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Escaping Pain and Grieving with Wild Horses


Life lesson: Take a chance. Capitalize on herding and other positive instincts.



My friend was driving me to an event when I looked out the window of her car and saw horses, dozens and dozens of horses in all different colors. They were eating and the desert in which they fed was green with new grass after days and days of rain. The cactus scrub, as tall as the horses, was also verdant. These were the wild horses I hear so much about in the news. No one had seen them in days. When anyone went to look for them in the usual places, they usually saw only one or two. They are a special gift to see, especially in those numbers. It was such a privilege to see these beautiful creatures, so at peace with the world, getting their nourishment in a natural surrounding, instead of in a barn.


My friend recalled an experience she had from a time when she was in a northern state. She went outside one night to look around and saw eyes reflecting back at her. Pausing to determine they were not from a predator, she discovered what was behind the eyes, wild horses. These were not tame horses, they were the wild horses of the plains. One approached a small watering pool and drank deeply. My friend recognized this was a stallion and that he had a white streak down his face. When he was finished drinking, another horse approached the water and drank deeply. This was a mare. When she finished, she retreated and joined the stallion. One-by-one, the remaining members of the herd approached and drank.


Having become accustomed to the dark, she saw multiple groups of horses and when the first group had finished, the same ritual was performed by another and another and another, until all had drunk their fill. Then they all disappeared silently into the night. She did not know where they went and attempts to locate any of them the next day proved fruitless.


That must have been a joy to witness.


I think our behavior, much like the wild horses, is dominated by herd instinct. I want to re-enter life and to do so I must find people, my herd.


I knew the woman who was driving that day from a professional setting. I took a chance that I might experience rejection and called her. She was agreeable to this social interaction. I didn’t need a stallion to take me to the phone, but the herding instinct may have been the dominating motivator in initiating my actions. I am looking forward to further socializing with my new friend on a personal level. A pot of promise.


The wild horses we were so fortunate to see are constantly under attack. Ranchers say they eat all of the vegetation, which their cattle need, relentlessly denuding the flora until it becomes barren. Others say they tear up the ground, leading to loss of habitat for cattle and other creatures. The horses, seen as enemies of the ranchers, are shot and killed or maimed. While they are federally protected, who sees a lone gunman with a rifle who will traverse the length of a football field in search of his prey, wild horses? How do we deter the decimation of the herds?


We are also constantly subject to attack. As is happening every day, lone gunmen are shooting and killing or maiming people. Some target schools, some target malls or other places people congregate. Some are driving into crowds with no specific or singular target. Are those perpetrators visualizing us as a herd to be eliminated or dominated?


As much as I love to see the wild horses, it reminds me of my vulnerability. I have some anxiety when I have to go to the store. Could a crazed person choose that moment to attack a crowd? The wild horses are just doing their thing. Being horses. I have to eat, I have to go to the store. I have to brave the chances.


Wild horses are magnificent creatures to many of us and enemies to others, but what a blessing when we can experience joy in seeing them in their natural habitat and reveling in their freedom. We want to retain and enjoy our freedom also, while continuing to coexist in our special herd.


I did brave the contact to establish a friendship. Herd instinct won out!


There are many positive memories residing in our experiences, with or without horses. We need time for our bodies to recuperate, to escape the pain and grieving we are experiencing. Make the effort to recall such a memory and denote it as a high point in life, then write about it.


I would enjoy hearing from you. I care.


Sincerely,

Lynn Brooke


© 2023 Our New Chances

Photo credit: © 2023 Rachel Gareau



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