Most little girls use dress-up, house, or Barbie doll games to escape from everyday reality, but not me. Ever since I was a little girl, I have always had a passion for horses…they were my escape. Every moment I could be, I was next door playing with my neighbor’s horses. Fascinated, I could stay for hours on end – exploring, investigating, and learning, I loved it!

At first I just marveled at their magnificence. They were tall, strong, and powerful, yet gentle and kind. I began to learn their personalities and I was drawn to them. It was like they were sharing things with me, telling me about themselves. Sometimes I would get so caught up in it that I would begin talking back to them, telling them about my day and my problems. I trusted them with everything…even things that I wouldn’t tell my friends. They were my unwritten journal with a code that no one could ever break, no matter how hard they tried.

Everyday I would visit them. For that moment, I knew I was safe and that no matter what, they were going to take the time to listen to what I had to say, without judgment or criticism…they just listened. Their undivided attention always had a way of making me feel special, and somehow, I knew that I mattered to them. It was like pausing life; only for a brief moment, but it was a miracle. As everyone else raced around us frantically, we stood and talked, sometimes for the whole, luxurious day. There was no job or school or appointment that demanded our time. It was us and that dingy ol’ field, where we could just relax – escape from the chaos and demands of the everyday, hectic world.

To this day, horses are the way I relax. They help me through the trials that I face in my everyday life, and they are the reason that I feel “alive”. Horses are my release from my frustrations and emotional baggage. They make me more carefree and remove all traces of worry from my life, like I was a kid again. More importantly, they are my most trusted friends. They are friends that don’t betray you, that see you through everything…through thick and thin. One thing I know it that they will always have my back.