I Belong to a Horse

I bought adopted belong to a horse named Rocky. Seven months ago, I knew practically nothing about horses. I've always loved them - lived my childhood in many western novels, dreamed of riding them, admired them - but a horse isn't an animal you can just go to the pound, pick out, buy a collar for, and take home. You have to know what you're doing first. And thanks to the very dear friends whom God brought into my life, I've learned enough about horses to have one of my own.

But the story I want to tell you isn't about my journey from February to September. The story I want to tell you is about the beginning of a love affair. With Rocky, with horses, with a way of life.

"The Horse: Here is nobility without conceit, friendship without envy, beauty without vanity, a willing servant, yet no slave."

I read these words over and over growing up; they rest below a picture of running horses.This still hangs in my childhood home to this day.

But I didn't truly understand those words until I fell in love with a horse named Rocky. He is still a baby...only two and half years old. A Dunn colored Quarter horse who loves to be scratched on the neck and under the chin, and bites his tongue when I ride him. He gives you kisses and tucks his nose into you so you can hug him. He is beautiful, and he's a horse with heart.

"He doth nothing but talk of his horse."

This is quickly becoming a true statement about me. Perhaps because its all so new, perhaps because he and I are still in the 'getting to know each other phase'. Or maybe because I'm in love. Don't you remember that feeling of first being in love? Of talking about the person all the time? Of wanting to tell the world about the one you love? It's kinda like that. Except with a horse.

"Horse, thou art truly a creature without equal, for thou flies without wings and conquers without sword."

A photograph that hangs in my home...

"Riding is a complicated joy. You learn something each time. It is never quite the same, and you never know it all."

I've come a long way since February, but I still have so much to learn. And I do, I learn something new every time I ride. But I've also learned that no matter how much general knowledge you have about horses, each horse is different and you have to learn the intricacies of that horse. Which means that no matter how much you know, or how long you've been riding horses, a new horse offers you the opportunity to learn something new.

“To ride a horse is to ride the sky.”

"In riding a horse, we borrow freedom."

There's nothing quite like the feel of being on the back of a horse - its a natural high. Not simply because of the power beneath you, but because of the life a horse leads you into. A life lived outdoors - in God's country - and a life lived at a slower pace. A life where you take the time to look around you, to be aware and appreciate the beauty of the surroundings around you. A life where getting a little lost simply means more time on a horse. A life that makes you ache for times gone by - for life 150 years ago and the simplicity that life offered then. But this life - this freedom - comes through a relationship of mutual trust and respect.

A painting hanging in my Grandma's cabin...

"Yet when all the books have been read and reread, it boils down to the horse, his human companion, and what goes on between them."

You can't tell a horse you know what you're doing, you have to show them. You can't communicate through words that you respect your horse, you have to prove it.

“All I pay my psychiatrist is the cost of feed and hay, and he'll listen to me any day.”

Horses understand actions, and simple commands. They can't talk, can't converse...yet still we talk to them. Because they offer what a good shrink does - a unbiased, non-judgmental listening ear. I wonder if the sound of our voice is as comforting to them as their presence is to us.

"There are only two emotions that belong in the saddle; one is a sense of humor, and the other is patience."

Horses are extremely perceptive of your emotions, of your decision-making and leadership skills, and of your level of confidence. Horses each have their own personality, and they make me laugh. I've also learned that humor leads to patience. Training moments don't have to be frustrating if you first find the humor, take the time to understand the fear or hesitance, and then work patiently through the situation. If you are frustrated, your horse knows it. And they don't respond as well. Horses have fears, just like we do. Some are rational, some irrational, some they anticipate, some they smell, some catch them (and you) off guard. But they are fears just the same. And like children, it takes the parent, or rider, to help calm and educate their fear.

“Feeling down?  Saddle up.”

The second your foot hits the stirrup, a bad day - a bad mood - can simply disappear. But again, it isn't simply the horse that offers this - it's the way of life. When you are on a horse, you are either riding or training in solitude - which means you have quiet time to think and eliminate the noise of life - or you are riding with a good friend - which also has a way of lifting your mood.

 "The wind of heaven is that which blows between a horse's ears."

God, are there horses in heaven? Please, please say yes! Because the joy that comes from riding a horse is something I would love to have for all eternity.