The gift of simply being with horses
Somewhere along the way, I think many of us became very good at being busy.
There is always somewhere to be. Something to organise. Someone who needs us.
Another notification. Another job. Another thing we really should have done yesterday.
Even our time with horses can become another list.
Feed. Rug. Ride. Train. Improve. Prepare. Achieve. Next.
Often though, horses remind me that perhaps we don’t always need to be going somewhere.
Sometimes, spending time with horses is enough.
No riding. No lesson. No outcome.
Just horses, nature and a little space away from the noise.
And I think there’s something incredibly valuable in that.
When did we all become so busy?
I love a goal.
Anyone who knows me, knows I’m not suggesting we all throw our competition calendars in the bin and wander around paddocks barefoot for the rest of our lives. 😂
I love coaching.
I love training horses.
I love working towards better performance.
I love the feeling when months of quiet work finally come together.
Heck, the training and work I am currently doing with my own horses right now, has the 2027 competition season well and truly in sight, starting March … that’s 6 months away!
But I’ve also lived enough life now to know that achievement isn’t everything.
There are seasons when we need to push. And there are seasons when we need somewhere to land. Horses have been both for me.
They’ve challenged me. Frustrated me. Given me enormous goals.
And they’ve also stood quietly beside me during chapters of life when I didn’t need another goal at all.
I simply needed somewhere to be.
Horses bring us back to now
Horses live in the present.
They don’t know about the email you forgot to answer.
They don’t care what happened at work.
They haven’t seen your social media.
And they’re certainly not impressed by your to-do list.
Or that event coming up in 6 months time!
They respond to the person standing in front of them. Right now.
That’s one of the things I love most about being around them.
They draw our attention back to what’s actually happening.
The warmth of the sun.
The sound of a horse breathing.
Feet moving through grass.
A soft eye.
A nose searching your pockets for something delicious.
The feel of a mane beneath your fingers.
Simple things. Real things.
Things that can become very easy to miss when we’re rushing through life.
You don’t need to be a rider
This is something I want to talk about more at Hiddy & Co.
You don’t have to ride horses to benefit from spending time around them.
You don’t even need to know much about horses.
For some people, the thought of riding isn’t appealing at all.
That’s perfectly okay.
Our work with horses can happen entirely from the ground.
Through counselling and Equine Assisted Therapy. Through learning about horse behaviour and communication.
Through grooming. Walking. Observing. Sharing space. Or simply spending time outside in a quieter environment.
The horse isn’t there to perform.
And neither are you.
Finding space to hear yourself again
There are times in life when everything feels noisy.
Transitions. Loss. Changing relationships. Parenthood. Work. Burnout. Children growing up. Starting again.
Becoming someone slightly different from the person we used to be.
Sometimes we immediately try to find the answer.
- What should I do?
- What’s next?
- How do I fix this?
But clarity doesn’t always arrive because we think harder.
Sometimes we need enough quiet to hear ourselves again.
This is one reason I love bringing counselling into a natural environment and, where appropriate, alongside horses.
The conversation can still be important.
But it doesn’t always have to carry the entire session.
There can be space for silence.
Observation. Movement. Reflection. And simply being outside.
I think this is an important distinction.
I don’t believe horses magically fix people.
And we don’t need them to.
Equine Assisted Therapy isn’t about making grand promises about what a horse can do for us.
For me, their value lies partly in what their presence invites.
Awareness. Curiosity. Connection. Observation. Honest responses. Being in the moment.
A horse may walk towards us.
Or walk away.
They may relax.
Become alert.
Seek connection.
Or choose space.
Our role isn’t necessarily to turn every behaviour into some profound metaphor.
Sometimes a horse is simply being a horse.
But in learning to observe without immediately judging or controlling, we can practise something incredibly useful.
Curiosity.
And sometimes that curiosity follows us beyond the paddock gate.
The same philosophy applies in the saddle
This doesn’t mean riding disappears from the conversation.
Quite the opposite.
Presence matters enormously in riding.
The best rides aren’t necessarily the ones where everything is perfect.
They’re often the ones where we’re truly listening.
Where we notice the change before it becomes a problem.
Where we soften instead of brace.
Where we adjust the plan because our horse is telling us something different today.
Where performance grows from partnership rather than pressure.
That’s the kind of riding I want to encourage too.
Because whether I’m working with someone in counselling or coaching them over a fence, one principle remains remarkably similar:
Meet the moment you’re actually in.
Not the one you expected.
Not yesterday’s.
Not somebody else’s.
This one.
Finding your way back
Perhaps that’s why horses have remained such an important part of my own life through so many different seasons.
There have been competition seasons.
Motherhood seasons.
Business seasons.
Messy seasons.
Wonderful seasons.
Seasons of enormous change.
And through all of them, the horses have been there.
Not providing answers.
Not asking me to explain myself.
Just quietly requiring me to arrive.
And perhaps sometimes that’s enough.
A reason to put your boots on.
Walk outside.
Take a breath.
Look up.
And come back to what is right in front of you.
So if life has felt particularly noisy lately, perhaps you don’t need another thing to achieve.
Maybe you need a little space.
Maybe you need nature.
Maybe you need conversation.
Maybe you’d love to ride.
Or perhaps you’d simply like to stand beside a horse for a while.
There is room for all of it here.
Because this is something I believe more strongly with every year I spend around these incredible animals:
Time with horses isn’t always about riding.
Sometimes it’s about finding your way back to yourself.
With heart (and horses),
Hiddy 🐴💛
👉 Got questions you’d like to ask? Book your FREE consultation with me and let’s chat. I’m here to help.👉
If you’ve been looking for a different approach—one that combines horses, nature, conversation and genuine connection—I’d love to welcome you to Hiddy & Co.
Whether you’re interested in rider coaching, equine assisted therapy, counselling or simply spending time with horses, you’re warmly invited to book a FREE consultation and together we can explore the right path for you.
Please note: For the safety and well-being of both riders and horses, participation in ridden sessions is subject to individual assessment, current health status, and physical suitability. All sessions are offered at the coach’s discretion. A pre-booking FREE consultation is strongly encouraged to ensure the experience is safe, supportive, and appropriate for everyone involved.
