and if you knew my mother, your heart would have stopped... even though it typically wasn't that bad. ;)

It's been a little over a year since I've spent any time near a horse, and it's been well over a year since I've ridden. I spent 9 years riding horses, and probably nearly 4 teaching lessons. I never managed to own a horse, though. And it's been too long. I miss the animals. There's something special about them. Something about an animal that size looking you in the eye, and saying "I trust you." Working with an animal that size, feeling you move together, as one. The best times in my life have been with horses, and not always when I was riding. It's a wonderful feeling to walk out in a field of 30 horses, knowing them all by sight, knowing personalities, friendships, the pecking order. When one decides to follow you around the field, just because he thinks of you as a friend. I never took food with me into the field.

I would love to be able to make friends with a herd again. I feel so at home with horses, so safe. I don't feel judged. They're honest, even when they're playing a trick, or trying to lie. They'll go anywhere and do anything for you, if only you ask. I miss them.

Current Mood: thoughtful