Well, Well, Well… welcome to Vogue’s newest video series where we’re tapping our favorite voices, from cover stars to beauty enthusiasts and health experts, to discuss the wellness trends taking the world (and our social feeds) by storm and explore the serene synergy of body and mind.
“Horses have a strength that is almost hard for humans to understand,” Kendall Jenner tells Vogue of her longtime passion for horseback riding. “Even though I can’t communicate with them directly, I feel that the ones I have cared for have always lent that strength to me.” On an intimate ASMR ride around Ahmanson Ranch on the edge of the San Fernando Valley, she opens up about her firsthand experience with the wellness benefits of a ride and introduces her horse, Arizona (named after the state where she “found him”), for the first time.
“I was probably two when I first sat on a horse, and maybe four when I took my first lesson,” she remembers. After first bonding with a neighbor’s horse, Sweet Pea, she’s now familiar with the health benefits of riding: “It’s studied and widely known that there are very therapeutic aspects to horses in general,” Jenner says of the concept of equine therapy, something that other longtime horse girls like designer Stella McCartney are sharing and discussing. Beyond the physical exercise itself, research shows that equine-adjacent activities can facilitate relief from anxiety and depression and enhance a sense of trust. “It’s very calming, it’s definitely a form of exercise, it’s also a really nice way of getting yourself outside,” says Jenner. “But I think for me specifically, it’s something I did in my childhood that I loved so much, I think as an adult now, doing it almost gives me a sense of feeling like I’m a kid again.”
She compares it to a mind-clearing, idea-generating, endorphin-releasing activity like walking. “I think that there are so many therapeutic aspects to it, just like a walk would for some people,” she says. “If they’re, you know, struggling with an answer or trying to find resolution in something in their life I think a lot of people like going for a walk—for me, it’s like I run to my horses.” Part of that is the therapeutic aspect of getting it all out there in a safe space, with someone who will listen. “When we’re alone, he’s the only person I can talk to,” she says. “Especially with Arizona, if I ever feel overwhelmed or super anxious, which is most of the time, I usually like to run out here and go for a ride.” And like so many wellness phenomenons, she recognizes an intangible-yet-powerful element at play. “There’s something so energetically majestic about horses, and the fact that they allow you into their presence the way they do I think is also really cool,” she says. “It’s hard to put words to in a way, it’s just something you gotta feel.”
Director: Nina Ljeti
Director Of Photography: Tehillah De Castro
Editors: Daniel Poler, Katie Wolford
Senior Producer: Naomi Nishi
Steadicam: Jose Espinoza
1st AC: Michelle Alanis
2nd AC: Andre Sanchez
Audio: Paul Cornett
Color: Oliver Eid
Audio Mix: Nick Cipriano, BANG
Associate Producers: Emebeit Beyene and Lea Donenberg
Production Assistants: Becca Guzman, Matt Kempner
Hair: Cherilyn Farris
Makeup: Diane Buzzetta
Horse Wrangler: Rachel Perlin
Production Coordinator: Ava Kashar
Production Manager: Natasha Soto-Albors
Line Producer: Romeeka Powell
Senior Director, Production Management: Jessica Schier
Assistant Editor: Billy Ward
Post Production Coordinator: Ian Bryant
Supervising Editor: Erica DeLeo
Post Production Supervisor: Alexa Deutsch
Global Talent Casting Director: Ignacio Murillo
Director, Content Production: Rahel Gebreyes
Senior Director, Programming: Linda Gittleson
VP, Digital Video English: Thespena Guatieri
