An Arabian Mare Can Touch My Soul

Summer has arrived down here in North Carolina, and so far this is the type of summer I remember from decades ago, HOT, MUGGY, and with many afternoon thunderstorms. Within a minute of stepping outside the sweat starts, and unless there is a breeze the modern summer tech fabric shirts and tights do not work very well. At least we are not in a drought this year, a welcome change resulting in plenty of hay and with other crops doing well. We had a hard freeze earlier in the spring that hurt the winter wheat, peach and blueberry crops, but with the plentiful rain everything else looks like it is thriving. The gnats are a veritable plague, but the hard biting horse flies have yet to appear. Dousing the face masks with Off Deep Woods seems to help the horses against the gnats, but they still buzz around annoyingly, trying to get into my ears and eyes. Due to the heat I have to ride at 8:00 AM instead of 9:00 AM, it is a little cooler but the humidity is brutal and as soon as the sun comes out the temperature starts soaring.

Due to my husband's business schedule I had not been able to ride Mia the past three weeks, and I was getting to really missing that mare. This week I managed to ride her on Thursday and I was very glad to see her again! As usual Mia really enjoyed her grooming, people passing her always remark at how much she shows her pleasure. By the time we tacked her up Mia was pretty pleased with her world. Ever since I started wearing my silicon full seat tights Mia has decided that she prefers my Pegasus Butterfly saddle over all the others I have used on her, she really likes that she can stride out without the top of her shoulder blades coming up against the points of the saddle. Previously she had objected to this saddle because I could not keep it centered on her back no matter how tight the girth was, but now, with my increased security in the saddle, Mia has stopped “cussing me out” in horse while I ride her. Nowadays, instead of having to tighten the girth once or twice after I start riding, the saddle stays stable as the girth loosens from my weight in the saddle. She also greatly appreciates my Wellep three piece snaffle combined with my rainbow reins, as I use the different colors on the reins to make sure that my hands are even on them, which straightens out my seat. Since the bit has a three piece mouth she can center the bit in her mouth and keep it stable on her tongue. Mia has not objected to my hand aids at all since I got my new bit and reins. To her, I am FINALLY riding her correctly.

After I mounted, Mia's right hind “gave” a little bit when it started to push. I immediately got up into two point so my weight was concentrated over the strongest part of her spine and had her walk around the ring until her right hind felt stronger. I find that if I get up into two-point at the first sign of distress from the back or hind legs, and I concentrate on establishing the swinging of the hind legs at the walk, the horses often resolve the discomfort on their own. After one time around the ring Mia let me sink onto the saddle, as long as I kept my seat as far forward in the saddle as I could and I kept my weight off my seat bones. I do not mind doing this though it is hard on me to keep up in two-point at the beginning of my ride, because over the years I have come to Mia several times while having an MS exacerbation, uncoordinated, unbalanced, and mentally distressed. Each time Mia took care of me so I had a nice ride and I got off of her being able to walk on my own two feet MUCH better than I could before I mounted her. I owe this mare big time for this, and the least I can do is to make it easier on her when she is having some difficulties. After several minutes of me riding in a “crotch seat,” her legs and back got coordinated and I was able to sit in the center of the saddle without causing her any difficulties.

I did not trot her. Elderly horses lose condition rather rapidly if they are not worked regularly, and after several weeks of not being ridden I figured that this might be her problem. I might trot her the next time I ride her, it all depends on what I pick up from her about her physical condition. Mia has never “lied” to me about what she can do, and even if she is not fully capable of meeting my demands she tries her best to do everything I ask her to do. I remember the first or second time I rode her, months before I finally found a supplement that really helped her, Debbie asked me to walk her over one pole. Mia back then felt so rickety under me I was not sure if she would do it, but Mia never hesitated and gave it her best even though she touched the pole with each foot. That was the day that I KNEW that Mia had “heart”, that she would try and do what we asked her to even though she hurt and was physically weak. All I can do is not abuse her willingness to obey me and make good and sure that I do not ask her to do anything beyond her physical capabilities that day.

And when we were just standing there resting and looking over the other horses in the pastures I got another moment of perfect happiness. I have owned good horses, and I have ridden on part Arabs mares and geldings, full Arab geldings and two Arab stallions, but I have never gotten this feeling from them. It is like the soul of this Arabian mare is so like my soul that we can communicate perfect happiness to each other. This is why the Bedouin would say, according to Carl Raswan, that “only the night and my mare know me.” Arab mares have this depth of soul that can operate at the same depth as a human soul. This comes only after the human proves to the mare's satisfaction that they, the human, is worthy of this trust and connection. This can take a while, months or years, but once the connection is made it endures unless that human abuses the horse consistently. To me this is a sacred trust, and I value this connection with an Arab mare above all else. It isn't love, it is a much deeper connection than love, it is trust and respect and, most important to the mare, friendship, true friendship that can last for decades.

I love all the horses I ride, regardless of breed or sex. I get into pretty good relationships with the horses I ride, at least they forgive me my many riding faults and mistakes and they do not take advantage of my physical weaknesses. But what I get from Mia, who I ride at the most an hour a week, is so much deeper that what I get from other horses, including my heart horse Hat Tricks who was my first horse, an Anglo-Arab gelding, who taught me to ride, train and how to be a good human being. This is why, if I ever get financially well off enough to afford owning a horse again, I suspect that I will look at many good horses and still end up with an Arabian mare. I just will not be able to help myself, to me Arab mares are the BEST! They are able to communicate with my soul.

Have a great ride!

Jackie Cochran