For Those With Daughters

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For Those With Daughters

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gard
Reg. Aug 2007

Posted 2008-02-04 11:34 AM (#76036)
Subject: For Those With Daughters

Expert

Posts: 5870
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Location: western PA

Thought this might be interesting..........

My daughter turned sixteen years old today;
which is a milestone for most people. Besides looking at baby photos
and childhood trinkets with her, I took time to reflect on the young
woman my daughter had become and the choices she
would face in the future. As I looked at her I could see the athlete
she was, and determined woman she would soon be. I started
thinking about some the girls we knew in our town who
were already pregnant, pierced in several places, hair every color
under the sun, drop outs, drug addicts and on the fast track to no
where, seeking surface identities because they had no
inner self esteem. The parents of these same girls have asked me why I
waste the money on horses so my daughter can ride. I'm told she will
grow out of it, lose interest,
discover boys and all kinds of things that try to pin the current
generation's slacker label on my child. I don't think it will happen, I
think she will love and have horses all her life. .......... Because my daughter grew up with horses she has
compassion. She knows that we must take special care of the very young
and the very old. We must make sure those
without voices to speak of their pain are still cared for.
Because my daughter grew up with horses she learned responsibility for
others than herself. She learned that regardless of
the weather you must still care for those you have the stewardship of.
There are no days off just because you don't feel like being a horse
owner that day. She learned that for
every hour of fun you have there are days of hard slogging work you
must do first. Because my daughter grew up with horses she learned
not to be afraid of getting dirty and that
appearances don't matter to most of the breathing things in the world
we live in. Horses do not care about designer clothes, jewelry, pretty
hairdos or anything else we put on our bodies
to try to impress others. What a horse cares about are your abilities
to work within his natural world, he doesn't care if you're wearing
$80.00 jeans while you do it. Because my
daughter grew up with horses she learned about sex and how it can both
enrich and complicate lives. She learned that it only takes one time to
produce a baby, and the only way to ensure
babies aren't produced is not to breed. She learned how babies are
planned, made, born and, sadly, sometimes die before reaching their
potential. She learned how sleepless nights and trying
to outsmart a crafty old broodmare could result in getting to see, as
non-horse owning people rarely do, the birth of a true miracle.
Because my daughter grew up with horses she
understands the value of money. Every dollar can be translated into
bales of hay, bags of feed or farrier visits. Purchasing
non-necessities during lean times can mean the difference
between feed and good care, or neglect and starvation. She has learned
to judge the level of her care against the care she sees provided by
others and to make sure her standards never
lower, and only increase as her knowledge grows. Because my daughter
grew up with horses she has learned to learn on her own. She has had
teachers that cannot speak, nor write, nor
communicate beyond body language and reactions. She has had to learn to
read her surroundings for both safe and unsafe objects, to look for
hazards where others might only see a
pretty meadow. She has learned to judge people as she judges horses.
She looks beyond appearances and trappings to see what is within.
Because my daughter grew up with horses she has
learned sportsmanship to a high degree. Everyone that competes fairly
is a winner. Trophies and ribbons may prove someone a winner, but they
do not prove someone is a horseman. She has
also learned that some people will do anything to win, regardless of
who it hurts. She knows that those who will cheat in the show ring will
also cheat in every other aspect of their life
and are not to be trusted. Because my daughter grew up with horses
she has self-esteem and an engaging personality. She can talk to anyone
she meets with confidence, because she has
to express herself to her horse with more than words. She knows the
satisfaction of controlling and teaching a 1000 pound animal that will
yield willingly to her gentle touch and ignore
the more forceful and inept handling of those stronger than she is. She
holds herself with poise and professionalism in the company of those
far older than herself. Because my
daughter grew up with horses she has learned to plan ahead. She knows
that choices made today can effect what happens five years down the
road. She knows that you cannot care for and
protect you investments without savings to fall back on. She knows the
value of land and buildings. And that caring for you vehicle can mean
the difference between easy travel or being
stranded on the side of the road with a four horse trailer on a hot
day. When I look at what she has learned and what it will help her
become, I can honestly say that I haven't
wasted a penny on providing her with horses. I only wish that all
children had the same opportunities to learn these lessons from horses
before setting out on the road to
adulthood.

written by Tracy Meisenbach of Trinity Appaloosas in Brookneal, VA

BOL Gard