Why Horses Matter in an AI World

Everything is expensive, no one wants to work hard and no one has time.  That may be true, but its always been this way.  The only way things change is keeping up with trends and swimming in the young peoples stream.  The internet has changed everything – I’m writing something that a million people could read – 20 years ago that wouldn’t be possible.  A girl says something vulgarly humorous, “hawk tua” and becomes famous, Oliver Anthony posts a video of a song and everyone rethinks values, Ed Snowden shared classified documents and the US is outraged over government overreach and someone could share a story about how horses transformed their lives and trigger a landslide of people getting into a new style of horse industry.

30 years ago kids got a quarter to call if they needed anything – now parents have an app that tells them where their children are. (mine hate this)  Why then should we think how the horse industry was is how it will be?  In what ways could people benefit from horses that no one has thought about?  Equine therapy is a great example.

People are looking for purpose, belonging, peace and adventure. 

Purpose through stewardship.  Taking care of animals, land, and legacy breeds purpose deep into everyday life. The horse world is a natural training ground for discipline, compassion, and responsibility.  Yes it is a hobby, but it becomes a calling.  It becomes what you are, not just what you do.

Belonging through community.  People are desperate for community, especially outside of the digital one. Horse barns, shows, clinics, and trail rides are all real-world gathering points that cannot be copied on the internet.  Weather you are a beginner or you have bred, owned and trained world champions you can fit into this world and feel the affects of what the horse community has to offer.

Peace through presence.  Riding or simply being around horses gets people out of their heads and into the moment. It’s meditative, grounding, and screen-free.  With the stress filled world we live in horses are food for the soul that can be therapy for the buned-out, anxious, technologically fried modern person.  Horses are so much more than just recreation.

Adventure through challenge.  The horse world is full of uncertainty, risk, and struggle—and people need that. Not everyone wants safe, padded comfort.  People want something to overcome.  Having horses will do all of this.

The modern world is loud, fast and fake – the horse world is quiet, slow and real. How do we connect purpose, belonging, peace and adventure that the horse world has to offer to what the modern person uses as these things?

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