Interesting... growing up I had two American Saddle Breds, rode english (in Montana?!). Also loved dogs cats, etc.

I don't have horses but don't think there's any special connection than any others animal. It seems there are more cat/dog owners who grow roses than horse owners.
Aside from the horse manure I can't think of any reason there'd be any special connection.
Perhaps horse owner are more vocal than others?
In my rose society, we have one horse owner.

As of today, I have six. Had seven until I had to put my beautiful, sweet Paso mare down due to heaves today. My heart is broken. I have left two Tennessee Walkers, one Arabian, one Saddlebred, and my husband's driving minis. Two little nuisances if there ever were.

Our all-time high was 28, which was ridiculous considering we weren't "in the business." We were endurance and competitive trail riders for years, now I just pleasure ride. My husband no longer rides due to health issues.

I think rose people in general tend to be animal people--or maybe it's just gardeners in general. I do notice there are several of us horse people on the rose forums, though. I didn't get into roses until long after horses, but the manure is a wonderful thing to have. Although my six can't begin to keep up with my demand. I go and get more from friends who have a boarding stable.

I would guess a more general connection between folks that enjoy animals/pets loving gardening/roses. Horse people tend to have larger growing space to indulge in roses, by default.

Had a working hoss, several pet steers, rabbits & numerous auxiliary pets. Now down to a couple of dozen birds, a dog, & a few unofficial guys like the possums, jackrabbits & deer we throw scraps to--until the next little critter needs a home:)

Yeah, I think it's a general love of living things.

We own 2 horses. The only connection I can think of is a love of the outdoors. Andd even that is a week connection as people who love the outdoors do not necessarily have horses.
Horse doo certainly makes growing roses easier.
Merry Xmas
Jeannie

Well, I've never had a horse but do love them...but I do have cats, my 4 inside fur-babies keep me supplied with manure for my 150 roses...all the litter-box scrapings go right out to the roses..I do supplement w/horse poo when I can get it, plus Milorganite and other stuff, but the kitty litter is the main manure and it works great.....sally

I had horses when I was a kid and I'd have one now if I had the space and time. Now I just have cats and spoil the local wildlife--apples for the deer, leftover cat food for the raccoons and possums, birdbaths, a small fish pond for frogs and the critters...
I don't think it is so much a direct connection to horses, but more a love for living things, for beauty, the need to connection others beyond humans. As ee cummings wrote, "a world of made is not a world of born."

I have 4 with a possible 5th in the barn if I can convince the DH I'm not crazy for adding to the herd. Two quarter horse crosses, two Thoroughbreds, and potentially a Trakhner. I do eventing and dressage.

For me personally, I think the connection is being drawn to things that appeal to my obsessiveness and interest in subjects with lots of detail and minutia--O.K. so I'm probably NOT going to convince the DH I'm not crazy, but I suspect I have a lot of company in both the horse world and the rose world!! ;-)

I've gardened for years in yards 1/2 acre or less. It wasn't until I moved out with the horses on 40+ acres that I added roses to the mix. So maybe a connection with horses needing acreage and the garden space available calling out to have roses.

And the compost. In fact I recently changed my stall bedding from a sawdust base material to a straw base material because I'm thinking the straw will produce higher quality compost. We'll see.

floridarosesez9,
I am so sorry about the loss of your mare. It's such a disheartening thing to lose a beloved animal. My sympathy goes out to you.
I do think gardeners and rose lovers also love nature as a whole (gophers being an exception, perhaps), and this includes having all sorts of pets. I grew up around horses and owned a horse as a child. Now I'm a cat person who loves to feed birds, so the cats are strictly indoor--don't want the kitties to be coyote lunch, either. Diane

Thank you, Diane, for your thoughts. It's been a rough couple of days.

Coyotes picked off over 300 chickens here, at the rate of one or two a day. I finally gave up on chickens. The coyotes don't come near the house, though, so at least I don't have to worry about my cats. They don't bother the horses or the calves, but some local farmers say they have had calves killed by them.

Oh Floridarosez9, I too am so sorry for your loss. We have an aged broodmare now that we're watching day by day, with kidney stones, and some major lameness issues from overuse as a youngster. Right now we have her comfortable, but it could go either way, any day.

I tend to agree with the thought that with acreage comes a desire to beautify it. Horse people (at least in my circles) are outdoorsy, OCD types, which is also a common trait with rose people.

And completely agree with those of you mentioning that rose lovers tend to naturally share a common love of animals and nature. Perhaps its just that the more land you have, the bigger animals you put on it to fill it up?!

If I could have horses I would. I've always loved horses. One of the ladies in our Civil War sewing group works with horses. She told a story about her latest mare who was sent to so many different homes that she hurt herself in the trailer because she didn't want to be moved again. That's the kind of horse I would want. The one that needs a place to enjoy life. I feel bad for the ones without friends whose owners have no time to see them. I don't really want a horse to ride, I just love watching them in general and their personalities. Do you think they mind being ridden or do you think they like to get out for a ride? I saw wild horses in Colorado once on the way to Mesa Verde's Cliff Palace once and it was wonderful.

Kitty - horses are really intelligent, and extremely emotionally sensitive. When they are treated like stupid beasts of burden, or objects to carry us around, as so often happens, they are not happy - riding or no riding. When they are treated like appreciated, beloved companions, they are happy to do just about anything for us. Really different from dogs and cats. They have this innate sense of "fairness". They interact with that premise, and are most appreciative when treated in kind.

Hmmm, have to say, I find them a bit frightening.
I don't enjoy perching atop one - in fact, I am not at all keen on being so far from the floor. By and large, horses seem to sense my nervousness and react badly to to it. I have a few horsy friends though: their enjoyment and committment is undeniable and I am really hoping a couple of them will bring their working ponies to my wood (where I will admire them from a distance).

Suz, they are incredibly intuitive and sensitive, and they do instantly pick up on nervousness. If you've never ridden before, they seem to know that before you ever put your foot in the stirrup.

Harmony, I hope your mare manages to stay well. It's heartbreaking to have to put one down. The mare we just lost used to eat the leaves off all the roses and blooms she could reach over the fence and taught the minis to do so as well. I used to get so angry. Now, if I had her back, she could strip every rosé I've got and I wouldn't say a word.

Floridaroze, so sorry about your poor Paso. But I'm sure her life was filled with kindness, love & good care. And it's good to know that 6 other fortunate animals are under your protection.
blessings :)

There are a lovely pair of Mollies on craigslist today, if I had space and funds, and coyotes I would have a pair of molly mules. They keep the coyotes at bay.

I have had horses all my life - 35 years showing/breeding Arabians and now Miniature Horses since 1986. I ship all over the US and Europe, just sold 9 to Mexico. After the spring foal crop, I am curtailing breeding to 3-4 foals a year. My rose/daylily addiction is increasing. I find I can love fewer horses more easily than the 40-50 I have had. Plants came later - when my mother became too ill to care for her plants [I was 26], I took over. It became a passion that led me to roses then daylilies, now I am starting with clematis. Animals and/or plants - its a love of living, growing things that appeals to a certain kind of person. I will never recover from the addiction of either - they both bring great happiness and balance to my life.

Floridarose.....so sorry about your loss. I have buried so many beloved horses [dogs, cats too] and understand your loss. I recall the last lines of a poem I have stashed somewhere that says....."dont cry for the horses, love the ones who are here."
Merry Christmas to all......
Judith

That's a lovely thought, Judith. Actually, we rescued Lexi from someone who was starving her, and her last ten years were much better than her previous ten.

Have ridden and owned horses all my childhood and adult life, showed jumpers into my 30's. Taught lessons, bought, retrained and sold many retired off the track racehorses and gave them a new career (my screen name t-bred). Now I'm down to one, he keeps me busy!

I think the main correlation is the outdoorsy personality, my Mom always said I'd rather clean 10 stalls than 1 bedroom! I'd still rather work in my gardens than clean the house.

Oh, t-bred, isn't that the truth. I'll work like a dog in the garden or with my horses, but I despise housework. I remember meeting a woman at a new job who was a horse lover/owner. I invited her to ride one weekend, and she said, oh, no, she had to mop her floors and clean her bathrooms, and how did I find time to ride every weekend. I said, well, you have to establish priorities. Well, she established her priorities, and she and I still ride together, and I've introduced her to roses.

The good news is that when you're out gardening all day, you're not inside making a mess.

LOL, Kitty. I cooked as many dishes today as I could for tomorrow. It looks like there was a serious explosion in my kitchen, absolute chaos.

I agree with T-bred: the horse people I know (and nearly everyone I know is a horse person) must. be. outside. House be damned. And as a group, we have no problem with dirt. I always say I'll deal with it at night, when it's dark out, but am usually pretty done by the time I go in. And I only have 1 horse - a TB event horse who occasionally hunts (but ride 6 days a week).

I'm just getting into roses - thanks to a friend from the barn, of course.

Harmony, did you count us up? I came up with six, plus several horse lovers that don't actually own them.

Kippy, I love mules and always wanted to own a gaited one. My horses don't like them, probably because they've never been around them. I was riding my stallion one time in a parade, and he almost backed us into a retention pond with a ten foot drop off when he encountered two mules. You never saw such jumping around as he was doing.

Florida, I can see how a horse can get upset, my bosses horses did NOT like the goats (and still don't) That meeting did not go well, one goat ended up with a broken leg in the first few minutes. The horses still patrol the fence line between them.

We happened on the Bishop, CA Mules Days event one year. Never knew mules came in such different colors, patterns and sizes. My guy always wanted to get mules over horses for the ranch, I can see how having them would be a better pick.

I dunno Floridarose, I thought I saw lots more people talking about gathering horse poo from their own in prior threads!

Oh, Harmony, I just counted the responses on this thread. I think you're right, but perhaps they ere on the antique side.

Count us in with the current number of equines at 21. We wish Florida much healing through this difficult time. Never has it been easy to have to choose to put an animal down....no matter what kind it is or the circumstances. As a working ranch we have LOTS of animals, I'm not sure I can even say how many. If there is a connection between roses and animals I agree with the folks above.....its the outdoors and the care we give both. Manure I have used forever here at the ranch on all of the gardening endeavors....all types....but at the nursery...we haven't so much....maybe in time!

Here is a link that might be useful: The Old Garden Rose Blog

Owned a horse for my daughter' s riding but boarded at a stable. Always been my dream to raise one from birth. Live in a zoned area, so will have to just have dogs for now.

I have noticed a connection between a love of roses and a love of cats, fine wines, horses, dogs and music, in that order.