Horses: A cure for what ails you

Valerie Forest | Feb 25, 2010

Achy and blue? Need a new perspective? Here's an idea for you - get on a horse. But not just any horse - one of the gentle, friendly, obliging horses at Meadowridge Farm on Willis Armstrong Road. I can't think of a better way to improve your view.

Perched on the back of "Doc", a semi-retired gelding, the world suddenly seems brighter. There I am, all alert and keen, and higher off the ground than I've been in years. Jennifer White, my patient and very kind riding instructor, refers to Doc as her "geriatric" horse, perfect for beginners who aren't sure how to steer. Doc is so well trained and wise, he takes my mistakes in his stride, so to speak. He turns when he's supposed to turn, goes when he's supposed to go, and stops when he's supposed to stop, or sooner if my directions aren't at all clear. He even stands perfectly still while I awkwardly dismount, placidly disregarding my oofs and grunts as I haul one leg over his back and slide ungracefully to the ground.

I approached my first lesson with a wary eye. My childhood riding experiences had been remarkably uninspiring. A neighbour's palomino pony took the bit in his teeth and galloped furiously round a thistly field until I fell off, landing squarely on my back and knocking all my wind out. A rent-a-pony spent the entire half hour and my entire allowance scraping my outside leg on fence rails and blatantly ignoring my desperate reinings and chuckings. Every horse I met tried to kick me or bite me or crush me against any available wall. But I was finally able to put those memories to rest at Meadowridge Farm. Here are horses who don't kick or bite, horses who seem to actually like people. I can walk all round Doc. even his backside, with no fear at all.

On my third lesson, following Jennifer's expert instructions, I am able to have an exhilarating trot and canter, well seated and feeling splendidly accomplished. Jennifer is an exceptionally good riding instructor. Her lessons are intellectually interesting as well, with fascinating facts thrown in about horses and their interactions with humans. I learned more about horses in a few hours with Jennifer than I've learned in my entire long life.

More importantly, I can enjoy being around horses at last. I blissfully breathe in their scent, satisfying some longed-for connectedness that must be a vestige of ancestral memory.

Jennifer and her family cleared land on their acreage, and built their own paddocks - a picturesque row of cedar-railed enclosures on either side of a lovely lane. Their heated tack room is tidy and well organized, and the indoor arena (also built by the Whites) is large and filled with natural light.

If you could imagine an idyllic horse farm, this would be it. Pretty cats cavort in the straw, friendly dogs follow you around, horses greet you at every paddock gate, and you have the feeling that you have happened upon a magical place, and are lucky to have found it.

Having harboured a love for horses all my life, I secretly believed in storybook horses, the ones who are gentle and kind. The horses at

Meadowridge Farm are storybook horses. Doc not only improved my view, he made me feel sort of like a trusting kid again. He also buffed up my balance, limbered my back, and awoke my aging brain to the details of real-life fairy tales. So if you're looking for good therapy, or just something to brighten your days, look no further. Ride a horse. You'll be glad you did.

You can reach Meadowridge Farms at (613) 268-2179.