Hidden Horse Power
What do horses think in their quietest moments?
Would they tell us if they could speak?
I’m not sure that they would. I think one of the horse’s greatest powers is to require us to look inside ourselves for the answers to the questions we find ourselves asking. I’ve heard people say that horses mirror human emotions but the more I think about my life with horses, I’m not sure that’s completely accurate. I’ll get back to that thought…
I am starting to wonder if horses simply accept their current state for what it is & look out at every new day as simply another day to experience, whatever may come from it…So what makes me wonder such a thing?
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Last night began a big step forward for a horse in my care. No one looking at him casually would think there’s much to be concerned about as a caretaker- he’s a beautiful big horse with a slick & shiny ebony coat & an undeniable expression of kindness on his face every time he looks your way. We knew, only because of our recent education in the anatomy of the horse’s “foot,” that there were several potential concerns for his long term use as a riding horse & limiting factors for his use in sport if we didn’t take action soon.
So we pulled off his shoes- the first day he was a little sore walking across ground harder than the earth in his paddock, totally to be expected. Day by day the tenderness subsided. Last night, as we had Sinatra trimmed & re-shod with x-ray guided precision & materials as comparable to nature as currently humanly possible to produce, he showed us his level of pain. No one watching will ever again question a horse’s level of acceptance for what he must become used to. Only when asked to balance with one front foot lifted as we waited for glue to cure in the cold & damp Memphis winter, did he show us how much his feet hurt. It takes a lot for a horse to show he’s hurting, but it also takes a lot to show a horse that he doesn’t have to expect pain again.
That’s our work, as Sinatra’s team, from here on out. We must show him & all the horses & humans that we have the privilege to work with that what is learned in the past does not predict the future. Small changes & big changes- they are all important, but what’s most important is looking inside ourselves, as humans, to see where we have the power to go from here.
Humans with the experience of learning from horses are capable of realizing so much more because of the horse power the animals pass on to them. Horse power is understanding, acceptance & the belief that every day is one to treasure- good, bad or ugly. We should all thank our lucky stars that even in the mud & cold, heat & flies, & long days, that in the early mornings, we get to walk into the stable & hear the horses nicker a good morning to us, because they truly believe that every one is a good morning.
They refuse to start the day mirroring us with a bad mood or a lack of energy. God bless horses for that!
