Thankful for Our Horses

It's the season to be thankful and we have more reasons to be thankful than we can count. Through this crazy year, we wanted to make sure to pause and take a moment of reflection on why we are so thankful for our horses and our wonderful company! 

Hello, trail friends! Welcome back to our blog. We are taking a break from the trails, and while the horses take a rest and get a snack, we wanted to hop out of our saddles and back into our writing chair. We wanted to check in with all of our readers and supporters, too. We hope you're doing well, spending time with your horses as much as you can, and learning more about our favorite animals every day! With the holidays right around the corner, don't forget to support and love your favorite local small Charleston business. Give the gift of something unique and different this year! Give your loved ones an experience of a lifetime, and gift them with a ride on our amazing trails and the best horseback riding in Charleston! Or even gift yourself with something unique and special this year. Are you visiting our amazing city sometime soon or are you local and looking for something special to experience this holiday season? We can help with that! Make sure to check out the main page of our website and reach out to us to talk about all of your gift-giving needs. We are so excited to speak with you and to have you on our horseback riding trails soon! 

November is here and Thanksgiving is on our minds. Our horses are dreaming of some extra hay and maybe a few special treats or two. We are all dreaming about our turkey dinners and all the delicious fixings that come with it! Being thankful is also on our minds, and what we've been talking about a lot recently are all the reasons we are thankful for horses and our own personal list of thanksgivings that we've been able to get out of 2020. We thought we'd share our thanksgiving state of mind and pay it forward. In this week's blog, we are going to be talking about all the reasons we're thankful for horses and much more! 

• First Of All

While 2020 has given us all a mountain of issues and things we didn't expect to overcome, we have all been pushing to see the silver linings that we can still all celebrate. First and foremost we are so thankful to you, our patrons, and supporters. For all of those who have ridden with us this year to everyone who has supported from afar reading our blogs and who have taken time to check in on us has meant so much. Secondly, we are so thankful to every member of our incredible staff. Without you, Middleton Equestrian Center wouldn't be what it is. Your hard work and dedication makes every day possible, and we are so thankful for each of you. We are also so thankful for our beautiful and stunning horses; their health, their joy, and the happiness they give to each of our trail riders is so special. Here is to every one of you, you have made everything possible up to this point and we look forward to all the thanksgivings 2021 will give us! 

• Stress Relief

We all know how hard this year has been, but there is just something so calming and peaceful about being around horses. When you look into their big beautiful eyes, and they trust and love you, nothing else could go wrong. If you've had a stressful day, there is nothing like spending a few hours on their backs riding through some of the most beautiful parts of Charleston. There is also nothing like spending a few hours grooming, caring for, and mucking out their stalls to distract you from anything you're going through. Plus, just standing next to such a large and powerful animal can bring a true sense of peace and calm that you can't compare to anything else. 

• Forever Friend

If you've been lucky enough to own a horse in your lifetime, then you understand the statement when we say a horse can be the best friend you'll ever have. Growing that incredible friendship and trust over what could be up to 20 to 25 years of a horse's lifetime is incredible. You learn together, grow together, depend on one another, and love one another. Falling in love with a horse and with your horse, in particular, is a once in a lifetime experience. Horses can also bring family members together. For some, sharing and creating memories and Middleton Equestrian Center are some of their most treasured with their loved ones. Others get to experience horses with their families for a lifetime. Many horse lovers out there are introduced to horses for the first time because a parent or grandparent put them in the saddle at a very young age. From that moment on, these family members share time in the saddle together and create a very special bond with one another and with their horses. 

• Believe In Yourself! 

When you're galloping on the back of a horse or you just successfully completed a difficult jump or trick you've been working on, there is nothing like that rush of confidence and success. In all honesty, there is no other confidence builder like being on the back of a horse. No matter what you're going through in your life, you can find some strength and power while you're riding and spending time with your horse. You can even take this power and confidence and apply it to many different aspects of your life. 

• History Says It All

From the very beginning, horses have been there for us. Before the invention of cars, modern farming, and modern construction, we had horses to help us get from point A to point B. We also had horses to help build and farm the world around us. Like we mentioned in our last blog, horses were there to help American's first colonists break into the brand new world, and then break into the wild west. If it weren't for these incredible animals, so much of American's early success and progress wouldn't have been possible or as prolific without them. This is something we can all be thankful for, without our horses today and their powerful ancestors, who knows where we would be! They not only helped us build America and transport our ancestors for hundreds of years, they also were a huge help in the early wars of our country up to WWI and WWII. 

• Continue to Push & Learn

Learning how to ride a horse and all the different skills, abilities, and competitions that can come with becoming a proficient and successful rider is a lifelong process. There is never a point in your time as a rider that you know everything or you stop learning. It is a constantly growing journey. You can always learn more, become a better rider, learn a new trick, discover new tools, or new ways of how to care for your horse. Don't forget, they are living breathing animals with personalities all their own. They will keep you on your toes and keep you guessing for years to come! Being in the world of horses, regardless of being a horse owner or horse lover, it is a world that is always changing and growing with more information than you might be able to digest in your lifetime. 

• Love is Forever

When you're a horse owner or a lover of horses, you know that this kind of love is lifelong and unconditional. As long as your horses are alive and vice versa, they will always love and depend on you, and once you fall in love with these very special animals, that is a love that will never go away. 

What are your favorite reasons that you're thankful for horses? We know the list is endless, and these are just a few of our favorite reasons that we are thankful for every day. Love and thanksgivings have no definition or an end when it comes to horses, and we are sure you understand that. We hope this is a joyful and loving Thanksgiving season for you and yours. Until next time, we look forward to seeing you on our trails soon! 

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