Equestrian Sayings and Quotes

Below you will find our collection of inspirational, wise, and humorous old equestrian quotes, equestrian sayings, and equestrian proverbs, collected over the years from a variety of sources.

I learned why out riding alone is an oxymoron: An equestrian is never alone, is always sensing the other being, the mysterious but also understandable living being that is the horse. Jane Smiley
A good horse runs with seeing just the shadow of the whip. Buddha
Every time a horse let you up onto its back, it's giving you its life. Every time. Matthew Woodring Stover
In riding a horse we borrow freedom. Helen Thomson
A horse which stops dead just before a jump and thus propels its rider into a graceful arc provides a splendid excuse for general merriment. Prince Philip
There is something about riding down the street on a prancing horse that makes you feel like something, even when you ain't a thing. Will Rogers
A slow horse does not always reach the end of the journey. Robert Jordan
Horses make a landscape look beautiful. Alice Walker
A horse can lend its rider the speed and strength he or she lacks but the rider who is wise remembers it is no more then a loan. Pam Brown
As a good horse is not very apt to jump over a bank, if left to guide himself, I let mine pick his own way. Buffalo Bill
There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man. Winston Churchill
There is no secret so close as that between a rider and his horse. R.S. Surtees
I believe that horses bring out the best in us. They judge us not by how we look, what we're wearing or how powerful or rich we are, they judge us in terms of sensitivity, consistency, and patience. They demand standards of behavior and levels of kindness that we, as humans, then strive to maintain. Clare Balding
A good trainer can hear a horse speak to him. A great trainer can hear him whisper. Monty Roberts
How great a quality is horse sense! Someone has defined it as that something which keeps horses from betting on men! Vincent Massey
A few fly bites cannot stop a spirited horse. Mark Twain
All equestrians, if they last long enough, learn that riding in whatever form is a lifelong sport and art, an endeavor that is both familiar and new every time you take the horse out of his stall or pasture. Jane Smiley
When you find that the horse is compelled and interested in you, something in you changes. That can be healing or move you deeply. Buck Brannaman
A good rider on a good horse is as much above himself and others as the world can make him. Edward Herbert
When you are on a great horse, you have the best seat you will ever have. Winston Churchill
They say princes learn no art truly, but the art of horsemanship. The reason is, the brave beast is no flatterer. He will throw a prince as soon as his groom. Ben Johnson
A horse is the projection of peoples dreams about themselves strong, powerful, beautiful and it has the capability of giving us escape from our mundane existence. Pam Brown
Equestrian and sailing are sports for people growing up on the mean streets of connecticut. Craig Ferguson
Horse riding is a perfect comparison with singing.You must know where the double fences are. Luciano Pavarotti
Equestrian art is the perfect understanding and harmony between horse and rider. Nuno Oliveira
Just what the word means = horse/man relationship. It is a dialogue between horses and men. Answers from our horses will depend greatly on our signs, and on the surroundings. Each horse/moment/scenario are different. We must be conscious on all unconscious acts. Ignacio Alfredo Casafus
Horsemanship to me is, discovering myself, finding the inner Horseman/person I want to be, with the relationship of a horse. Being a part of something bigger than myself, doing something I'm only able to do because of the horse. Justin Dunn
To many, the words love, hope, and dreams are synonymous with horses. Oliver Wendell Holmes
My horses are my friends, not my slaves. Reiner Klimke
Far back, far back in our dark soul the horse prances. D. H. Lawrence
Young men have often been ruined through owning horses, or through backing horses, but never through riding them, unless of course they break their necks, which, taken at a gallop, is a very good death to die. Sir Winston Churchill
There are only two emotions that belong in the saddle, one is a sense of humor and the other is patience. John Lyons
Every single movement of Florian's revealed nobility, grace, significance, and distinction all in one; and in each of his poses he was the ideal model for a sculptor, the composite of all the equestrian status in history. Felix Salten
There are only two classes in good society in England: the equestrian classes and the neurotic classes. George Bernard Shaw
Eventing has been called the ultimate equestrian challenge... The event horse is the embodiment of courage, speed, dexterity, power, scope, precision, durability, and a resolute will to prevail. The event rider... must be able to elicit from a horse... the willingness to deliver its talents on request, no matter how challenging the obstacle. Gary J. Benson
Working with horses can be a very revealing time for the owner—any fear that was there to start with is greatly magnified. And I don't know anyone who wants the things below the surface of their psyches to be revealed publicly. Surprise! Around the horses, it all comes to the surface. Buck Brannaman
We horsemen live in a little world by ourselves. We live, breathe, and dream horses. We become so wrapped up in horses that we do not understand why everyone cannot understand us. P. T. Albert
Is it the smell of their body as I hug their long neck, / Or the scent only a horse has that I can't forget? / Is it the depth of their eyes as they contentedly rest? / No, it's just being around them that I like the best. Teresa Becker
There comes a point in every rider's life when he wonders if it's all worth it. Then look at the horse, and he realizes—it is. Kelly Stewart
Many professional horsemen scoff at anything that resembles a sentimental relationship between horse and rider. Yet, I have heard these same men admit countless times that horses perform better for some people than others. They're apt to attribute it to anything but what I think it is—love. Walter Farley
The connection between people and horses is both ancient and timeless. Even as equestrian sports and disciplines change and grow, the tie remains secure. Eliza McGraw
As one of the famous d'Inzeo brothers, riders on the Italian jumping team at the Rome Olympics, was quoted as saying, "The mastery of a perfect technique takes a lifetime. Technical mastery is merely sufficient for you to become good; it is not enough to make you great. From excellence to greatness, a man is alone. He must count on imponderables—his own instinctive resources, his character and his secret gifts. They are never the same for two people, not even for brothers. Michael O. Page
What does it take to train a horse? More time than the horse has. Larry Mahan
What is it that makes horses give their rider everything? It can only be a reaction based on mutual trust. Once a horse trusts his partner, he develops and grows; and once a rider has found trust in his horse's abilities, he can develop the confidence needed to achieve special accomplishments. Elizabeth Furst
Horse shows are the one form of competition where it really matters how you play the game, not if you win or lose. Daniel Lenehan
Or if we rode, perhaps she did / Pull sharply at the curb; / But the way in which she slid / From horseback was superb! C. S. Calverley
To be an equestrian in the classical sense is not to be just a rider. It is a position in life. It is a stance we take in relation to life. We must make a choice between self-love, the promotion of our own well-being of our ego, and love for the horse. That is the fundamental attitudinal decision that earned Xenophon the title Father of Classical Dressage: he dared to love a horse! Charles de Kunffy
Take time with your horse; connecting will help you both. Debbie Disbrow
Some people doubt us, but we are strong. We can do anything we put our minds to. We do one of the hardest sports. We are Equestrians. Carmen Lopez
A canter is a cure for every evil. Benjamin Disraeli
Sit tall in the saddle; keep your head up high. Keep your eyes fixed where the trail meets the sky. Chris LeDoux
"Equestrian," by the by, that's the gayest word in the English language. As a matter of fact, I thought "Brokeback Mountain" should have been called "Two Equestrians." Lewis Black
Relentless equestrian / Majestic hammer / Arrow piercing / Onwards aggressor! / Deadly progress / Rotten potency / Dying majesty / Flawless victory! Jon Davis; Chris Fielding; Rich Lewis
If you learn what the horse’s strengths and weaknesses are, you can make the weaknesses more invisible and exaggerate the strengths. Harrie Smolders
The people who believe equestrian activities are not a sport are generally the same people who think those that play football, basketball and baseball are the end all athletes. To them I counter that those other sports are actually games that you play with a ball, while our "ball" weighs 1,200 pounds and has a mind of its own. And ask a pentathlete which of the 5 sports (riding, running, fencing, swimming and shooting) they find most difficult. Kim Cronenwett
The equestrian sports speak for themselves! Equestrians transform 1200-pound animals into tremendous athletes. Does galloping over miles in a matter of minutes, soaring over six-foot fences, and making a horse dance in unimaginable ways sound easy? Absolutely not! Samantha Baker