Horses may seem to be a passion for an only those with lots of money, unlike common sporting options like tennis, football, or basketball. However, it is the unique nature of the horse that makes them beneficial to everyone, including college students.
The sport requires you to come away the college environment, giving an opportunity to connect with these magnificent creatures at the same time as benefiting from exercise and improving mental health. You also have to learn how to handle a horse, in and out of the saddle. Such experiences mean that you will encourage to get out of your comfort zone, pushing your mind away from the normal. Equestrianism is an excellent hobby and sport to take up that, as a student, will enhance your college experience and open a new perspective in your life.
Sports are beneficial to the human body by helping you to exercise and gain fitness. However, these benefits go beyond the body. The mental benefits of horses can also enhance your academic life and career prospects. Here are the mental benefits accruing from all kinds of horse sports.
- Help you, the student, to relax
College life can be hectic. You are required to attend classes all day, complete assignments, and revise for exams. You also need to engage in other activities like working for yourself, or taking a part-time job to supplement your income.
Horses require you to motivate yourself. You’ll need to make the effort get to (and initially find) the yard/riding school, learn to ride, and get to know other people. The hobby takes you away from the stressful school/college environment. This break away from study and your environment, enables the mind to relax and rejuvinate. By returning to class after the break, you can better focus your mind, which will help you on producing more compelling arguments in your essays, for example.
- Take students away from the college environment
One of the ways to take care of your body and mind in college is to take time off classes. Take a walk away from the familiar school environment. Most horse stables, or equestrian centre, are found away from campus in clubs or farms. As you walk or drive away from campus to the stables, and start to concentrate on other enjoyable activities, this will help your mind relax.
Horse care, at the very least, takes a number of hours. During this time, you will not be thinking of the difficult questions or assignments that are yet to be completed. This gives the mind room to relax and prepare for the next study session. Consequently, you will be more productive.
- Enhance socialization
Socialization one way you can enhance your body and mind. Activities surrounding horses will involve forming new friendships, meeting new industry peers and forming teammates for yard activities, and other riding tasks. You interact as you draw strategies to be used during your time at the yard. It allows you to relax, exchange ideas, and get fit with new people. Socialization also brings out other aspects of your personality that you may not discover without interacting with people.
- Improve concentration and creativity
Horse care and riding require a lot of coordination and quick action. While you work quietly with a horse, for example, the horse could have other ideas. You must concentrate enough to control all aspects of what’s going on around you. The skills you learn can be transferred to your classwork, helping you to improve your concentration.
- Improve sleep
After a tiring physical and mental day, you retreat to your room tired. The mind needs to rest enough in preparation for the day ahead. Equestrianism can help eliminate anxiety and can improve your quality of sleep, in turn boosting your memory and insight.
Horses offer a relaxing way to pass the time and relax the mind. It takes your mind off the tiring classwork and boosts your sleep. You also have a chance to interact with other people and, in the process, expand your insight, get fit and improve concentration and coordination.
Suzanne Ashton, Founder of Everything Horse (Est, 2012), has a BA Hons in Marketing Management and a Diploma in Equine Science. Suzanne has ridden and owned horses all her life and has twelve years of experience in marketing, writing, design, SEO, and website creation.