by Melissa Bauer-Herzog
If you’re visiting America’s Best Racing, you’ve likely become a fan of racing and are quickly on your way to loving the sport. While there are about a million different reasons why people love the actual sport of horse racing, there are a billion reasons they love the equine athletes that make it all possible.
It’s hard to remember all the reasons we love horses, so I went to Twitter to ask people what draws them to our equine heroes on the track. While everyone expressed their love in a different way, there were common themes among many of the answers. Without further ado, here are 10 reasons people love horses.
1) Their Heart: Many people of the people who answered cited horses’ hearts as the main reason they love them. From trying all out to win a race to doing everything possible to make their “person” happy, horses give their all to humans.
2) They’re the Best Therapists: If you’re having a bad day, just petting a track pony or walking into your horse’s stall and giving him a hug changes everything. The therapy horses provide just by being there to listen is another reason many folks love them.
3) They Give Us Peace: Horses live in the moment and often force those around them to as well. Horses’ even attitudes toward both the bad and the good remind us to take everything as it comes and realize that everything has its moment.
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4) How They Act: A horse who can be fierce on the racetrack can also beg for pats in the barn. Their changes in behavior from game day to relaxing at home provide the perfect mix for those who spend time around them.
5) They’re The Best Teachers: Not only do horses teach you how to ride, they also teach you how to be a decent human. From learning the responsibility that comes from taking care of horses to building empathy, there are many valuable lessons we receive from our equine friends.
6) The Way They Move: It doesn’t matter what a horse is doing, they look majestic doing it. Even something as simple as enjoying the pleasure of a roll or strolling around the pasture at the walk is poetry in motion for many people.
7) Horses Are In Our Blood: Some people couldn’t describe exactly why they love horses. For many of those people, the answer was just that horses are what they understand. From their listening skills to their behavior, horses just know how to connect with people and have for thousands of years.
8) They Challenge You, But Also Work With You: You have to earn a horse’s trust – but once you do, you have it forever. While they aren’t always easy to work with, the journey you take with them is well worth it.
9) They’re the Embodiment of Good: In a world where bad headlines often reign, horses are the definition of what it means to be good. They are kind and gentle and willing to follow humans to the ends of the Earth if that’s what it takes to make us happy.
10) Their Personalities: Every horse’s personality is different, and seeing that shine on the track or in the barn is a big reason people love horses. From Zenyatta’s dancing skills to American Pharoah’s kindness, getting to know the quirks of individual horses (even if it is just through watching them race) adds joy to peoples’ lives.
This article originally appeared on America's Best Racing and it published here with permission.
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