My animal family provide boundless love and comfort, each of them come with their own story. My stunning flea bitten grey horse, fostered by me for a friend because he lost his way one day and needed communication of a different kind that I by chance could give him. We have had our ups and downs but on the whole he has shown himself to be the most sensitive of souls, noble and kind. We are similar he and I, when pushed too far out of a comfort zone, or when the message unclear we both get confused and lost for a while. He has taught me not to get caught up in this. He has taught me to keep my head when all inside me says lose it, or all around me do not understand. In learning this, learning his ways I have been able to heal mine and help him to find a better way. He loves me for this and I him. We move through the hard times together and have a lot of fun along the way. One day he showed me he loved to jump so we went with friends to a competition, he carried me through the toughest course of huge jumps having not jumped for years and made a very good job of looking after me whilst looking like a pro.
My smallest family member is unharmed by human hand, fearless and cheeky. He is a small skewbald miniature pony with all the gusto of a dray horse. My little man is well on his way to pulling carts and he is only two years old. He has taught me that nothing is too big to achieve if you truly believe you can do it. He has shown me that a bit of pluckiness goes a long way to gaining respect. He bowls up to the biggest of animals and asserts himself in all his cheekiness and somehow gets away with it. I have not taught him much yet but he has gifted me more than I can ever tell, he has given me his trust, he has shown me laughter and fun, he has nurtured me when I have needed it the most. He is so innocent but always knows when he is needed. I am looking forward to growing old with him for he is a good friend to me.
The last of my equine family is a fallen super star. Once a prized race horse running all over the world he is now residing in a field with his friends enjoying the adjustment to becoming a regular grazing horse. He has had his fair serving of hard times, a blown tendon that finished his career and a knock of confidence as he was sent to the thoroughbred sales a broken man. At almost 18hh he is a formidable yet handsome soul with knowing gentle eyes. He nurtures all things from myself to the elderly that come to feed him apples. His true friend is the small pony and his protector the knowing grey but what he really is working on is the companionship of the tiger striped cat who he has watched grow from kitten to cat over the last 6 months. In time I know he will win her over, she already stays for long period watching him letting him nuzzle him with his nose. He almost holds his breathe so as not to startle her as he blows out long breaths of air. He is recovering again from a poorly foot. We all thought he was going to be retired for good but the heavens opened for us and them upstairs saw fit for him to be healed. October is the day we will be riding again, maybe he will once more be a super star in his own eyes, all i know is whatever it takes I will make him feel special again.
Finally my little snowy. She is old now, 16 we think, beautiful white with brown ears and a drown patch over her eye. In her prime she was sleek and muscled so fast she took my breath away as she ran dodging obstacles, twisting and turning. She came to me angry and fighting as the result of a bad upbringing at the hand of an ignorant young man. She was so scared she would bite before she could get bitten, refusing food for fear she might get hit or kicked when she accepted it. She scared me with her speed and the indiscriminate acts of aggression at even the slightest muscle movement as she was so keen to protect herself from harm. In time we gained each other’s trust, even that very same night she came to me she slept on my feet gently shifting out of my way as I turned in my sleep. Slowly she came to let me fuss her, walk her on a lead and show her the sights of the Derbyshire Dales where we lived. The poor thing had never seen expanses of grass, rivers, or trees and hills. She was petrified of the long grass and the other walkers and their dogs running to hide behind me in an effort to become invisible. In her own time she learned to ignore her fears and began to enjoy life. the countryside was her new best friend especially the rivers and streams that had fast flowing water. she would jump and bite the spray and dig to free trapped rocks. Each time she would look up at me with sparkling eyes and big grin face covered in water and weed. I so love this little dog. Old now she is slow and slightly clumsy, her memories of her spritely days fading as she finds it hard to locate me now at distance or hear my voice when I tell her I love her or call her to come to me. She is happy though, curled at my feet or bimbling around the garden occasionally jumping to catch flies or hopping over the long grass. There is certainly life in the old dog yet with 3 mile long hikes and spinning for her walks or food. She has taught me so much about patience and trust. I move slowly with her my closest of friends. Never do I ask more of her than I know she can give and I always wait for her to be surd before I ask her to do something new. I am nurturing her now more than ever, keeping her safe preparing myself for the day when she will be gone, not that it is any day soon. We will enjoy each other’s company for a while more especially the oncoming winter time when we can snuggle together in front of the fire sharing our quilt while we read books or watch TV.
These are just the animals of now, the ones with which I share my life today. There have been many throughout my life all of which have taught me many different things and a better way of being. This is a dedication to them, my furry friends of whom I will never forget and will always hold in my heart.
