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September 2007 • VOLUME 25 • © HORSES For LIFE™ Magazine
Love and the Horse
Riders often talk about how much they love horses, how much they love “their” horse. Have you ever taken a moment to think about love and horses? One might say that you can love without being loved back. You can love a book. You can love a piece of art. But when most of us talk about love and talk about art, we are not talking about this kind of love. Instead, when we talk about love, we are talking about relationship love. A love that is based on the interaction of live creatures. The love of a mother for her child or the love of a child for his mother. The love of a woman for her husband and the love of a husband for his wife. A love that is a relationship love, a love that requires two. One might argue that people can love someone without being loved back. While that may or may not be true, I would raise the challege that such a love is difficult, if not impossible, to maintain. That in the end, after a period of time, if you think you still love the other, you are more in love with the thought of being in love, or for what was, rather than what actually is. So what does all of this have to do with our horses? More than you can possibly imagine. Especially when it comes to the concept of training. Love, real love and caring, in the world of horses, can only truly exist when you challenge yourself and your horse with a very demanding and personal relationship.
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