Connection

“A good rider can hear their horse speak to them. A great rider can hear their horse whisper.” -Unknown

I never grew up with horses. I never knew the kindness of their eyes or the welcoming neigh from a stall as I entered a barn. It took nearly four decades for me to realize what I was missing and how much I needed to find the place that soothed my soul. I found the potential of what that place could feel like in two thousand and twenty-one, on the twenty-seventh day of August.

On that day, I walked into a large barn with dozens of horses not knowing the journey I was about to embark on. Looking back on it now, it was by no means the mesmerizing barn I now think of as my soul-soothing place, but in that moment it was the beginning of a new adventure.

My daughter had been asking to start horseback riding for quite a while and the two years prior seemed more like a blur. Our family, like almost every other, was still focused on simply getting back into the swing of “life” post-pandemic. Life was as normal as one could expect, but we were eagerly awaiting the opportunity to experience new adventures and boy was this about to be one. My daughter and I had gone riding plenty of times before. We went riding up in the mountains of Western Maryland and down on the beaches of the Outer Banks in North Carolina, but this was different. This was the beginning of a significant change in our lives. What started off as one lesson a week on an up-hill, kick-ride, patience of a saint lesson horse has grown into a daily necessity for our hearts and minds. Horses connect with your soul in a way that words can barely describe and I began to truly understand that connection.

It has been confirmed that horses connect with your soul. The equine heart rate frequencies synchronize with the human heart – the human heart rate following that of the horse – even when we simply sit in the horse’s presence. Horses want to enjoy the dance and respect their partner, but the horse will always love to lead. The bond between a horse and human is one that cannot be broken – their hearts speak louder than words ever could.