But What Are You Going To Do When you Grow Up?

Are you tired of grown ups who do not understand why you want to spend every minute possible with horses telling you that you need to get serious and prepare for your future? It is frustrating when they do not understand that horses can, and should be part of that future. That can happen in many different ways.

Equine photography is a growing specialty niche in the photographic world. This great photo by Everyday Life Photography is beautiful art in itself but it also promotes the preservation of nearly extinct  historic horses like this mother and daughter Choctaw pair.

Natural hoof care is growing in practice as more people understand the importance of allowing a horse's hoof to be shaped so that it can function at its highest capacity. Jenn Hill is a professional farrier. She combined her practical experience with natural horsemanship and her education in farrier school to allow her to safely and humanely trim even hard to handle horses.

Quality hand made tack is always in demand.  Start up costs can be quite low and one can expand production slowly. Pam Yohn makes girths out of mohair and they are the best girths that I have ever used. They hold the saddle in place and expand and contract with the movement of the horse.

There is always a need for affordable horse trainers who focus on producing safe, solid family horses. When one thinks of trainers one often thinks of the horse show world. That world makes up a small segment of horse owners. Most horse owners are looking for a family horse for trails and recreation.

The best trainers are those who can also teach owners how to train their horses. These trainers recognize that training is a continuing educational process and that no horse ever finishes training. Every time one touches a horse one is training it. Lydia Barr trains horses and owners. Best of all she teaches them how to have close, meaningful relationships with their horses.

One of the most rewarding careers with horses is using them to improve the lives of other people. Equine therapy does just that. Combining a love of horses with a solid educational background in psychology, counselling or physical therapy can lead to a very rewarding career.

Many of us receive our first introduction to horses through books. Authors who specialize in children's books  create generations of happy horse owners. Kay Kerr wrote this award winning children's illustrated book about the endangered horses of Corolla. Her work entertains, educates, and helps bring awareness of the plight that these horses face.

The next time some adult who just does not understand tells you that your love of horses is "just a phase" that you are going through keep in mind that it might just be a phase that lasts through a long, meaningful life.