RURAL REFLECTIONS: Horsing around

Hot and muggy. Glad I'm not in a horse and buggy. The heat could not be much worse than me trying to write this verse.

Horses. I remember when summer came around and my horse would be visited by horse flies. Now, if you don't know what one of those is (not the horse but the fly), it is a big fly around 1/2-inch to 1.25-inches. Yep, they are big.

One summer I swatted those big insects, keeping score of the number I deleted from my horse's face. I wondered why my horse wasn't more irritated. Then I realized that they are hampered by not having hands. And horses have a temperament of their own. I was probably lucky that the horse didn't bite me for not getting rid of more!

Ah, the mind of the horse. This weekend we attended an equestrian show competition. We had someone special riding. All day Saturday I sat watching each phase of the event. As I got hotter and hotter, the horses seemed to get more cantankerous, and the riders were dripping with sweat.

Often a horse would just refuse to make a jump. One refused to take a cool-down lap. Another one dumped the rider and left the arena. I was reminded of the heat and the horseflies. I wanted to put an ice drape across the horses' necks and ice packs beneath the riders' coats. Yet time after time, the riders, despite the heat, took control, keeping horsey expectation intact. Just like a child, the horse had to learn its limitations.

I am in awe of these riders. Every ride is a learning experience. Every competition is more about the rider and horse learning to work together than it is about ribbons and medals. The discipline and constancy of rider and horse create a beautiful sight to behold for those of us watching. Not so different from dancers knowing when to spin, to twirl, to step. Instead this dance is invisible. A squeeze or push of the knees, the way a rider turns her/his head, the tap of the heels against the side of the horse and the love that accompanies the steps is so awesome.

Even in this heat, these pairs of beast and human pushed through and performed. They walked off sweating and exhausted only to return for the next round. Despite the heat beating down on me, I found myself part of that team ignoring the heat, leaning into the jumps, sitting up a bit straighter.

Now horses can wear masks to eliminate those nasty flies. And I get to be around horses once more.

I love this kind of horsing around.