Touching Horses

That first day, I had no idea what to expect. What I found was that I was in a small group of women, all younger than I, and all experienced with horses to varying degrees. One was a Texas cowgirl, the real thing. She'd grown up doing rodeo. Another was a former equine gymnast, who, with her boyfriend, was starting their own small ranch. The third was a young woman who was driving her horse trailer around the country and could do everything from her own farrier work to training horses to telling tall tales.

And me.

It occurred to me that this was one of those times that it was a good thing I didn't know what I didn't know. I did know I could learn, and that finally I had a chance to join that elite club of horsepeople. I wanted to be viewed as serious -- that I was truly there to learn more about this marvelous creature, the horse. But I didn't want to be viewed as some fool, starry-eyed and unrealistic.

What I didn't realize at the time that it was also a terrific way to start learning about horse people. They, of course, come in different shapes, sizes and ages, too. They also come with a wide range of what they know and don't know about horses. I found that in some cases I knew more than they did. I guess that book learnin' ain't so bad!

There are some general truths when it comes to horse people: Ask ten horse people for an opinion, and you'll get eleven answers; Never be critical of someone's horse -- it's personal; There really is something mystical about women and horses; Being a horse person is a lifestyle. Those are just a few.

You have to have your own experiences. Until you have your own experiences you have to rely on the experiences of others. Take it all in and use what makes sense to you. If one thing doesn't work, try another. Above all, be safe...if you even know what that means.

You don't have any idea how many ways you can be unsafe until a horse shows you. As a wise man told me: "Try to imagine the most impossible thing that a horse can do. Eventually you will see them do it and a lot more you couldn't imagine." This usually involves the horse's safety and well-being, as well as your own. When people tell you "don't do that," listen to them. Wisdom does indeed come from experience. Real wisdom comes from using others' experiences to prevent bad things from happening, so that you don't have to experience it yourself.

My instructor, Sue Mazlum, has been doing this for many years. Her husband had recently passed away and now she was on her own in this business. What I saw first was a woman who very clearly loved horses. Her objective was to pass on her experience, her love, and her skills -- all with the goal of making horses' lives healthier and more comfortable.

Another objective, I believe, is to just make people more knowledgeable about horses. In the years since, I am often surprised by how little people know about their horses. Granted, it is an ongoing process and there is a whole lot to learn. Unfortunately, you tend to learn a lot when the horse gets sick or injured. So, consider yourself fortunate if you're ignorant!

I knew that Sue was a woman from whom I could learn a lot, even beyond the parameters of this class. Here, watching the sun set behind the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, I just wanted to hang around and soak it all in. After class would end in the afternoons, Sue was kind enough to just talk about horses to me. Her "classroom" was located at a big stable. There were all kinds of horses being worked and she would tell me about some of them.

We discussed conformation (how a horse is put together), temperament, riding, ownership -- lots of horse stuff. Sometimes it wasn't even about horses, just about life. I loved it.

Those younger women in my class were all good students, and had come to class for different reasons. They would take this information and their newly-learned skills back to their lives. But, I sensed that for me, this was something different. I was in a mist of delight. I was in a life-altering time of my life, and I knew it. I was being transformed. I couldn't go back.

I was learning how to touch a horse and see with my fingers. I was learning how to trust myself in what I found. I was learning that these horses, young and old, big and not-so-big, were absolutely, amazingly sensitive.

They all had their stories, and in touching them I started to hear some of those stories.