Saturday, November 14, 2009

Those Lovely Horses



I have always loved horses. Their smell, their wild spirits and mild yet fiesty hearts, their strength and power. Their grace and beauty and stubborn love. Even as a girl, some of my favorite films have always been Tonka and Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken. Pegasus, unicorns, My Little Ponies, Arabians, Pintos, Mustangs... doesn't matter, I love them all.


Once, while horse back riding with friends on a narrow canyon trail, I thought of their powerful bodies trotting over those little rocks and how vulnerable we were to a tiny little slip of a twisted ankle...





Another time, a wild horse named "A Horse With No Name" (a stubborn old lady), she took me for a wild ride through brush, down a hill side and off to chase some old cows. I definatly held on for the ride and sheilded my face from low thorny branches. I came out of the forest, clothing in shreds, hair a mess, a bloody lip, black eyes, scratches covering my face and arms and sticks in my hair, but boy... did I love that horse!







I believe that was the last time I went horse back riding, yet how I have yearned to go again. Every time I see THIS VIDEO of the 100 horses being rescued from the flooding island in the Netherlands, I cry. The score (Vangelis- Conquest of Paradise) has something to do with, I'm sure. I also have a hard time with the forced spectator horse fighting and treatment and conditions of city carraige horses as well.




I truly had a hard time picking which horse images to choose for this post. Knowing that this magnificant creature is still out there, working, grazing, running in the sun, nuzzling up to a mate or a wee one, I feel as if a part of their spirit is captured in the photo and I wouldn't want to hurt their feelings by not including it. Truly, I want to gently rub down their noses and softly sing them a song. But that is crazy talk, isn't it.






margo love



Then, I heard about Molly, an abandoned victim of Huricane Katrina. She was alone for weeks, and when finally rescued and taken to a shelter for the animals, she was viciously attacked by a pitt bull and lost a leg and her jaw. She was to be euthanized, but her protective and caring demeanor won the caretakers over. Through love and support, she was able to get a prosthetic and now serves as an inspiration and bringerof hope to those in nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, shelters and hospitals with her sweet spirit and loving personality.




alfheiour eria

Thanks to mrs. french's post on sfgirlbybay for reawakening my horse love.

6 comments:

Anne said...

Oh you just plucked all my heart strings at once! I too am a total horse lover. I grew up on movies like Black Beauty, The Black Stallion, Man From Snowy River, National Velvet, just to name a few. I started taking lessons when I was 8 and stayed with it until I was 17 but it's been about that long since I've been on a horse. I miss it terribly.

You're so right, even after a stubborn old mare takes you for a rocky ride, you still adore her and you still want to jump right back on. I got back on an old bay named Magic after she drug me across the paddock with one foot stuck in the stirrup and the rest of my body dragging behind her. I ended up having the wind knocked out of me and a sprained ankle, but I got right back on her. I was determined that she love me. And eventually, she did. I rode her every Saturday morning for 3 years until my family moved away.

I'll always love her.

BTW, those photos are absolute perfection! Ugh, now I think I'll spend my day ambushing pastures for good photos!

vivian said...

Horses are such beautiful creatures. what a great post!
happy sunday!

Little Lovables said...

Anne, I totally forgot all about those movies, How????

Great stories, you def have more horse riding experience than I, that is for sure, but the love is still there whether you've ridden all your life, or never, I think :)

1Aeon said...

neat! love horses!!

Kellie Collis said...

Such beautiful old souls. x

Winchester Manor said...

What a fabulous post and I just adore horses! Your photos are so fabulous and Molly is amazing!!

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