Now that society is talking more about various mental illnesses and acknowledging them better, sometimes it’s surprising to still hear people dismissing them or making snarky comments about them. There is nothing wrong with not knowing about a certain condition, but to discard one’s mental health illness, trauma or phobia seems to be outright wrong. Reddit user @u/Melodic_Star1697 decided to share her experience of struggling with equinophobia or hippophobia, also known as a fear of horses. Those who struggle from this phobia very often can’t ride horses or even be near them, look at videos or images portraying these animals, and listen to sounds that they make. So the author of the posts decided to reveal the situation that caused her to overthink her phobia even more. The 29-year-old woman also revealed that she has a 4-year-old daughter, Tanya, who becomes very relevant to the story.

More Info: Reddit

A lot of people in the world suffer from various phobias that are less heard of or have fears that sometimes are hard to explain

Image credits: Carlos Ebert ( not the actual image)

The author of the post started her story by revealing that when she was just 8 years old, she was attacked by a horse and since then, despite for her love for animals, she can’t be around horses anymore. She added that a lot of people in her life call it a “phobia,” even though it is actually more reminiscent of a trauma. How is trauma different than a phobia? It’s suggested that a phobia is an irrational fear of something, whereas trauma is triggered by horrible past events (accidents, assaults, disasters, etc.) So because of this reason, the woman decided not to get involved with horses.

29-year-old woman decided to share her experience of having a fear of horses and how she found herself in an uncomfortable situation that involved her best friend

Image credits: u/Melodic_Star1697

Despite of her having a horse phobia, she became best friends with Eliza, who just adores them

Image credits: u/Melodic_Star1697

The only thing, and a crucial detail in this story, is that her best friend Eliza’s life very much revolves around horses. Since high school, she has been very into horses and stayed that way up until adulthood, where now she even owns her own horses. The author of the post shared that despite her phobia, she has never minded that her friend is into something that she is very much afraid of. In the end, it isn’t the only thing that they could bond through.

The author of the story has a 4-year-old that she sometimes leaves with her her best friend Eliza

Image credits: u/Melodic_Star1697

This one particular time, Eliza decided to take Tanya to see horses and even sat her down on one of them, but failed to mention this to the girl’s mom

Image credits: u/Melodic_Star1697

OP shared that Eliza also has a daughter that is of similar age and they have a nice relationship. So when the author of the post asked her friend if she could babysit Tanya so she and her significant other could go to a wedding, Eliza was quick to agree. Tanya’s mom paid for the babysitting and also gave her some money for them all to order takeout. 

Little Tanya was very happy about the whole interaction with the horse, however, her mom found this situation uncomfortable and unacceptable

Image credits: Adam Korbuly (not the actual image )

The whole debacle started when OP was returning home after the wedding and had already picked up her daughter from Eliza’s. While the girl was talking about her stay, she mentioned a few things that made her mom uncomfortable. Tanya shared that while staying with Eliza, she “fed the horsey some apples,” and what seemed even worse, she “sat on a horsey.” This didn’t sit well with the mom, so she called her friend and asked what her daughter meant by saying this. At first, Eliza stated that she didn’t know what the girl was talking about, but soon admitted that she took her to see horses and even put her on one.

Once the woman confronted her friend about her daughter seeing the horses, the argument ensued as Eliza blamed her friend for overreacting and passing her phobias onto her daughter

Image credits: u/Melodic_Star1697

Eliza was quick to assure that everything was done safely and that she knows her horses, so nothing bad could happen. However, having in mind OP’s phobia, she wasn’t happy with the situation and got quite mad at her friend for not checking with her first. She was then blamed for overreacting and even passing her own fears to her daughter. But the woman explained what concerned her the most: first of all, she wasn’t sure if her friend put a helmet on Tanya, as she hardly wears it herself. Secondly, the woman felt betrayed as her friend first lied about the whole thing by saying that she didn’t understand what her daughter was talking about.

However, after their argument, the author of the post started doubting herself and so she asked people online if she really was wrong in this situation

Image credits: u/Melodic_Star1697

Because of feeling confused by her own reaction and those around her, the author of the post asked others online if she was really taking all of this too seriously. A lot of Reddit community members agreed with the woman, saying that despite her having the phobia or not, it’s not okay to take a kid to such an activity without consulting the parent first. Even those who ride horses themselves provided some valid points about how unsafe horseback riding sometimes can get. Of course, there were a few commentators who felt that the woman is actually pushing her phobia onto her daughter. What was also discussed was that this situation could’ve been solved by both women communicating more openly with each other. What is your take on this situation? Don’t forget to leave your thoughts in the comments down below!

OP provided others online with some extra information that revealed that Eliza rarely wears a helmet when riding a horse, which seemed very concerning

Image credits: u/Melodic_Star1697

Image credits: Familjen Helsingborg (not the actual image )

Those who don’t have phobias or have never seen person struggling with one might not understand how this really affects one’s life. According to Vantage Point Recovery, a mental health disorder treatment center, those who are “exposed” to their phobia can experience symptoms such as sweatiness or trembling, nausea, breathing difficulties, dizziness, and even increased heart rate.

Why should equinophobia, and other phobias in general, not be dismissed or left uncured? If these severe symptoms mentioned before are ignored, they might cause panic attacks, social isolation, and depression that can lead to substance abuse. Very often, people who suffer from some kind of phobia tend to stay away from sources that might provoke it. So, for example, if you’re afraid of spiders and you see one in your house, it might become difficult to stay there or do common activities just because your mind is constantly occupied with the thoughts of seeing a spider.

Users online supported the author of the post as some of them thought that despite her phobia, it’s not right to take someone’s kid and expose them to possible dangers in the horse-riding field

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