Katrina, I'm with you! Horses are VERY important to me, though I have had to give up riding because of knee problems. I would never give up the horses though, and hope to get back to being able to ride.
I have come to the concllusion one of the reason why Pat Parelli's instruction is so popular is because it gives folks something to do with their horse, whether they ride them or not. Just my opinion, but I think it is fairly sound.