What do you think of when I say “magic?” Does the word invoke images of wizards and witches casting spells? Or maybe you see Tinker Bell and hear children chanting, “I do believe in fairies. I do, I do.” Or perhaps you see a magician using illusion to deceive and delight.
I see trees.
When I was 11, we boarded our horses at a facility in Georgia just outside of Atlanta. I still vividly remember the barn, the rings, the pastures, and most of all, the trees.
There were tall pines and oaks and other trees I couldn’t begin to guess at that peppered the property. Instead of bare grass fields, horses roamed through lightly wooded pastures, snoozing in the shade and basking in the light dancing through the leaves.
At the back of the property was a large line of trees. You would walk behind the ring, which was elevated on a small hill, and the path would turn down. On either side were pastures full of horses. If you continued down that center path you would find yourself at a wall of trees, dense and seemingly impenetrable. That is, until winter, when the bare skeletons revealed the unassuming cul-de-sac just beyond.
I would get chills every time I looked at those trees. I knew that if I walked down that path and pushed my way through the trunks I would emerge on the other side, not in the cul-de-sac of the subdivision but instead into a land filled with magic and adventure.
There are very few times in your adult life where you possess this same level of absolute certainty in the reality of magic. The most reliable way I have found to recapture it is on the back of the horse.
Here are two of my favorite scenarios: Cowboy and I are on trail, walking and trotting along the packed earth. I imagine we are on a long quest, that we are partners working together to accomplish a mighty and noble mission. This is his favorite scenario.
Sometimes, though, we need to do ring work. When we do, I put on some of my favorite epic music and imagine we are warriors training for battle. Why is it important that he stop quickly and turn before cantering off? Well, on the battlefield, successfully accomplishing this maneuver can be the difference between life and death.
A friend told me recently that she found herself drawn to horses because as an adult there were very few opportunities for her to get her hands dirty and play. This resonated so deeply with me.
It is of vital importance that we engage our inner child, for she is not some shy and quiet creature happy to sit in the corner in silence. She is a mighty warrior, galloping on horse back. She is a noble queen, riding her steed on parade through her queendom. She is an adventurer constantly in pursuit of magic.
Answer her call.
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