Beauty Is In the Eyes Of the Beholder
|
|
Most equestrian fanatics dream of dashing and flashy horses with rippling muscles and coats that shine like the sun. Their daydream horses may consist of flowing manes and floating gaits, thick tails and perfect conformation, and a winning personality. They keep this prized creature in a perfectly manicured barn, a wooden stall wrapped in intricate iron, a lush green pasture, and a mud-free indoor arena. They ride in custom saddles and supple leather bridles. Their crisp white, fleece pads and sport boots catch the eye.
How many horse owners really have this dream? Once you start owning horses, reality sets in. My horse experience, as I am sure many others can relate, has been more akin to the poor man’s life. My horses have been swaybacked and arthritic. They have manes rubbed out on trees and tails too scraggly for shows. Their coats caked in mud usually covered a much less than perfect conformation. They have been downright mean, ridiculously spooky, or frustratingly stubborn. They’ve never been trained well and are far from perfect. A dusty arena coated my second hand tack, if I had access to an arena at all. Everything seemed to need repairs all the time.
Even with what seems like a disappointing reality, owning a horse is still that perfect dream. Despite my horses’ scruff or orneriness, I always saw them as beautiful. They may not have flowing manes or perfect conformation, but that’s what gave them their unique character. They may have been grumpy or spooky, but we understood each other. My horses’ living situation may not be spick and span, and there is often a lot of difficult work to be done, but it is all worth it in the end. My lumpy horses are worth it because they are beautiful to me, each in their own way, and I love them. |
|
|
PonyBox
MOD
Very well done!
Very well done!
|
Nov 16, 2014
• 1,573 views
|
|
|
|
|
|