Noble Beasts
The horse is a fascinating creature that serves us so well
Having had a life long relationship with horses
I am full of admiration for their endless toils.
They are fiery yet mainly gentle giants
and give hours of pleasure to their carers
I worked first as a working pupil
then in racing yards some flat but mainly jumping yards
going on to having my own stables
doing the show jumping circuit and some taming
I prefer the term taming to breaking in
it is all a matter of trust after all
why break a spirit? When with love
you get an unbreakable bond
Using this method I was able to school a horse
from wild to saddle in 2 to 3 weeks
then the real fun begins as you start
the real relationship of bringing it on
I had two people who taught me so much
when I was around 14 years old
we used to go in school holidays to the new forest
I told Maddie I wanted to become a show jumper
Now I was tiny about 4 foot 3 high
and she put me up on Yanta
he was 17 hands and a cat jumper
boy I had some spills over fences
Maddie's response was to take away my saddle
she said I needed to improve my seat and balance
well after many more spills it started working
and I became a burr on his back in total harmony
Later at 18 I started my training as a working pupil
training to be an instructor
now Heather was a tough cookie with quality horses
a formidable lady who took no excuses
She used to get us in the indoor school
taught us dressage and much more
some days she would remove both saddle and bridle
saying that a true rider steers with hands, knees and bodies
You riders try it some time once you can back up a horse
and do flying changes and shoulder ins and outs
without any tackle then you are a rider
at one with your horse in body and soul
One of my pleasures has always been night riding
the horse is a prey animal and prone to flight
they get up on their toes and spook at shadows
riding without a saddle means you can feel each muscle tense
getting a sense of when they are ready to whirl and flee
leaving the unwary rider on the ground eating dust.
These two ladies shaped my life with horses
giving me insight into them and their needs
a sense of wonder and awe at their trust
and their willingness to work with us
Be they an Arab or thoroughbred or plain Jane
each one teaches us so much as we interact
there is nothing more heart warming than
a horse nickering to you delighted you are there
shaking and tossing their heads stamping the ground
impatient for you to stroke and caress them
giving you comfort when you are down
and joy when you are up and excited
Now no longer able to ride due to a bad hip
I still share a close bond and delight
when I call to horses in a field
and they come at a charge to greet me
it is the simple things that give the most pleasure
Copyright © Shadow Hamilton | Year Posted 2014
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