Horses....

When creating my blog I came across the blog of a horse owner. Blogger.com has her blog as one to read... so (no surprise) I checked it out. The blogger is a woman (Victoria) who was from California but has moved to the East Coast and owns 2 horses. She tells of her daily education that she receives from her horses. What they teach her is amazing and I look forward to reading it. I have commented on her blog several times that I read about her life and dream about being able to have the same.
My friends all know that I am crazy about horses. But I am not quite sure that no one truely understands just how they have captured my heart. Growing up my mom and dad had a horse. He was a 17 hand high (that's tall for a horse) paint. He was tri colored and was the most magnificant animal. My mom bought him from a man who was getting married - and his bride to be said, "me or the horse." Almost daily we found out more about King and what he was able to do. There really wasn't anything he couldn't do ... my friend Mickey liked to ride barrels and begged and begged her mom until she gave in to let her ride King. She took King out to the field where the barrels were - she thought she would just ride him around the barrels ... and she found out that King knew the barrels better than she did... He ran the barrels and she held on. After my mom and dad split my mom couldn't afford the upkeep on King so a friend of my dad's offered to let King stay at his place. He owned a home on lots of land and was a cattleman. After running his cattle one day (riding through his cattle checking for illness, etc.) he came back to the stall and let his horse go. It was then that the cattle decided to stampede. All he had available to ride was King... he found out that King knew catttle better than any of his cutting horses ... he too just held on.
King was amazing in what he could do. But beyond that - and what captured my heart was King himself - not for what he could do but who he was. He was the most magnificant animal (did I already say that?) who knew when my dad was on his back that my dad could handle anything and King would often test him to see just what that was. But King also knew when I was on his back ... and this horse who loved to prance and run at full speed was also the most gentlest of creatures knowing that his little girl was on him. I really am at a loss for words about what exactly what it was about him ... but my heart will never be the same after knowing him.
Needless to say I miss him. And I miss having horses in my life... I miss the heart, I miss the power, I miss the feel of their coat, I miss the smell, I miss the special love they have... I doubt that I have come close to even beginning to explain the feeling correctly.
Today on Victoria's blog she posted a link to another horse owner (Stacy) and then her sight has video of Stacy and her horse in a horse show. It is a video of Stacy riding her horse without a saddle and without reins. What I can not begin to explain in words can maybe only be best explained by watching the video. All I can say is that it felt like my heart was going to EXPLODE while watching this woman and her amazing horse...