Horsing Around
Horses. So majestic, I'm unable to find the words to explain how or why. Their personalities resemble our own: they're funny, careful, social, expressive, temperamental, caring, and incredibly self aware. Alex's sister-in-law trains horses and competes in shows which gave us a wonderful excuse to go experience horses in a way that made me fascinated to know more.
This trip took us about an hour north of San Francisco to the Sonoma Horse Park, a hidden world of horse shows.
After a pit stop at In-N-Out and switching seats so Alex could drive (I immediately fall asleep in the car after food), I woke up to a dirt parking lot under lofty trees breaking up the sunshine. I seriously had no idea what to expect; my wonderment and excitement grew as I heard the neighs just beyond the trees. We immediately went to check out the jumper competition. It's one thing to see pictures of horses jump but it's a whole different experience being there. The moment a 2000 pound horse gracefully lifts herself up and over a 5 foot obstacle, our chests tighten in hopeful anticipation that she clears this jump. Then, in a dead silent crowd, she lands heavy on the sand and the sounds of her hooves and breath come barreling through the air reminding us of what power and finesse these animals have.
Horses are known to be self conscious and sensitive, a good rider knows this. There was one particular horse that didn't clear through a couple of jumps. For every failure this horse endured, we could see the tension in her eyes grow to the point of stopping in the middle of the run, leaden with disappointment. You could tell that the rider had a strong bond with the horse and she understood that quitting in the middle of the course could be detrimental to their performance. The rider steered her to a soft trot around the course then took her slowly over a couple of jumps. The crowd cheered them on and literally rebuilt the horse's confidence, as if the horse thought "that's right, I can do this!" Seeing the relationship between the rider and the horse was incredible. The rider leads and emotionally supports the horse so she can perform her best. We found out later that some riders don't always work on rebuilding the horse's confidence, which can seriously damage the horse's performance over time.
A look at the history of equestrian training and you'll find that the norm was one in which the trainer was simply a heavy hand and a reminder of the consequences of disobeying orders. Wether it was a hard pull of the rope, or a kick to the side, it was one sided. My sister-in-law taught me what it means to have grace. Each living being experiences the world in their own unique way, it's an incredibly powerful fact. When two beings try to achieve something together it requires grace, and respect of the way another sees the world through their eyes. I was fascinated seeing this in action with what couldn't be any more different, a horse and a person. The grace of her hand as they both walked together, not using language, or brute force but instead just a careful guide of their energy was a reminder of my own relationships.
Our next spot to check out was the stalls of all the horses at the show -- boy, do they know how to pose! They are quite hilarious!
It takes a village to run a show like this. You have the horse owners, riders, and groomers all buzzing around the event. Everyone seems to know each other -- they must all get used to seeing one another on the show circuit. Once this show is over, they move on to the next (with some rest in between). They spend a lot of time on the road traveling to shows and back home. There is a sense of competitiveness even off the course, but also support from fellow riders. It's a small community, and just like any other, word gets around about how others are doing.
This day taught me a lot and makes me grateful of the things this world has to offer.
-Dan
