biology, there are biochemical changes going on, especially in the brain and neurotransmitters, that help improve our mood, help us relax, and suppress anxiety. Studies have shown when we work with horses and animals, serotonin and endorphins are released. So this gives us our feelings of happiness and calm, and cortisol and adrenaline — unless you’re, like, barrel racing or training or something like that, I could see where adrenaline would spike a little bit, or trying new jumps for the first time — but in general, overall, a reduction in stress hormones. The cortisol and adrenaline are a lot lower, so that means lower blood pressure, lower heart rate — you’re healthier, you’re happier.

[40:31]

So when you put them together — the physical activity, you’re getting moderate exercise, you’re working, you’re outdoors, you’re in nature, great air quality — then when you connect with your horse and the psychological benefits, and then when you ride, the self-confidence — and it doesn’t matter your age — we live in such a world that’s so complex, but when we go back to our roots, that we started 5,500 years ago riding and working horses, it’s simple. It improves your quality of life.

[41:16]

[Music] Telling that story about my dad, it’s tough because it’s like I just wish I could go back in time and encourage him to do more physical therapy. And he was — he was bright, I mean, his mind was there, everything was there, and I loved my stepdad. And if you can encourage your elderly family members to get involved in therapeutic horse riding — there’s barns wherever you are in the world, everywhere you look — they’re popping up everywhere. Or even just horse riding simulation — it could help them. And it’s fun, it’s fun, it’s something different. So look into that.

[42:03]

I mean, this episode could have gone on for another hour easily — there is so much data out there. The benefits of horses and horseback riding — there’s just so many. And you know — you know, if you’re listening to this podcast and you work with horses, that’s why you’re fanatical about it. But if you take it from an outsider’s view that doesn’t work with them, and they’re like, “Why are you so crazy about horses?” — it’s because it’s not only just a lifestyle for many, but it just gives you such a better quality of life. And I think you can attest to that.

[42:42]

I’ve just got to give a couple shout-outs to all the great people who have given us five-star reviews on iTunes and Spotify — thank you so much, it means the world to me. Thank you, thank you, thank you. If you haven’t been able to give a five-star review — if you’re really enjoying this podcast, if you can just take 30 seconds to a minute, pop that five stars on there, it’s going to help us grow. But it also is going to help us develop other things — you’re showing interest here, that means we’ll be able to go and do more YouTube videos and social media that we’re getting involved with. Which reminds me — you can check us out on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook — look for Mad Barn. If you can share this on social media — thank you. Especially anybody that’s on the fence — you know, benefits of horse ownership — you can say, “Here’s a podcast,” and there is so much data out there. If you do a little data mining, you can find some really great studies and summaries of why our connections with horses are so special, and what it does for us mentally and physically.

[43:43]

But also, don’t forget to check out madbarn.com — Learn tab — tons of articles, there’ll be some articles on the benefits of horses coming out soon, I know that. And, you know, talk about it — talk with your friends, anybody who doesn’t quite understand, just say, “Look, the data shows I’m going to have a better quality of life, I’m going to be more physically fit. When I’m 90, I’m going to be able to walk around and walk circles around you because I’m riding horses every day.” For those of you that are up there in age riding horses — good on you, you know. I’m right behind you, I’m right there.

[44:18]

But thank you so much for listening — and such a fun topic. Share it on social media. I’m going to ask you this this week: tell us why — why do you ride your horses? What do they do for you? Really reflect back — physically and mentally — and build that checklist in your head: this is why I do what I do. Thank you.