Creatures From Heaven
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It is but a simple word, one that the smallest child can say, whether their pronunciation is correct or not. It is a word that is hailed as one of the best words of all. It is a word loved by thousands of people across the world. But more importantly, it is the title of a creature that all of us are familiar with, whether we have ridden one, touched one, or simply dreamed about the pictures we see in books. It is the title of a best friend, a friend that will allow you to laugh your loudest when you are around them, or sob on their shoulder. It is a friend that will listen to every word you say, and though they may not respond in kind, you can tell by their eyes that they understand. Some even accurately dub the creature as an 'angel without wings'.
The word is horses
No doubt, horses are among, if not right up at the top as the most willing, eager-to-please animal in the world. They allow us to control them, though each one is much heavier and stronger than us. A horse could break our arm or give us a nasty bruise with their teeth easily, but if we treat them right, they choose not to. They allow us to lead them using a halter and rope, which could be considered a humiliating thing if the thoughts crossed the animal's mind. They allow us to lock them up in a pasture, confine them in a rather small area, and keep them there until we are ready to take them out. They allow us to put a nasty piece of metal inside their mouths, to strap a belt behind their elbows, and climb onto their backs. We pull on the pieces of leather attached to that nasty metal, controlling them, telling them where to go. We use our heels as spurs or use whips to make them increase speed, to guide them.
But still, they go on, obeying us at the best of times. Yes, they all have those phases where they simply do not want to move. We could smack them as hard as we could with a riding crop, and still they would not blink an eye. Yet, the next time we get into the saddle, they could behave like angels. We can be mad at them one minute, and praising them with sugar the next. Sometimes we confuse them with our emotions, or our directions. But they continue to love us, to do their best to obey us, to appreciate what we give to them.
It is only a small responsibility to give to them in return. This is not to say that you should always feed and water your horses well, though that is a very important part of keeping a horse. Responsibility is not limited to providing the necessities. The responsibility of which I speak is simple: love. Love, care and kindness.
Love your horse as if it is your brother. Show it your affection by rubbing them in that special spot, or giving them a kiss on the nose.
Care for your horse as if you were caring for yourself. This is not to say that horses have lower standards than humans, they drink out of the same container each day, the same container which sometimes other horses have licked. Still, they will appreciate it if you rinse their water tub, or remove the few droppings from their stall each morning. But care is not limited to only these things, show your horse that you care by treating it well during rides, even though you treat it rougher than you would treat a human if you were riding it.
Kindness is self-explained, and has been a little explained already. Ride the horse gently, but get the word through to their brain without difficulty. Instruct them firmly, but gently in other words. Show your horse what you want them to do clearly, but do not hurt them to do it. Yes, occasionally the horse will have to feel a bit of pain in order to do what you want it to do, perhaps when you smack it lightly with a crop to get it to go when your heels do not work, or when you tighten the reins to get the stubborn thing to stop. It is almost like a mother spanking her child, it might smart for a second or two, but in the long run it will make the child-or in this case, the horse happier.
In many cases, horses give us so much, yet we give them so little in return. A horse might be happy with a simple lump of sugar, or a slice of apple after a ride, but if you have dug your spurs into the horse's sides and left marks needlessly, the treat means nothing. If you feed a horse its favorite kind of grain every day, but get angry when it starts eating before you give it the word, the food is just a necessity, and no longer something to look forward to.
All of us will have moments when we do something we will regret as soon as the action has taken place. We might smack it too hard with the crop in our anger, or we might ask for a hard, sweaty gallop after slow-going on the lunge line, only to see it stumble and limp seconds afterwards. Horses will always forgive us for those mistakes if we apologize. This does not necessarily mean a a verbal apology, but simply giving it a pat or a soothing click of the tongue can help.
"When your horse follows you without being asked, when he rubs his head on yours, and when you look at him you feel a tingle down your spine, you know you are loved. -John Lyons" |
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Finally There
This was beautiful! I was going to write an article about this but you took the words right out of my mouth! Great job Reiny!
This was beautiful! I was going to write an article about this but you took the words right out of my mouth! Great job Reiny!
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Nov 27, 2010
• 2,377 views
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MustangChic
OMG that was so beautiful and so true nice way of putting the words. It was just great!
OMG that was so beautiful and so true nice way of putting the words. It was just great!
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Nov 27, 2010
• 2,377 views
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Rein or Shine
Thank you guys. :) I just got the urge to write it.
Thank you guys. :) I just got the urge to write it.
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Nov 27, 2010
• 2,376 views
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GypsyGirl
Horses are the best animal God created!
Horses are the best animal God created!
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Nov 27, 2010
• 2,352 views
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Deleted Accounts
Reiny, That was incredible. Honestly that could be published its amazing and shows how much knowledge you have of horses. That was truly inspiring & beautiful. Thankyou for sharing that with us reiny.
Reiny, That was incredible. Honestly that could be published its amazing and shows how much knowledge you have of horses. That was truly inspiring & beautiful. Thankyou for sharing that with us reiny.
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Nov 29, 2010
• 2,358 views
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20 days ago
• 2,382 views
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RodeoLover
I really enjoyed that article. It is so true, you worded it so well.
I really enjoyed that article. It is so true, you worded it so well.
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Sep 20, 2013
• 2,868 views
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