Horse Dreams -- Literally

[dressagetraks]

I had a fun (until the end) dream last night. I was taking a walk through some beautiful countryside, and I suddenly encountered Queen Elizabeth with several attendants. She had a large, sleek black pony hitched to a little cart and was driving him around the field. I admired the beautiful pony and tack, and she and I fell into talking horses, at her instigation to take the conversation further past “gorgeous pony.” She ultimately offered me a chance to drive him myself. I agreed and had a few grand laps of the field with this beautiful and beautifully trained black pony.

I finished two laps and got out of the cart, handing the reins back over to her with thanks. I then, tentatively, asked if I might get a picture on my cell phone of me with the pony. (I didn’t presume to ask for one with her.) She agreed and offered to get in the shot herself. So my cell phone was handed to the footman, and he backed off to line up the shot while QE2 and myself stood on either side of the pony at his head.

At that moment, here came another group of walkers, and this was a family with a group of around 10 kids. The kids saw that a picture was being taken, and they jumped straight into it, flopping on the ground in front of the pony, assuming goofy poses, making this definitely NOT the picture I had in mind. I was trying to politely convince them to please let us get our picture, and then they could have a goofy sprawl kid puddle picture if they wished. The request only made them amp up the weird, goofy poses factor.

And then I woke up. I don’t have any trouble analyzing that dream.

1. I think it is awesome that QE2 is still actively horsing well into her 90s.
2. I have always thought driving looked like a fun thing to try someday.
3. I dislike kids.

What are some of yours?

[NaturalSelection]

I love dream interpretation!

I have a semi-recurring horse dream (slightly different versions). I’ve entered a horse trial (I’m an eventer) at the next level up from my usual competition level or I’m on one of my youngsters that has never competed before (and in real life isn’t ready). We start the xc course and a couple of jumps in we’re alone on the course, no jump judges, no spectators, just me and my horse. I’m not sure how or why but all of a sudden I’m unmounted. It doesn’t seem like I fell off, it’s not related to a jump, but I am on my feet and my horse is loose next to me and it feels normal. We continue on the course running alongside each other in parallel but my horse goes around the jumps or cuts the corners and is grazing but not running away and I somehow jump the jumps on foot. Because there are no jump judges I am contemplating whether I am disqualified or if this is legal since I am technically jumping the jumps. Sometimes I struggle with whether I should confess this unorthodox method to the officials or remount before anyone sees me (cheating!). The Dream usually changes before I see anyone else on course. In one version I got on a ski chairlift with a friend and somehow just left the scene entirely.

I think it this dream means I feel like I’m ‘carrying’ some work or project and I’m in over my head…not sure about the chairlift. Maybe I just wanted ‘out’ in that version?

[Scribbler]

My childhood pony spent about 15:years on retirement pasture before she was pts at an old old age. All that time and after I dreamed she was back in her old barn and I had forgotten to go see her, or she existed in two places at once. I would try to ride her and she would shrink to cat size.

All these dreams stopped when I returned to riding.

[Hej]

Mine have mostly been good Old Horse Show Anxiety Dreams.

I’m pulling in to the show grounds with my horse in the trailer behind me (in plenty of time for my ride) and hear my name announced as being “on deck in Ring 2”.

I’m coming down the centerline, look down and realize that I have no idea what horse I’m riding, never mind what test or level. This one’s particularly odd since I’m an AA who pretty much has only one horse to ride and show at any given time.

When I was eventing I used to dream that I was out on xc and suddenly had no idea where my next fence was. I’d gallop around and not be able to find any fences at all. Hated that one.

[RedHorses]

I had a nightmare recently. I was riding my first horse, following another rider (no idea who) when my horse hit a patch of ice and cartwheeled forward out from under me (yes, I know the physics make that impossible but it was a dream). He did a complete flip before coming down on his side and sliding to a stop. He half lifted his head, dropped it back down and was still. I ran to him, went down beside him and put his head in my lap - and woke up.

I was really upset and it took a while for me to go back to sleep. I euthanized that horse twenty-three years ago.

[Bluey]

@dressagetraks

I had a fun (until the end) dream last night. I was taking a walk through some beautiful countryside, and I suddenly encountered Queen Elizabeth with several attendants. She had a large, sleek black pony hitched to a little cart and was driving him around the field. I admired the beautiful pony and tack, and she and I fell into talking horses, at her instigation to take the conversation further past “gorgeous pony.” She ultimately offered me a chance to drive him myself. I agreed and had a few grand laps of the field with this beautiful and beautifully trained black pony.

I finished two laps and got out of the cart, handing the reins back over to her with thanks. I then, tentatively, asked if I might get a picture on my cell phone of me with the pony. (I didn’t presume to ask for one with her.) She agreed and offered to get in the shot herself. So my cell phone was handed to the footman, and he backed off to line up the shot while QE2 and myself stood on either side of the pony at his head.

At that moment, here came another group of walkers, and this was a family with a group of around 10 kids. The kids saw that a picture was being taken, and they jumped straight into it, flopping on the ground in front of the pony, assuming goofy poses, making this definitely NOT the picture I had in mind. I was trying to politely convince them to please let us get our picture, and then they could have a goofy sprawl kid puddle picture if they wished. The request only made them amp up the weird, goofy poses factor.

And then I woke up. I don’t have any trouble analyzing that dream.

1. I think it is awesome that QE2 is still actively horsing well into her 90s.
2. I have always thought driving looked like a fun thing to try someday.
3. I dislike kids.

What are some of yours?

Would love to see that picture, could you post it for us to admire?:lol:

I had a dream a few days ago that I was standing under the overhang, scratching on my old horse, that put his head down and let me knead his left ear.
He was really enjoying it, leaning into it gently and then I woke up.

Well, this morning we were measuring something in the barn and he came over, put his head down and I realized I was handling his ear just as I did in my dream, him leaning into it.

Sure makes you feel funny when that happens.

[cayuse]

The other night I had a dream that I was kicked out of a motel because I was keeping my mini in the room with me and tying him out to graze on the lawn in the middle of the night. The meadow muffins gave us away. He left a trail of them right to the room door.

[2DogsFarm]

Many years ago I had a Dutch friend.
We were living in a big city - she with her SO, me with mine. We were young, early & mid-20s.
I had never met her family, just knew she was one of 8 kids, 6 sisters & 1 brother.
I was not yet a re-rider then & we never talked about horses or riding.

I dreamed I was riding with her through some beautiful woods & saw some other riders.
I pointed them out & she said “those are my sisters”.
I never told her about the dream.

Many,many (both in our 50s/60s) years later, when I visited her in Holland, I met her sisters, including one who had a small farm where she kept her aged gelding.
Talking about horses, her sister reminded her of the times they had gone riding in the (forgive my butchered Dutch) Boekkenride woods.

She took me to those woods - a huge sort of national Forest preserve with miles of trails - where we hiked, and saw some riders.
They were the woods I had dreamed of some 20+yrs ago.

[Suspiria]

I have the Horse Show Anxiety dream also. Usually I have 5 minutes before my dressage test and I am not tacked up and haven’t even started braiding. Or, my personal favorite, I arrive at the show grounds with my horse and realize I FORGOT TO ENTER THE SHOW.

In fairness, I also have dreams where I am back in high school and late to class fairly regularly. I don’t struggle with anxiety IRL so I assume it’s just my brain experimenting with it.

[JBCool]

OP, that sounds like a great dream story! Maybe just tell your dream self you can crop the kids out of the shot :lol:

Suspiria: I have similar horse show anxiety dreams, only I am usually late and CANNOT FIND THE HORSE!

[outerbanks77]

@Hej

Mine have mostly been good Old Horse Show Anxiety Dreams.

I’m pulling in to the show grounds with my horse in the trailer behind me (in plenty of time for my ride) and hear my name announced as being “on deck in Ring 2”.

I’m coming down the centerline, look down and realize that I have no idea what horse I’m riding, never mind what test or level. This one’s particularly odd since I’m an AA who pretty much has only one horse to ride and show at any given time.

When I was eventing I used to dream that I was out on xc and suddenly had no idea where my next fence was. I’d gallop around and not be able to find any fences at all. Hated that one.

This is me. I haven’t had one in a while, but it’s usually that I arrive late at the show, and have no idea what the dressage test is. Not far from reality, because I swear I get abducted by aliens at the start of each dressage test, then they plunk me down in the middle of it, having no idea where I am or what movement comes next.

Other than that, I don’t frequently have horse dreams, but when I do, they’re probably about horses getting loose or other semi-calamity.

[Indy]

I too often have horse-show related anxiety dreams. Usually I’ve gotten to the show late and my trainer is mad, or I have to ride a horse that I’ve never ridden before, or suddenly the height for the division I’m in is much bigger than I anticipated jumping. And just before I’m about to conquer my fear and jump the big jumps or solve the problem, I wake up and I’m all anxious and stressed until my brain catches up and realizes it wasn’t real. Most of the time my barn dreams are set in the barn I rode at as a kid. And the horses are often my childhood lesson horses. But the people are current people or sometimes not horse people at all (like my fourth grade math teacher will randomly be there).

The other night, I had a great dream that I had found my childhood pony at a horse show and he was being shown by lots of little kids that loved him to bits. He recognized me and it was just the best feeling. Not sure why I had this dream (he passed on a few years ago and I know exactly what happened to him after I sold him) but it was still fun. Then of course, in true horse show anxiety dream fashion, it took a left turn and I had to frantically pack all my tack and show stuff in a too-small trunk because the trainer that had my pony was going to take it all someplace for me and there just wasn’t enough time to get it all together.

[SMK]

I also have the show anxiety dreams, especially ones tired to my poor memory. I think my equivalent to the “showing up to a class you haven’t been too all semester and have to take a final” (I still have those nightmares even as I’m teaching undergrads) is showing and having no idea that I should have memorized a dressage test. Sometimes I’ll have a caller, but I can’t keep up with them.

I also have weird, reoccurring horse dreams in which I’m riding, but my leg is too far forward. Like, this wouldn’t quite work in real life sort of forward. I think my subconscious is trying to tell me something about my position…

[shiloh]

My last horse passed away 12/28/12 (and yes, that was a rotten anniversary). I had no interest in getting another horse until…several months later he appeared in a dream to me. The first dream I was at a horse show and there were several horses there (Appaloosas, Paints) that he seemed very friendly with. I woke up and thought nothing of this dream. The next dream he came to me and I was patting him and fussing over him and he trotted off and came back with a large bay mare. I was alternating petting them when I noticed he had disappeared and left me with this mare. Next dream, another situation and here he is again with the same bay mare. Next dream, here he is with a very cute grey Welsh style pony. I was very puzzled about all this and then it clicked…he was telling me it was okay to get another horse. It was very sad but I realized, too, that he wanted me to stop thinking about him and was telling me to move on. I never looked for those horses and as far as moving on, I have and I haven’t.

[mmeqcenter]

I don’t have horse dreams often, hardly ever.
But one time I dreamt that I met Kaley Cuoco and we became friends and she let me ride some of her incredible horses. It was just amazing.
Another time I dreamt I met Beezie and got to ride Authentic over a fence or two. Magical.