Caring about horses and people comes easily to me. For 2 and a half years my horses and I worked for an Equine Assisted Therapy program and we all lived on site. I moved my 4 horses there and my friend, Dave built the now "famous" roof with diagonal walls to cover 4 horses with corral panel pens attached. It was quick to do; then we made a round pen for sessions and "turn out"... it was very small.
Another friend loaned me his camping trailer to live in and my horses and I set up to keep the program going while the owners had a shed barn built beside the temporary pens. I had no television (only PBS now - not a fan of regular TV); the trailer was too small for my dogs to live with me (they lived at my Mom's those first few months); I had to get the propane bottles filled in town; hauled my own "black water" across the (large) property to the septic tank to dump it (at least once a week - but it's amazing how conservative you get!) using a special blue container made for the purpose that hooked onto my Jeep! and, I kept feed and tack in my one horse trailer - hay on pallets under a tarp.
My "Dharma horses" were amazing - Gita was the Arab gelding that had been orphaned at birth. Darjeeling was his young cousin. Dorje was an Anglo Arab of maturity who was rock solid emotionally and Sandalwood was a foundered TWH mare that had belonged to a friend and I was working to help and heal her. We all worked in the program with youth "at risk", women's programs, foster care systems, etc. The horses touched my soul daily with how perceptive and appropriate they were in situations from one end of the spectrum to the other!
I thought of it all as a great experience for a Buddhist. I would meditate every night, was super aware of my own impact on the Earth, found simple solutions to problems and helped others constantly every day (and often into the nights!). Even though the horses and I "burned out" eventually; we were strong and proud of what we were doing.
Sandy finally needed to be released (euthanized) and I stood beside her proudly honoring the great mare as she passed. Dalai came to us, another TWH mare! And she stood stock still one night, in the dark with portable flood lights, in the cold while a dozen women took turns mounting her to walk a circle with me leading her... giving a new experience and courage/accomplishment to some precious humans. Horses are amazing!
