Today I came across pictures of Princess Muffinhead as a newborn. What a cute foal she was! The tiny, fragile-looking filly in the photo is such a far cry from the beautiful, powerful mare she has grown into. The four years since her birth passed in a flash.
Wow, four years. I remember so clearly holding her in my lap as she napped. It seemed like she would stay a baby forever. The day when we could finally head out for a ride was so far off as to be unimaginable.
Horses allow us a bifocal view of time. They are so in the moment. Rewards and corrections need to occur instantaneously or their meaning is lost. A horse can transform from a napping nag into an equine explosion in an instant.
On the other hand, horses carry with them a timelessness. As we whirl through our world of growing complexity with increasing speed, horses still live by the principles that allowed their ancestors to survive uneaten, unbeaten by the elements. We struggle to strengthen our communication and bonds with them as our own ancestors did. In working with our horses, we are taking part in a dance that began in ancient history and continues to evolve and improve, even as its roots dig deep.
Perhaps this is part of the equine allure. Horses allow us to transcend the bounds of our own timeline and enter the vast frontier of timelessness. They encourage us to dig more deeply into ourselves by sending our focus out of ourselves.
I slip into the darkness of the night, under infinite twinkling stars. Rhythmic hoofbeats grow louder and Muffinhead emerges beside me. My gawky filly, now this bold, kind mare. We continue to grow together, but for this moment, we share eternity.