horse mania

I've been spending more time than usual at the barn, and have actually been riding regularly - a first since last October. I'm amazed at how much Annick remembers, and am myself remembering why I love riding so much. My time with horses is so sacred because it's the only guarantee that I'll have time free of thought. Horses are such immediate creatures - they don't dwell on the past or worry about the future - so being with them keeps me in the moment.

Last night I met my trainer, Laurie, at the barn for a lesson. When we arrived there was a herd of elk in the field with the horses, all of them grazing together. We stood and watched for a while. Turns out the horses actually run and play with the elk. I've heard of elk jumping into pastures with horses before, but I'd never seen them interact. When I finally did go to get Annick, the elk watched suspiciously until they saw how Annick let me walk up to her, and then they seemed to be at ease with me, too. Most of them left shortly after that, but a couple stayed through my lesson while I was riding and just watched us curiously.

We were there until 9pm, letting the warm evening air surround us, catching up. I loved it. After Laurie left I spent some time taking photos. Music was drifting out of the old crackly radio, the horses were calm and happy, and my tired self was completely content.

Thanks be to the horses.