1. The Intro Horse.
We each came into horses in our own way, but it was always with a horse leading us. This might have been a friend’s first pony, or perhaps it was a draft horse on a farm you once visited It might have been a real-life meeting, or an imaginary one. I was escorted to the party by The Black, Walter Farley’s star horse in The Black Stallion series…
This was extremely hard. There were two that I loved. First, I love The Black Stallion. I remember watching it with my mom and thinking, "wow. I'd love to be that little boy." However, I still came back to Spirit. Kinda odd because I was a little older when I watched it, but even though it's a cartoon, it struck me. :) I loved the relationship between Rain and Little Creek and I knew I wanted that!!
2. The Experimental Horse
Once you had crossed the line between “Darn, they’re big!” and “Wow! Can I try that?” you found yourself face-to-face with the horse that would suffer through your early attempts at figuring out the whole horse experience … wherever this horse came from, he probably didn’t benefit from the encounter as much as you did…
Barbie. Albeit, she was a good 30 inches tall. But man, that horse had spunk. If anyone ever dares to say the bond, relationship, training, whatever, is easier with a mini than a large horse, I'd be the first to argue. She was my first horse. She suffered through it, but all in all, we helped each other. She was wild. I helped tame her.
3. The Connected Horse
The first horses we meet don’t really connect with us, nor do we with them. Those are experiences in survival and tests of endurance. The Connected Horse is the first horse you truly bond with. This is the horse that sounds a chord that lives so deep in you that you might never have heard it otherwise…
Red. From the minute I met him, I knew there was something special. On that first ride. I can't even explain it. This horse...he IS my heart horse. Our bond runs deeper than I'd ever imagine it could. This horse has changed my life. He went from a stubborn old mule to a beautiful, willing QH. I won't talk a lot about it considering all of you know our story, but if you want to hear about it, go to the about page. :))
Into each horseperson’s life, a little challenge must fall. You’ll have read that one final training book, bought yourself a clicker and heading rope, and there you’ll stand, arms crossed, assessing the situation as if you actually knew what the situation was. It might be difficult to believe, as you are flying down the aisleway on the losing end of a braided cotton line, but you actually need this horse in your life…
Cowboy. Our bond isn't very amazing, but my is that horse a challenge. He runs at me, rears, bucks, bites, but somewhere along the way, he's beginning to blossom into a horse I can't picture living without. He is by far the greatest challenge. He bucks at blankets, he is wild sometimes, but he's worth it.
There will come a time when you will look at yourself with a cold, appraising eye, and you’ll have to be honest about your continued ability to deal with The Challenger and other difficult horses. At that point, you’ll seek out the horse that will be your soul mate forever… You’ll have bought him the most comfortable, best fitting equipment… Maybe you’ll still go to shows and ride – brilliantly or barely – in the Alzheimer’s class. Maybe you’ll just stay home. Whatever you do, one day you’ll realize that after all the money you spent on animal communicators and trainers, you only had to stop and listen and you would have clearly heard your horse’s thoughts and desires…
I believe this is Red as well, to be honest. He is my connected and heart horse. He is the horse I can't imagine ever living without..He's stressed me to no end. He drives me insane sometimes. But man, I love him. There is NOTHING that could rip me away from him. Nothing!! Ever. No matter how i dread, hopefully years away, he'll turn grey. But I will always be there for him, waiting for him to take his last breath. When he does, I'll be sitting there. Stroking his mane and face like I know he adores. Feeding him treats that would normally make him sick, knowing he deserves the yummy stuff before it happens. I'm crying just thinking about it, to be honest. No matter what. I am his last owner. He is my heart horse.
Ohmygosh, that last picture brought back memories!
ReplyDeleteI remember chasing an imaginary unicorn through the woods near the play ground. My imagination is like a projector that take pictures from my head and pastes them to the world, and I really thought I was after a real unicorn. ;)
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