Dawn’s Conversation with Gypsy, Thoroughbred mare, age 27 years.
D: What means the most to you in your life?
G: My friends. I have always cherished my friends. I watched my best friend Babe die when her leg broke running up the hill in our pasture. None of us could believe what happened and we all forever remember that tragic day. We had been together since yearlings and then came to SFC together. I also had my friend Bo with me. She was already here at SFC when Babe and I got here, but she was with us as yearlings as well. It was kind of funny that we all ended up spending our lives together. But now I am the last one left. I had a daughter, Mariah, who lived her whole life with me. We were together for 18 years until something went wrong inside of her and she suddenly died. Bo and I took care of Mariah when she went blind a few years before that. We were very good friends. And, now sadly, I have lost my best friend Bo two weeks ago.
Bo left me in charge of taking care of Smiley who also is blind. He now is in Bo’s old stall right next to me and I find comfort with him there. Together, we remember our old friends and also cherish the ones we still have with us. The solidity of our herd is very important to me.D: What is most enjoyable for you in your life?
G: I love being outside in the sun on a cool day with no flies. That is the absolute best. I love to roll in the grass and roll back and forth over and over again and feel the earth against my back. I love to run with my friends. And I also appreciate my stall in the barn too. When I’m tired, I find safety and peace there.
D: What do you dream about?
G: About anything that comes up I guess. I dream of all different things. Not just things like running. I don’t dream about racing. I dream a lot about eating. And I also dream of being with my friends.
D: What is your purpose in life?
G: To live each day looking to see what its about. Its not very complicated really. What is yours?
D: Cute. How about to live each day to see what it is about.
G: That’s too easy, you just copied me.
D: Whose interviewing whom here?
G: Well, I think after all these years together that you know me pretty well. So these questions aren’t very exciting. We’ve explored a lot over the years together. When I first met you, you were still young and head strong. Now you are graying and more calm and centered.
D: Thanks, I can say the same about you too!
G: Yes, you can. So let me tell you what I learned about our purpose in life. Because we both came to the farm around the same time. We’ve kind of grown up together in a way. We’ve shared a lot. You are part of the herd you know. Its not just horses we acknowledge in our group. Sometimes you didn’t own your place in the herd. Sometimes you did. But you’ve always been kind and you’ve always been honest. We like that about you. All of us always trust you to not just care for us but to listen to us. I would say we each learned to listen to our own hearts by hearing one another. The best way to hear your own heart beat is to feel it against anothers’, don’t you think?
D: Wow, that is profound. Yes, that is so true isn’t it?
G: It is what life is all about. When you were young you had a restless heart. You never let it get out for a good gallop. I, on the other hand, galloped a bit too much and didn’t take things seriously enough. I also didn’t want anyone too close to me. You showed me a different way of being. You taught me to coexist with my friends and to open my heart more. You’ve given that to many of us. And as you did so, we watched you set your heart free. The spirit of the horse is to fly in the wind. You don’t need to be on our backs to fly with us. You learned to fly with us in spirit and there isn’t a one of us who holds back in taking you there. That’s what I like about being here. You were going to ask me that question eventually so I thought I’d just answer it. This is a great farm. It is the seat of the heart of the horse. Think about that. That is what you invited in. That is why you can feel the horse spirits gather here sometimes. It is the magic we all created in a space you help hold. You are my friend too, a herd mate, just like Bo. Bo found a wisdom that was very deep within her. She found it by being here on the farm and by being recognized for who she was and nurtured to grow. You helped with that. And now she is helping you too. I feel her around you each night you come to the barn to check on us. You walk with a herd of spirit horses when you come into the barn. They are all working with you, walking with you, and you are flying with them. So, to answer your question, I guess today, part of my purpose was to tell you that.
D: And, today, part of my purpose is to thank you for all you give.
G: All of us on this planet share in this journey. It doesn’t belong to just one of any of us.
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