God, or the Intelligent Designer, built all creatures so that their genes could be modified through select breeding. There are wild creatures which have evolved to meet their environments, that survival of the fittest and best. And there are domestic animals that have been bred to serve mankind. The earliest of these were herd animals for meat and working animals for pulling and moving.
A good farmer has respect for the animals that help him work. And the animals, having descended from hundreds or thousands of years of living and working alongside the farmer, are programed to trust and depend on the farmer's good care. This separates the domestic animal from the wild animal. Wild animals, of course, do not like to be looked at or touched by other species because that usually means they'll be eaten.
A farmer always has horses. A horse can pull a plow or a wagon, take a rider across all terrain, and move a stockman around to contain his herds.
Imagine a human being and a horse, and the interdependence. The farmer feeds and cares for the horse. The horse earns it's hay. If the horse is sick, the farmer nurses the animal. A kind of love grows between the farmer and the horse.
In modern times, while horses still do real work, there are also hobbiests who keep horses for the simple enjoyment of their beauty and heart. We can ride them around in show rings, race them around barrels, harness them to wagons in parades.
I recently began English riding lessons. It was sort of on a whim... Let's see, I should pick a hobby of some sort, and I can try this one on without a big investment of cash. $35 an hour is cheap and I can quit anytime I decide this is not for me.
I have to admit my first impression was it's a lot of trouble to wade through mud to catch the horse, and she smells kinda strong while I'm grooming her before tacking up. It's hard digging the stuff out of her hooves (they don't watch where they step), and all these straps for the saddle and bridle are complicated. But the horse, Terra, put up with my fumblings with quiet patience. And she carried me around with the quiet wisdom of a high-quality lesson horse.
It's when she puts her head on my shoulder as I'm leading her that she hooks my heart. And when I am riding her in the arena and she senses that my balance and organization are in sync and she powers up. Like, "You've got it, Denise! Let's have some fun now!"
Terra is half Belgian draft horse and half Thoroughbred. This makes a fine English ride because the style demands a flexible skeleton. Lighter horses do not have the strength in their joints for the fancy stepping and bending exhibited in dressage and other English disciplines.
I'm looking at a Friesian horse that my trainer, Liz, just bought as a project. The Friesian is a light draft horse, most commonly used for pulling carriages, but now gaining interest in dressage. They are sometimes called Black Belgians. Usually glossy black, they have thick frizzy manes, large feet and long, graceful necks with smallish finely-featured heads. These are descended from the war horses of the Middle Ages, stout enough to carry a knight into battle. Romantic, huh? You can see them in movies such as Ladyhawk, The Mask of Zorro, and The Clash of the Titans.
I do think the draft horses are the most beautiful of all the breeds. They are probably the most intelligent and docile of the species. So breeding them with lighter weight types make superb riding horse. This Freisian seems to be the best of both worlds, as I study it. I'm no where near ready to make a purchase, though. It's way too early on my learning curve. I'm watching very closely, just the same.
There is a video that gets circulated every year around the time of the 9-11 attack on the World Trade Center. It was made by Budweiser and features their Clydesdale draft horses. I've seen members of this team at state fairs since I was a little girl, and they have always awed me. I'll set the link here to the 9-11 ad. It never fails to move me deeply. The beauty of the horses, the skill of the drivers and trainers, the draped wagon... and the simplicity and sincerity of the message.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zXZX2sXHYI&feature=related
The love of horses. The man knows the horse. The horse knows nature. And nature knows God. I can't think of a better way to describe what I feel when I'm looking into Terra's eyes.
That this love comes to me at a very trying time in my life proves that He is watching and caring for me.
