Howdy Folks,
My tribute to horses --
"Horses
Among Us, Thank God"
It is often said
that throughout history, everywhere man has gone he has been carried upon the
back of a noble horse. They've plowed our fields, carried us into and died with
us in our wars, pulled our wagons and travois laden with treasured possessions
to new lands and pulled our wedding carriages, too. They've run our races,
herded our cattle, given explosive demonstrations of their power and agility in
rodeos. They've strutted their magnificence in arenas before cheering crowds to
win ribbons unimportant to them. When I think of the horse's spirit and how it
has selflessly carried the spirit of man through the ages I'm awed at the
nobility of them. How they have answered every call with strength, beauty and
unquestioning devotion. No matter the
sacrifice. Today, the noble horse is embarking on perhaps its most important
calling … The healing of man.
Being a horse
advocate and writer I've had the privilege over the past few years of writing
nearly a hundred stories about what I call, "People and Horses Helping
Horses and People." I've met unbelievably self sacrificing people who
mortgage their homes to keep the doors open so children dealing with Autism,
Down Syndrome and other unkind conditions can learn to smile and even laugh
while being carried away to a happy place on the back a therapy horse. I've met
Veterans who've conquered the strangle hold of PTSD while holding the reins.
I've met battered women who've learned to love and trust again simply sitting
in a stall with a quiet horse. And I've met many, understanding, care giving
therapy horses. I've met women and men who devote their lives to protecting our
wild horses, struggling with them to allow the wild horses to remain free to
run.
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| Monero Mustangs running free thanks to Sandi Claypool-photo by Helen Cary |
What lives there
in the spirit of the horse that touches so many human spirits? Heals so many
hearts? Builds so much courage in souls who need that courage. Offers so much
exhilaration wrapped in a bundle of giving. What lives there? I propose it is
simply the very spirit of the horses themselves. It's made that way. Why does
that spirit touch man so easily? Is it simplistic to say, because they can?
Because they understand they should?
For centuries the
noble horse was viewed as a tool. A servant. Even a weapon. Patiently they've
endured all manners of servitude while they waited for mankind to learn to
understand horses were much more than that. We now live in an age more
enlightened where finally it is becoming not only fun, but correct to see
things from the horse's perspective.
Of course over
the centuries there have been individuals who promoted the well being of the
horse, and history records some of their early efforts. The ancient Greek,
Xenophon (c.430-354 BC) may have been the earliest ever to promote sympathetic
training and humane treatment for horses.
Did you know the ancient Greeks did not shoe their horses and it was
Xenophon who first pointed out that, "naturally sound hooves get spoiled
in most stalls," and in his classic work "On Horsemanship"
advised measures to strengthen horses' feet? Both Xenophon and Hippocrates (c.
460-370 BC) wrote of the mind and health benefits of horseback riding.
Why do I say the
noble horse is perhaps embarking on its most important calling yet, "the
healing of man?" As I interviewed and wrote the stories of equine assisted
therapy centers it was both wonderful and surprising to see the sudden increase
of centers for healing through horses dealing with emotional stress and pain. Originally,
equine assisted therapy had primarily focused on physical healing therapy. But
in recent years more and more centers are being opened to deal with
psychological and emotional trauma. Is it possible that as society races
headlong into the "technology age" and moving farther and farther
away from nature we are experiencing a shift in our roots that create a new
kind of stress? A kind of stress born of too much too fast?
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| Veterans gaining confidence with a little help from the horses at "Lonesome Dove Equestrian Center" photo by Karen Lindley |
I believe that
horses have the ability to, "slow us down, while lifting us up." To
help us focus within and be better for it. Most everyone in the horse world is
familiar with Winston Churchill's famous quote, "There is something about
the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man." Churchill
also said, "No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the
saddle." Oliver Wendell Holms said,
"To many the words, love, hope and dreams are synonymous with
horse." Herman Melville told us,
"Honor Lies in the mane of a horse."
The Bedouins
believe, "The horse is a gift from God." And that, "The wind of
heaven is that which blows between a horse’s ears." So precious to the
Bedouins were their horses that many shared their master's tent. The young boys
of the great Lakota Sioux Nation were assigned the job of watching and caring for
the horses so that they may grow up understanding them. Touching their spirit.
The Lakota understood the spirit in many things.
The spirit of the
horse is patient. It is willing and powerful. And most important of all it is
healing. Over the centuries the horse has been ever willing to be our servant
and our confidant. Our healer. History is filled with stories of lives changed
forever and even saved by horses.
The road has not
been an easy one for the noble horse. It seems each century brings with it a
new set of demands, obligations and even suffering at the hands of their human
partners. And yet the noble horse stands vigilant ever at the ready to carry
us, to heal us.
Even in this age
of enlightenment many horses still suffer at the hand of harsh trainers, owners
and circumstances and it is hard for me to understand how, still today, so many
people can put their own interests, pursuits and wealth above the horse’s well
being. A friend once told me, "when horses and money compete, horses
loose." Perhaps one day, the spirit of the horse can touch so many
that these practices will forever become a thing of the past.
Some people
suggest that to project our human emotions onto the horse is folly. I proclaim
to not do so is in fact the biggest folly of all. If you've ever watched a mare
scream for her foal as they are yanked apart on a Bureau of Land Management
round up you know of their emotions. If you've ever watched a horse tread
lightly while carrying the precious cargo of a therapeutic rider, you know
their emotions.
As more and more
people learn to understand and even feel the spirit of the horse in this
enlightened age we find ourselves in, the noble horse is here to once again
carry our burden. Even if this time the burden is more emotional than physical.
Trainers are more and more willing to "see and teach from the horse's
perspective." More and more students are being taught to consider what the
benefit to the horse might be as together they pursue mastering skills in the
ring, on the trail and on the course. More and more young people are becoming
horse enthusiasts because they can not only learn new skills and have fun, but
they can help others too.
The rise in the
number of equine assisted therapy centers offers wonderful opportunities for
folks who have no way of owning a horse of their own to feel the love, spirit
and emotions of the horse by volunteering at a local center. The therapy horses
at those centers not only help those receiving the therapy, but those
volunteering, too. Volunteers who otherwise would never know the connection
between man and horse can feel the connection to nature in today's busy
electronic world. Many times the horses who give so much love at these centers
are in fact horses who have been rescued themselves. They may have spent time
at a rescue where volunteers have the joy of getting to feel their spirit and
learn from them. Even as the horses are being rehabilitated themselves, they
are able and willing to teach. To show hurried individuals the value and
healing powers of slowing down to horse time.
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| Kessy, Saturday and me just havin' fun |
Trainers and
clinicians teaching the natural way, and the horse's perspective are becoming
more numerous today and attracting large followings. More and more people are
finding their way back to nature under the tutelage of a skilled instructor and
an understanding horse. Do we have more to learn from this great gift from God,
the horse? I submit yes. And, I also promise the horse will be there to teach
us.
Gitty Up ~ Dutch Henry
