Julie, I did read the HSP book by Aron and it was one of those "ah hah" moments. Helped me feel better about all the times I've had to take a time out from family get togethers. Unfortunately, my husband's family just thinks I'm antisocial or don't like them.

I'm not sure how to describe the sound and smell of horses. There's the screech they make when they're trying to establish pecking order and warn someone to back off, or the soft, rolling nicker they make when you open the grain bucket, or the clicking of hooves on black top or wood bridges, the crunching of leaves when you ride through the woods, or the hard snorting blowing they do when they smell or hear something that puts them on alert (I wish I had a recording of that one because it's pretty cool sounding, kind of like they're trying to scare whatever it is away, not so cool though when you're riding them), oh, and the kind of lip flapping sound they make after they roll on the ground, umph and groan their way back to their feet, then shake themselves off from head to hoof (that's where the lip flapping sound comes in). Smell is just that warm, earthy smell all animals seem to have. When I was little, I wouldn't let my mom wash my clothes after I'd been riding and I wouldn't wash my hands because I wanted to keep that smell close to me for as long as I could. Now manure, that's a whole other story, but I even like that smell.