Today I had the wonderful opportunity to ride someone’s heart horse.
Do you know what I mean by ‘heart horse’? If you’ve had one, you know. If you haven’t, I hope one finds its way into your heart soon.
A heart horse is the horse that feels like the best part of you. It is as if when you are around this horse, you are totally at ease. The two of you have a very connected dance. You fit. Total confidence. You can do anything together. You are the best of friends.
Well, today I rode someone else’s heart horse…
IT TAKES A WHILE TO FIND YOURS…
Knowing that it takes a while to find your heart horse… riding someone else’s heart horse is interesting.
First, you know it is an honor for someone to let another person ride their very special horse. So, you want to do your best.
Secondly, you know that this person adores this horse, so you want to adore them, too.
It is kinda like meeting the close friend of your close friend. Even though you both love the center friend, the two on the outside often end up cordial and appreciative, but not always tight.
MY THOUGHTS ON RIDING HEART HORSES
I so wanted to have that same connection with this very regal mount as his owner did with him. Truly, he is a magnificent steed. Beautiful and he knows it… which I liked about him. And, he is a very good boy.
But, he is just too big for my little self. I felt like a pony sized kid riding an adult sized horse. When he moved out, his motion was so upright, round and forward, I felt tossed about like a doll. My little legs didn’t make the contact I needed to seat properly. I felt like one of those dog costumes where the jockey flops all around as the dog trots off merrily.
So as much as I appreciated him as a stellar individual, he didn’t fit me.
And I simply had to admit this to my friend.
Me: ‘This is exactly how it is supposed to be. He is YOUR heart horse. He wants YOU to ride him, not me.’
She agreed.
Riding someone’s heart horse is like meeting your friend’s other best friend… the connection is theirs for you to admire, but not necessarily partake.
NATIONAL EQUINE RESOURCE NETWORK (NERN) POSTED THIS ‘HEART HORSE’ VIDEO… and I thought it was perfect for my thoughts today.
As I was formulating my thoughts for this post, in came a video from NERN on exactly this topic, the Heart Horse.
So, I’m adding it here.
Click image to watch the video.
Awww, thanks for sharing… You are lucky you found him, even if it was for just a short time. Wonderful.
Hello, I read this, and wanted to share my story about my heart horse. I am 23 now, and I met him when I was 12.
I had grown up with horses, and had a few of my own but only one I had bonded with up until this point. But this story isnt about her, its about my heart horse. I was 12 years old, and can not remember where I was coming home from, likely my grandmother’s house. It was dark, and my parents were unusualy excited. They told me there was somethig in the field for me. I was sure it was a horse. I wanted a black or dark bay, so my heart sank a little when I saw moonlight glinting off what I was sure was a white horse. The next morning I rushed out to see him. Geronimo, my mom told me was his name, and he was blind, and skin stretched over bone. My heart ached for him. Over time, he fattened up, and we bonded. He would come to the fence when I called him. He followed me everywhere. I rode him, he would trot and canter for me, we had full trust between us. He was my horsey soul mate. Then, before my 13th birthday, our other horses began picking on him. They ran him through the fence, we didnt have the money to board him, we didnt have the land to split him off from the others. So I made the heart shredding decision to give him away. He went to a beautiful home, with a little girl who loved him, but I will never forget him. My sweet appy. He was white, with bay and black spots about the size of an apple all over. With one special one on his left hip, it was bright red bay colored and shaped like a perfect heart.