all for the love of a horse...: It's Spring...Finally!

22 March, 2021

It's Spring...Finally!

"....large liquid dark eyes of oval shape..." - Carl Raswan

I pulled into the driveway and saw Maria getting out of her golf cart, arms full of hay. She had just started feeding the horses. It was a good time to visit because I could help her with all of the chores while we talked. A quick "hey, how are you? as I gave her a big hug and then asked, "where's your new mare? I don't see her." Maria quickly searched the group of horses with her eyes. "Um...oh, there she is, David, right over there, by the water trough. She's the little chestnut mare with the white star," she said and continued, "you know, I don't really know that much about her. Her owner died and the relative that I dealt with, didn't really know much, other than what was on her papers. She's a sweet mare though, sad, but really sweet. She doesn't socialize with the rest of the horses in this pasture. When she first got here, I thought maybe after a few weeks, she would be used to everyone. But that time has come and gone and still, she prefers to stand alone in the far corner of this field, away from all the other horses." Maria said, the concern clearly conveyed in her voice. "What do you think?" she asked me. I shrugged my shoulders because I had nothing to say. Maria looked at me and then continued, "the vet has seen her a couple times and ran a blood series on her but he can't seem to find anything wrong. Nothing. She's healthy. So, I have been wondering over her diet and I might switch her away from grain to a less carb, more forage-based diet. I've already tried a few herbal supplements but I haven't seen any change. She looks so sad, so withdrawn. I know this sounds crazy but I have an animal communicator coming here tomorrow morning."

"I don't think that's crazy Maria," I replied, "I know of a few people, who just like you, turned to a communicator, for answers that they couldn't find anywhere else. You might just find out what's bothering her and then, help her to feel better." We talked a little more about her new mare and a few other things and pretty soon, it was time to go home. "Call me and let me know what the communicator finds out about your mare. She's really cute." I said, as I backed my car out of her driveway and drove away.

Louise Reardon, the animal communicator, arrived early the next morning. Maria explained all of her concerns. After some time, the communicator called Maria over to the paddock, "you know, this was one of the more memorable sessions that I can ever recall. Your mare started to weep great tears of sadness, as if her heart was going to split in two halves, as she remembered her previous owner, her mistress. She had deeply loved her, as the woman was a gentle and kind soul. Marti was her name. She named your mare Desi. She doesn't like the name you gave her. She prefers that you call her Desi. Marti made Desi feel very special and she told her that of all the horses in the world, she was the most beautiful horse she had ever known. Marti always had kind, soothing words for Desi. She made Desi feel better. She spoke directly from her heart, using powerful feelings and images, rather than words, and then, Louise stopped for a minute, to brush a tear out of her own eye. "I'm sorry." she said. Maria looked at her in amazement, hanging onto every word she said. "But the most amazing thing your little mare said, is that she remembers Marti's eyes most of all. They were the most beautiful eyes. Dark, liquid eyes that seemed to be like two pools of melted obsidian. Obsidian. Can you believe Desi said that?" Maria was quiet and Louise, broke through the silence with what sounded like an unrelated question, "do you have a camera?"

Maria looked at her, puzzled and repeated, "a camera? Whatever for?" she asked. "Well," Louise explained, "Desi told me that when Marti looked at her, she could see, in the depths of Marti's eyes, her own reflection. So, I promised her that you would take her picture with your camera and show it to her every time you see her. It's not the same as seeing her reflection in Marti's eyes but I noticed you have light blue eyes and well, it's the best that I could come up with. It made Desi happier to know this."

So, imagine my surprise, to learn the whole story, when I called Maria later. I cried, to learn that Desi was grieving the loss of her human. I also loved her name...Desi, it really suited her. And then, it hit me and I laughed out loud, "WOW, even horses like selfies, just like people."

1 comment:

Jeane DeVriesFriday, October 03, 2014 9:14:00 AM
I love this story! Completely agree that animals can grieve, and experience deep feelings of loss. How lovely that Maria connected with Desi through a communicator that helped her understand what the little mare was feeling. Love it!
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MY FAVORITE WEBSITE

If you want to understand the desert Arabian horse on a deeper level, then you will want to visit Daughters of the Wind, a blog maintained by Edouard al-Dahdah, since 2008. It's my favorite place to visit, on a regular basis. For me personally, the information that Edouard presents is at times so profound, that I find myself weeks, even months later, still thinking about what he has written. I consider him a treasured source of inspiration and for the times that I don't feel like writing anymore, a significant source of encouragement. In one place, you will be able to read of the horses, their heritage; as well as the culture, traditions and the geography of the land, from where they originated. I strongly encourage you to visit his blog to broaden your understanding and deepen your appreciation for the Bedouin-bred horse.

MY FAVORITE WEBSITE X 2

The Horse In Word and Picture is the blog of Rania el Sayed, a very talented photographer, whose equine photography is second-to-none. I still remember when I first learned of Rania, it was all because of the late Dr. Nasr Marei. At the time, Nasr published an article that featured Rania's photography. I was thrilled by the photography and later, "meeting" Rania was one of the highlights of my horse life. I loved her photo of Mangooma and Rania, in an act of kindness never to be forgotten, let me use her photo in my blog. Thanks Rania for all of your support. You'll love Rania's blog and all of the equine topics she covers, including the straight Egyptian Arabian Horse. She really pushes me to think deeply about things that I haven't thought in a while. And you don't have to join Facebook, to read her posts. .

MY FAVORITE BOOK

One of the questions that I am asked most frequently is which book(s) do I recommend? Judith Forbis', The Classic Arabian Horse, published in 1976, is MY FAVORITE BOOK...EVER. Prior to the publication of this book, we really didn't have anything that compiled the history, the bloodlines & breeding practices and conformation (including breed type) of the straight Egyptian horse in one volume. You had to dig through multiple sources, sometimes in languages foreign to one's own, to try and develop an understanding of the Egyptian Arabian horse. So, this is my recommendation to you today, especially if you are just starting, this is the most important book you will ever own. You can find the book on Amazon, previously owned, at a very affordable price.

A NEW FAVORITE BOOK

Many times, I have heard other enthuiasts say, "if only I could get into the mind of this breeder and understand the Arabian horse as he or she does!" Dr. William Hudson, a long-time breeder, weaves together his lifetime of experiences including the latest developments in equine genetic science with the history, art and culture of the Arabian horse. This is not the type of book that you will read, cover-to-cover, in one sitting. You will find yourself turning to this massive 1,500 page, 2-volume set, over and over. If you love Arabian horses and want to understand the breed intimately, on a deeper level, this is the only book you will ever need to own. If you are breeding Egyptian Arabian horses, I urge you to purchase this 2-volume set before you breed one more horse!

MORE FAVORITE BOOKS...

One of the questions that I am asked most frequently is which book(s) do I recommend? Previously, I mentioned Judith Forbis' THE CLASSIC ARABIAN HORSE which is a great introduction to the breed and to Egyptian Arabian horses specifically. But now, you have read that book and are ready to go deeper. So, this is the book that I recommend reading (VOLUME II ) without hesitation. It's fantastic. The depth of this book, within tail female lines, sire lines and strains found in Egyptian (EAO) breeding is not found anywhere else. If you are serious about the Egyptian Arabian horse, whether a breeder, student or enthusiast, you must read this book, at least once!

STILL MORE FAVORITE BOOKS

In the Preface, Dr. Nagel wrote, "Since it is claimed that the Arabian horse breed is one of the oldest on earth, one has to accept that it is also in the crossfire of many opinions which sometimes clash vigorously. There are obviously many doubts and errors, and the advocates of different concepts seem to be not ready to settle on a common stance. It should encourage the reader to think...The refreshing variety of thoughts surrounding this noble member of the great family of horses should not be lost." Whether you agree or disagree with Dr. Nagel, is not what is important but rather, the resulting thought that this book will inspire. I can't even tell you how many times I have read this wonderful book cover-to-cover. It's one of the more provocative books that I have ever read and each time I have read it, a part of the book that had not impacted me previously, will cause me to think deeply for days, weeks and even months at a time. So, dear reader, I recommend this book to you, in the hope that it will inspire you to think deeply about our breed and examine why, you feel the way you do.

"The ideal Arabian type is recognizable at sight to the experienced horseman and novice alike. It falls short of the ideal if it reminds one of another horse or breed. It falls short of the ideal if it is so plain and uncertain of type as to require a sign: 'This is an Arabian horse.' It falls short of the ideal if it is so coarse and masculine as to remind one of a small Percheron, at one extreme, or so highly animated and elf-like as to remind one of a gazelle at the other extreme. The ideal type stands out alone. You know it immediately when you see it."-Ben Hur, from his 1951 Western Horseman article, Type in the Arab

In the summer of 2006, when I discovered Blogger, the last thing on my mind was creating a blog. At the time, I had been participating in a popular Egyptian Arabian horse website and desired to find a website that would allow me to "cut-and-paste" the posts that I had written for future reference. From those humble beginnings, this blog was born. I'm not a professional writer and although I want to say that writing is a hobby; I think it is better to say that I write for the love of the breed. I've had the good fortune to meet a number of horses who are now considered legendary, as well as some really wonderful people, who are equally legendary. Over the years, people have suggested that I charge a subscription fee or pursue paid sponsorships but you know how money changes everything and this blog, after all, is a labor of love. So, there you have it, the story of the blog. Many thanks to the people who make this blog doable, for example, where would I be without any of the photographers, the "visual storytellers" of our breed, who allow me to post their pictures and to the authors of the many books and magazine articles that I have read over the course of 45 or so years, helping to educate a long ago kid, crazy in love with Arabian horses. And finally, an overwhelming amount of gratitude for you dear readers, for coming here to this place, to read, discover and celebrate this common ground we share, all for the love of an Arabian horse.