Horse Quotes: Short, Inspirational, and Some by Famous People

Last updated: May 3, 2022

By: Miles HenryFact Checked

I love reading quotes about horses and sometimes lose myself for hours browsing the internet for gems. I figured others might do the same, so I put together some of my favorites horse quotes to share with you.

From Winston Churchill’s thoughts on how riding horses makes you feel to Shakespeare’s view on the value of a good horse. Horse Quotes and sayings can be deeply moving, meaningful, or funny.

I hope you enjoy these horse quotes as much as I do. They’re all grouped into different categories to make them easy to browse.

Short Inspirational Horse Quotes

It’s hard to deny that a meaningful quote about horses can be inspiring, whether you’re an equestrian or not. Here are some of the best inspirational short quotes from horse-lovers and enthusiasts that will make even those without any interest in riding become horse lovers.

• Show Me Your Horse, and I will Tell You Who You Are! – An English proverb

Explanation – How you approach and interact with horses reflects how you tend to interact with people.

• The Horse is a Mirror to Your Soul and Sometimes You Might not Like What You See in the Mirror – Buck Brannaman

Explanation – A horse reflects your mood, emotions, and even things that you may not be aware of about yourself!

• In Riding a Horse, We Borrow Freedom  – Helen Thompson Wooley

Explanation – A horse is a creature with wings on its feet. It gives us a chance to fly without wings. A horse is born free, while humans are slaves to technology, emotions, and consumerism. A horseback rider gets a taste of that freedom.

• Friendship is Waiting for you at the Barn!

Explanation – This quote is one of my favorites. Your best friend might quarrel or disagree with you, but a horse will never do any of those things. A horse is a great listener as well.

Through his mane and tail, the high wind sings

Venus and Adonis-SHAKESPEARE

Explanation – In this quote, Shakespeare recommends that every person view the world between the ears of a horse. And when riding a horse, the wind literally sings to the rider.

Shakespeare wrote a lot about horses. He took great care to even name the horses in most of his plays. Personalizing the horses makes it evident that horses were one of Shakespeare’s favorite subjects to include in his works. In Richard III, Shakespeare wrote his most famous horse quote: Horse! Horse! My Kingdom for a Horse!

Quotes About Women and Horses

1. Treat a Horse like a Woman and a Woman like a Horse, and they will Both Win for you. – Elizabeth Arden.

We all know about Elizabeth Arden’s cosmetic and fashion pursuits, but not many know that she was the first female horse owner to win the Kentucky Derby. She also loved spending her free time with horses and made this famous quote about women and horses.

It was advice to a man who wanted to know women. She mainly refers to respecting and loving your horse and your woman. Every successful man has a strong woman backing him – it could be his wife, mother, grandmother, or daughter. The same can be said about a Horse. A successful rider always has a strong horse supporting him.

2. Four Things Greater than all Things are Women, and Horses, and Power and War – Rudyard Kipling

This quote is from Kipling’s Ballad of King’s Jest. It talks about a foolish young man whose over-flattery of the Khalifa/king gets him a death sentence instead of winning him accolades. This quote places women high up above all other things, including war and power.

It will definitely ring true for the soldiers who have been away from home for a long time. Next in the order of importance, according to Kipling, come horses – without them, you cannot win a war.

The last stanza of the poem talks about Love being greater than War. Horse lovers may note that Kipling mentions ponies and bales of hay several times in the ballad.

Every Man has a secret ambition-to outsmart horses, fish, and women

mark twain

Mark Twain’s quotes often display his love for horses, fishing, and women. Here we see that he believes all three to be wiser than the average man!

Quotes on The Love of Horses

These insightful sayings from people who love horses have a brilliant way to capture the beauty, gracefulness, strength, nobility, and power of horses.

1. Horses aren’t a hobby you pick up and sit back down. They are a love that lasts a lifetime.
2. The wind of heaven is that which blows through a horse’s ears.
3. Horses don’t care how rich we are. They don’t care how tall, short, pretty, ugly, we are. They live in the moment and so long as we treat them with love and kindness, they return this love and affection.
4. The Horse: here is nobility without conceit, friendship without envy, beauty without vanity, a wiling servant yet never a slave. – Ronald Duncan.
5. A great horse will change your life. The truly special ones define it.
6. Horses carry the wisdom of healing in their hearts and offer it to any human who has the humility to listen.
7. People say it is just a horse. That horse is my teacher, a best friend, and one of the best things that have happened to me. That horse is my life, my love, my soul mate.  No matter what, it is not just a horse. That horse is a part of me and made me who I am today.
8. A good horse resembles a superior man – Chinese proverb
9. A man mounted on his horse is twice the man he is on the ground – Diana Vreeland.
10. There is no better place to heal a broken heart than on the back of a horse.

Short Funny Horse Quotes

1. The hardest thing about learning to ride is the ground.
2. If you believe horses don’t know how to count, put three carrots in your pocket and offer it only two!
3. “Yes, I weigh a 1000 lb. and am afraid of a plastic bag!”
4. May the Horse Be With You!
5. Be wary of the horse with a sense of humor – Pam Brown.

What did Winston Churchill Say About Horses?

Winston Churchill’s quotes on horses are famous, here are my favorites:

1. No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle.
2. There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.
3. When you are on a great horse, you have the best seat you will ever have.
4. Some people view private enterprise as a predatory tiger to be shot. Others look on it as a cow they can milk. Not enough people see it as a healthy horse pulling a sturdy wagon. (This one isn’t precisely about horses as much as it is about private enterprise. But you can see the great man’s love for horses in it, nevertheless).
5. The substitution of the internal combustion engine for a horse marked a very gloomy milestone in the progress of mankind.

Horse Sayings

1. Your horse is the direct result of the time and effort you put into him.
2. Don’t ask your horse to perform beyond YOUR capacity. It is more often you that needs the lesson. – Gavin Chaplin.
3. She’s not just a horse – she is my therapist, pride, happiness, best friend.
4. Hoof beats and heartbeats – is there any difference between the two?
5. I can make a general in five minutes but a good horse is hard to replace. – Abraham Lincoln.

Conclusion

From the earliest times, horses have been the symbol of strength and beauty, not to mention wisdom. They’ve touched human hearts even before the first saddle was made.

I hope you loved some or all of the quotes above. (And while you are here, don’t forget to check out my post on Old Horse Sayings!)

Below is a YouTube video with inspirational horse quotes, I hope you enjoy them.