Dressage and having horses in general is pretty amazing. There are so many benefits. The bond we have with our horses, fresh air and exercise just to name a few.
The one thing that I find very interesting is the depth of friendships we make through our horse connection. My best friends in the entire world have come into my life because of horses. These are people that without horses we likely would have nothing in common nor would our paths have ever crossed. Yet the friendships we develop are deeper for our shared passion of horses.
If you show with friends, you will become unbelievably close to those people. There is something about getting up hours before the sun rises to get to the barn that brings people together. I don’t know if it is the forced socialization when it is so early, the coffee-bringing coordination, or what, but being with people in the quietest hours of the morning builds friendships. One of my favorite parts of showing overnight with friends is the frenetic laughter that is brought about by being completely and utterly exhausted, nerves, too much caffeine, and the overall excitement of showing. At some point during every away weekend, the mood deteriorates into laughter that is borderline (and sometimes way over the line!) hysterical. Supporting each other also forms deep bonds. Showing horses is hard at best – no matter how prepared you are, stuff can always happen and you can either nail it or it can be an utter disaster. Having good friends who can help lift your spirits after a crappy show day can make all of the difference in the world! Plus having people that you care about helps get you out of your funk because you want to be happy for their successes.
It is inevitable in the horse world that there will be lots of sweat, sometimes tears, and occasionally blood. There might even be a time where you stand by your friend while they vomit in the parking lot but that’s a whole different blog….The people who stand by your side during the times when you might not smell very good (or terrible, let’s just be honest here!) or feel very good are the same people who will drop everything to come help you when an emergency arises (whether it be horse related or not). When you choose to spend your time taking care of and building relationships with horses, the people who surround and support you become the best friends you will ever have.

Samantha & Amy at a show
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