The Horse

It's spring time in Oklahoma and that means baby animals. I was very fortunate yesterday to drive the motor-home into a small town called Buffalo, where a brand-new colt was waiting just past the town sign for me to meet him. The other horses paid me no mind, but that little guy saw me coming and walked right over to the fence to meet me. He was so little! You're probably thinking “Duh” and his mom was probably thinking “thank God” but I just couldn't believe how tiny he was. One of the stable guys walked by and said, “Yep, he's just ten days old. We can't believe how friendly he is.” He was a bit hesitant to let me touch him, but was totally interested in touching and tasting me. He chewed on my hands, nibbled my fingers, rubbed my cheek with his finger-like muzzle. Tried as he could, his little jaw just wasn't strong enough to bite through my skin, but he did lick whatever salt was on my hands off. He did eventually let me rub his muzzle and forehead a bit. He enjoyed having his neck scratched for a few minutes though he clearly didn't get the concept of “petting” yet. Such a baby. He didn't know to be afraid, was too little for treats (he didn't understand why his mommy was so happy to get an apple from me), and fell over when trying to carefully sit down. His tall legs and tiny muscles just weren't strong enough or coordinated enough for him to sit down gracefully and he teetered right over. His eyes were all wide with fear but I just laughed. His mom stiffed him and then snorted as if to say, “Nah, you're fine. Just a little ridiculous.” The colt's little tuft of a tail barely kept the flies off him, but it was so adorable that my mom and I had to take a picture of it. I probably took more pictures of him than anything else on the trip. It was just so cool to play with that little baby. As I've mentioned before, I've never been great with human babies, but with animal babies, I can't be pulled away. I can't believe something so cute could exist. I certainly couldn't have designed something so cute nor do I think any mortal being could.

He was also so big compared to a human baby! Yes, he was tiny compared to his mom, and his back didn't even come up past my hip, but he was so much more sophisticated than a human child. True, he was awkward and teetered about, but human babies take months before they even learn to crawl! While ungainly, he already had the look of an athlete- strong legs, massive hindquarters, square and chiseled face, plump pecks- even as a baby he had a gorgeous, adorable, little body. This little guy could focus on your movement, call for his mommy, walk about, and was even curious of other beings.

Animals have a certain understanding of the world that people just don't get. To them, the viewpoint is pretty simple, but to us, it's complex. The colt and his mom just “got” something about their existence that I will never find. You can see it in their eyes, the way they snort when dismissing something as irrelevant, and the way they turn away from you to get back to their own lives (not at all bothered by the fact that you weren't done with them yet). People might call it ignorance- they're stupid so they're not bothered by what they don't know, but I don't think that's true. I think they already know the answer, so they keep calm and just carry on. Horses especially, seem to have this wisdom and majesty about them. Evolution was kind to the horse. I think God gifted them to us to, not only to use them as tools, but to observe and learn from their gentle demeanor, great power, and intelligence.