A Gambler’s Instinct
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. More Americans than ever are feeling lonely and socially isolated. This lack of social connection is having profound effects on our mental and physical health, according to a groundbreaking report from the Surgeon General last year.
Rates of loneliness, which were already at record highs pre-pandemic, have only gotten worse post-pandemic. The impact of it is likely to be devastating. The Surgeon General cited earlier research showing that loneliness is as deadly as smoking.
To raise awareness of Mental Health Awareness Month and the power of horses to help us overcome loneliness, stress and burnout, I’ll share one personal story each week this month to highlight how horses support our mental health.
The first is a story I wrote for Chicken Soup for the Horse Lover’s Soul Part II (2006). Re-reading it makes me think this experience nearly 20 years ago may have been the spark that inspired me to host equine-assisted coaching programs today.
Horses touch the deepest part of our souls and know just what we need at the moment we need it, and I am grateful for the opportunity to share my horses with others.
A Gambler’s Instinct
My father and I share a mutual love of horses, which created an inseparable bond between us. Throughout my childhood, we spent countless hours preparing for horse shows and riding the quiet trails near our house.
Horses brought joy to our family, whether it was a trail ride, a ribbon at the fair, or participating in the local apple orchard’s annual fall “train robbery,” where we raced up to the train horseback and demanded fresh-picked apples as ransom.
Mixed in with the good times were periods of grief and sorrow and horses were there to soothe the soul.
My father’s two-year battle with cancer gave our family a firsthand count of the pain and suffering caused by disease. At the same time, I learned just how much horses offer humans beyond allowing us to ride on their backs.
Throughout my dad’s treatments, and then during a three-week intensive care stay, he noticed many young children receiving cancer treatment too.
He vowed that once he was well, he would bring happiness to these children’s lives.
About a year after his treatments concluded, a local community organization hosted an outing for families with children who had cancer. The group invited us to offer pony rides, so we brought our two new young horses—both 5-years-old.
Chip and Gambler could be frisky youngsters but seemed to sense the fragility of their young riders. By the end of the day, both horses had given many young kids their first horseback ride.
As we packed up to leave, my father noticed a boy in a wheelchair arguing with his parents. Dad had spotted him earlier in the day and observed the distance the parents kept between their child and the horses.
Quietly, Dad approached the family and assured them that despite Gambler’s height, he was a teddy bear and would be gentle with their son.
Tears filled their eyes as they explained it was not fear but their son’s physical condition that forced them to admire from afar.
Gingerly, they pulled back the boy’s blanket to reveal an endless maze of tubes feeding him medication. Dad asked them to wait a moment.
He rushed to me, took Gambler’s lead, and, with a soft voice, led Gambler to the boy’s wheelchair.
As Dad approached, he explained to the little boy that Gambler loved little kids and pats on the nose. Gambler dropped his oversized head into the boy’s lap and let out a contented sigh as the boy stroked his white blaze.
A smile stretched from ear to ear as the boy kissed Gambler goodbye. We never saw the boy again, but to this day we treasure the brief moment we were able to give him—one that wasn’t about his disease or pain—but about the peace that comes from being nuzzled by a horse.
*The story has been edited from its original version.
A Winston Update
Winston took his first trailer ride off the property to prepare for the upcoming show season. In the pasture, he looks so big and grown up, but here, he still looks like a baby.
While we won’t start riding Winston until he is 2-years-old he will travel to horse shows and clinics this year to gain experience and to compete in halter classes.
In a halter class, a judge evaluates each horse based on their conformation, aka their build or structural correctness. Judges also look for any signs of lameness and the horse’s quality of movement. Watch for updates on Winston’s show ring debut at some point this year.