--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You know, for a while there we kept…" description: "\"“You know, for a while there we kept horses for the boys, and we had a mare that had broken down. Couldn't ride it... You could feed it and brush it an..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c1/tom-mcneal-29264_caring_you-know-for-a-while-there-we-kept-horse_1483636.jpg" --- # You know, for a while there we kept horses for the boys… ![“You know, for a while there we kept horses for the boys, and we had a mare that had broken down. Couldn't ride it... You could feed it and brush it and water it and all. Sometimes, I've thought that's what most marriages get to. A horse you still care a little about but cannot any longer ride.” quote by Tom McNeal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c1/tom-mcneal-29264_caring_you-know-for-a-while-there-we-kept-horse_1483636.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c1/tom-mcneal-29264_caring_you-know-for-a-while-there-we-kept-horse_1483636.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c1/tom-mcneal-29264_caring_you-know-for-a-while-there-we-kept-horse_1483636.jpg) > ““You know, for a while there we kept horses for the boys, and we had a mare that had broken down. Couldn't ride it... You could feed it and brush it and water it and all. Sometimes, I've thought that's what most marriages get to. A horse you still care a little about but cannot any longer ride.”” [Tom McNeal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-mcneal/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Marriage can become like a once‑vibrant horse—still loved but no longer functional, reflecting neglect and loss of intimacy. **In simple terms:** A marriage may feel like a broken horse you still care for. Key Takeaway Recognize and address relational decline early. Themes marriage neglect intimacy relationships Mood sad reflective Type advice observational When to use this quote - couples counseling - relationship check‑ins - reconnecting activities - seeking therapy Key Concepts attachment theory relationship decay emotional labor Questions to Reflect On - What signs indicate a relationship is losing vitality? - How can partners restore mutual fulfillment? A Different Perspective If both partners ignore the signs, the relationship may deteriorate beyond repair. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Caring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caring/) [Divorce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divorce/) [Horse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horse/) [Horse Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horse-care-5412406/) [Horses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horses/) [Kept Horses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kept-horses-5412405/) [Mare Broken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mare-broken-5412407/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Marriages Horse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriages-horse-5412404/) [Separation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/separation/) ## Related quotes > [“ Peter! Were you looking for a horse-shoe?" "No; I was expecting the horse, but the shoe is a piece of pure, gorgeous luck."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/peter-were-you-looking-for-a-horse-shoe-no-i-was-expecting-the-horse/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [Americans don't eat horses. They are not raised as food animals and they are treated with chemicals that render them unsafe for consumption. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-nelson/americans-don-t-eat-horses-they-are-not-raised-as-food-animals-and/) [Willie Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-nelson/) > [I didn't want to do anything but ride horses until I was, like, 15.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-cyrus/i-didn-t-want-to-do-anything-but-ride-horses-until-i-was-like-15/) [Noah Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-cyrus/) > [I cannot imagine my life without horses. They have been my teachers, my friends, my business partners and my entertainment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monty-roberts/i-cannot-imagine-my-life-without-horses-they-have-been-my-teachers-my/) [Monty Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monty-roberts/) > [My parents wanted me to grow up around horses and open spaces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/schuyler-fisk/my-parents-wanted-me-to-grow-up-around-horses-and-open-spaces/) [Schuyler Fisk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/schuyler-fisk/) > [I grew up riding horses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lainey-wilson/i-grew-up-riding-horses/) [Lainey Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lainey-wilson/) > [I ride horses, I love horses, I've owned horses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brosnan/i-ride-horses-i-love-horses-i-ve-owned-horses/) [Pierce Brosnan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brosnan/) > [“They were rocking back and forth, dancing to the tune of death. They were not shadows he realised, they were large animals.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-craig/they-were-rocking-back-and-forth-dancing-to-the-tune-of-death-they/) [Stephen Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-craig/) > [You can't ride two horses with one behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/you-can-t-ride-two-horses-with-one-behind/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [“Horses respond in a myriad of ways but I find, like children, if you can break them down fast to a place where they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-burgundy/horses-respond-in-a-myriad-of-ways-but-i-find-like-children-if-you/) [Ron Burgundy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-burgundy/) > [I asked for a horse for Christmas, and I got one! It's an adult horse. I didn't want a 5-year-old, which is a teenager…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-harrison/i-asked-for-a-horse-for-christmas-and-i-got-one-it-s-an-adult-horse-i/) [Rick Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-harrison/) > [It happens to everybody, horses, dogs, men. Nobody gets out of life alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-happens-to-everybody-horses-dogs-men-nobody-gets-out-of-life-alive/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“If wishes were horses mine would be glue -”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-fisher/if-wishes-were-horses-mine-would-be-glue/) [Carrie Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-fisher/) > [I loved horses and horse books as a child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-rosoff/i-loved-horses-and-horse-books-as-a-child/) [Meg Rosoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-rosoff/) > [There's so many things I'm dying to do. I wanna do a movie with horses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bethany-joy-lenz/there-s-so-many-things-i-m-dying-to-do-i-wanna-do-a-movie-with-horses/) [Bethany Joy Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bethany-joy-lenz/) ## More by Tom McNeal > [“Even as Camille's beauty and precocity took form, when pride alone might have nurtured proprietary feelings, she never seemed quite the child Judith was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-mcneal/even-as-camille-s-beauty-and-precocity-took-form-when-pride-alone/) [Tom McNeal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-mcneal/) > [“I am sure one of those things we are here for is to make certain that those whom we love fall asleep each night…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-mcneal/i-am-sure-one-of-those-things-we-are-here-for-is-to-make-certain-that/) [Tom McNeal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-mcneal/) > [“She was surprised at how deflating his presence was.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-mcneal/she-was-surprised-at-how-deflating-his-presence-was/) [Tom McNeal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-mcneal/) > [“He says that all that happens when you go far, far away is that you discover you've brought yourself along.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-mcneal/he-says-that-all-that-happens-when-you-go-far-far-away-is-that-you/) [Tom McNeal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-mcneal/) > [“If we were honest about it, our lives are all fiascoes. There really isn’t anything of importance except maybe who gets handed your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-mcneal/if-we-were-honest-about-it-our-lives-are-all-fiascoes-there-really/) [Tom McNeal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-mcneal/) > [“Well, it’s all a kind of puzzle, isn’t it? You start out with your own little set of pieces you’re trying to fit together,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-mcneal/well-it-s-all-a-kind-of-puzzle-isn-t-it-you-start-out-with-your-own/) [Tom McNeal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-mcneal/) > [“I'm saying she looks fine on the outside, but inside is somebody who's going to need a man a lot more than he's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-mcneal/i-m-saying-she-looks-fine-on-the-outside-but-inside-is-somebody-who-s/) [Tom McNeal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-mcneal/) > [“Sometimes I think the cover of a book as a door to another world...but other times I think of it as an escape hatch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-mcneal/sometimes-i-think-the-cover-of-a-book-as-a-door-to-another-world-but/) [Tom McNeal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-mcneal/) > [“It's like picking the place you're going to live for the next fifty years by using a wall map, a blindfold, and what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-mcneal/it-s-like-picking-the-place-you-re-going-to-live-for-the-next-fifty/) [Tom McNeal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-mcneal/) > [“When my nephew passed beyond, Wilhelm comforted himself that a child in his innocence would be delivered speedily to heaven, and there be given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-mcneal/when-my-nephew-passed-beyond-wilhelm-comforted-himself-that-a-child/) [Tom McNeal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-mcneal/) > [“He turned toward my voice. "Am I well?" His mocking tone was unmistakable. "Am I well? Why can't you just talk like everyone else?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-mcneal/he-turned-toward-my-voice-am-i-well-his-mocking-tone-was-unmistakable/) [Tom McNeal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-mcneal/) > [“Here’s the thing, Judy. Here’s the thing we have to look at and accept. For you, I was a chapter—a good chapter, maybe, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-mcneal/here-s-the-thing-judy-here-s-the-thing-we-have-to-look-at-and-accept/) [Tom McNeal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-mcneal/) > [“It was as Ginger's grandfather had said. It did not matter how far you go, you always take yourself with you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-mcneal/it-was-as-ginger-s-grandfather-had-said-it-did-not-matter-how-far-you/) [Tom McNeal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-mcneal/) > [“It is the first shower that wets." "Marriage is like picking the place where you're going to live for the next fifty years by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-mcneal/it-is-the-first-shower-that-wets-marriage-is-like-picking-the-place/) [Tom McNeal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-mcneal/) > [“Adolescence is a skin we never quite shed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-mcneal/adolescence-is-a-skin-we-never-quite-shed/) [Tom McNeal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-mcneal/) [Explore all 18 Tom McNeal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-mcneal/) ## More Caring quotes > [There are a number of qualities which are important for mental peace, but from the little experience I have, I believe that one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/there-are-a-number-of-qualities-which-are-important-for-mental-peace/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [There is nothing about myself that I wouldn't reveal or write about. I don't care how horrendous or ridiculous I may appear in person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/there-is-nothing-about-myself-that-i-wouldn-t-reveal-or-write-about-i/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [Forgive yourself for not being the richest, the thinnest, the tallest, the one with the best hair. Forgive yourself for not being the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/forgive-yourself-for-not-being-the-richest-the-thinnest-the-tallest/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [But victimhood was seductive, a release from responsibility and caring. Fear would be transmuted into weary resignation; failure would no longer generate guilt but,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/but-victimhood-was-seductive-a-release-from-responsibility-and-caring/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [A happy family needs a loving and caring father, and he who knows how to be a mother sometimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-happy-family-needs-a-loving-and-caring-father-and-he-who-knows-how/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Show your contempt for the problem and your concern for the person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/show-your-contempt-for-the-problem-and-your-concern-for-the-person/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [Just remember that when nobody was there for you, I was. And when nobody else gave a damn, I did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/just-remember-that-when-nobody-was-there-for-you-i-was-and-when/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Without a vision there is no possibility of creating something larger than what al-ready exists. An entrepreneur has to be able to bring something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/without-a-vision-there-is-no-possibility-of-creating-something-larger/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) > [Hmmm! life zz about caring the life that u have as the rest of the things are of secondary value tc n ks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sardar-hyder-abbas/hmmm-life-zz-about-caring-the-life-that-u-have-as-the-rest-of-the/) [Sardar Hyder Abbas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sardar-hyder-abbas/) > [You can't make someone love you, all you can do is be someone who can be loved ,the rest is up to the person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-can-t-make-someone-love-you-all-you-can-do-is-be-someone-who-can/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The terrorists-those nineteen people, with hundreds or maybe thousands behind them-did the worst thing you can possibly imagine. But tens of millions people did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/the-terrorists-those-nineteen-people-with-hundreds-or-maybe-thousands/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [When you're 20 you care what everyone thinks, when you're 40 you stop caring what everyone thinks, when you're 60 you realize no one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/when-you-re-20-you-care-what-everyone-thinks-when-you-re-40-you-stop/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [“English: "Being an adult doesn't mean killing the child we once were; it means being able to protect him." Česky: „Být dospělým neznamená zabít…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebasti-n-wortys/english-being-an-adult-doesn-t-mean-killing-the-child-we-once-were-it/) [Sebastián Wortys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebasti-n-wortys/) > [“As you travel along the roads in life, there is a certain kind of peace that comes with knowing you're on the right path.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amaka-nkosazana/as-you-travel-along-the-roads-in-life-there-is-a-certain-kind-of/) [Amaka Nkosazana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amaka-nkosazana/) > [“I am sick with caring.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-am-sick-with-caring/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) [Browse all 2,651 Caring quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caring/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“You know, for a while there we kept horses for the boys, and we had a mare that had broken down. Couldn't ride it... You could feed it and brush it and water it and all. Sometimes, I've thought that's what most marriages get to. A horse you still care a little about but cannot any longer ride.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tom McNeal" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-mcneal/you-know-for-a-while-there-we-kept-horses-for-the-boys-and-we-had-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Caring" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-mcneal/you-know-for-a-while-there-we-kept-horses-for-the-boys-and-we-had-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c1/tom-mcneal-29264_caring_you-know-for-a-while-there-we-kept-horse_1483636.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c1/tom-mcneal-29264_caring_you-know-for-a-while-there-we-kept-horse_1483636.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c1/tom-mcneal-29264_caring_you-know-for-a-while-there-we-kept-horse_1483636.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You know, for a while there we kept horses for the boys, and we had a mare that had broken down. Couldn't…” — Tom McNeal", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Tom McNeal", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-mcneal/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“You know, for a while there...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-mcneal/you-know-for-a-while-there-we-kept-horses-for-the-boys-and-we-had-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-mcneal/you-know-for-a-while-there-we-kept-horses-for-the-boys-and-we-had-a/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```