I don’t own a horse, but I wish I did.
Midnight nuzzling his friend
I grew up with two horses. Starbuck was a very old and quiet mare who Mum bought when I was about five, so I could learn to ride. She had a blaze down her nose, was more dark brown than chestnut and had a serious mean streak if she didn’t get her snack, which was an apple.
I can remember the excitement when somehow, Starbuck got in foal – I’m still pondering how this eventuated, nearly thirty years on, as far as I knew there were no other horses for miles.
Anyhow, she became pregnant and had a gorgeous little chestnut foal we called Honey – she was just that, the colour of honey.
When Starbuck died, Mum bought another horse; Bonnie was an ex-trotter who could trot so damn fast you almost needed to stay in the air, because sitting in the saddle was a near on impossibility! Bonnie came a two-fer. “You buy Bonnie, but you have to take this little Welsh Mountain Pony, called Sooty, who bites, kicks and is generally a pain in the arse!”
My sister and I loved those three horses like nothing.
Midnight
Horses smell like hay, their noses are so velvety and smooth and when they gently blow their breath out it’s like a sweet summer breeze on your face.
My kids haven’t had the opportunity to learn to ride, like I did but a neighbor of our’s gave them the chance to sit on their horses last week. As soon as I touched Midnight, everything I love about horses came rushing back.
Hayden having a ride!
You know, they aren’t really any different to dogs in their loyalty, companionship and understanding of us humans. You can have an amazing friendship with a horse, which in turn can give a child without confidence the ability to soar because someone loves them unconditionally.
Getting to know each other
My kids are currently messing with their two horses in our houseyard. The yard is therefore a complete mess, toes bruised from accidental toe v hoof encounters. Happiness abounds however. There is SOMETHING about horses that no motorbike can ever replace.
🙂
BB
Couldn’t agree more. There is something about a horse that is very good for the soul …
Couldn’t agree more. I have a horse named Bart (yes after that TV character) He channels him at times is cheeky as his namesake but is the biggest smoocher and is very protective of me. He is also a lean mean carrot machine. Can not believe he is 23. I have loved horses all my life but had to wait until I was an adult to have my own. My folks did not have much money but let me have some horse riding lessons when I was 10 and allowed me to do horse ridding for my school sport. I had an after school job and that paid for the horse ridding. as Jennifer says there is something about a horse that is great for the soul. I have used Bart for work over the years from time to time and he became used to hand held computers connected to a GPS hanging of him as we undertook some mapping and the occasional ring of the mobile phone in the saddle blanket. I have been privilaged to spend a week on horse back undertaking wolf and bear research in the back country of the Canadian Rockies where you feel as if you could be the only people on earth. There is nothing like the love and companionship of a horse
Hi Lyn. it sounds as if you really get what I was trying to portray here. The Canadian Rocky things sounds amazing!