Once every two of three nights, I dream of my horse. She left us many years ago now, but she was so present in my life, that she still is in my dreams and probably always will. Somehow, when I dream of her, she gives me confidence and makes me feel calm.

The picture bellow is one rarity taken one evening on our way back from a ride in the woods. At this time of the world, digital cameras were not that common and definitivly not while riding. I must have felt very confident to take my precious camera in the woods. Anyway. These two hears, turned to our future, was my most common landscape in the evenings, everyday of my life during a long time. It is to me a symbol of peace, serenity and calm. We used to ride up to the top of one of these mountains, where there was a natural sand paddock and we worked whatever was on the program at this moment. She was devoted to the exercices and we had a communication just through our thoughts, my weight, my legs. It was unbelievable to feel that I could transport my thoughts to her almost only with the power of a delicate change of my sitting position. We worked maybe 25-40 minutes up there and then, we would ride down the mountain back home in a calm rythm, looking at what was happening in the woods around. We knew every road, every tree, every stone of the forest and animals were not afraid of us. A paradise on earth. During these hours, nothing else existed for me and I would say that it saved me many teenager trouble.

When we got back home, I would look if everything was ok with her, I would clean her place, change her water and prepare her food. During this time, she would stay around – maybe most interested by the menu than anything else- and being curious about my doings. In the winter, she would sleep inside and during the summer, she prefered to be outside, free at night from the aggressions of the flies. She would come and have a kiss and then, I would go home, take my shower and sleep to be ready for another day to come.

To wake her up was not often an piece of cake: the lady was not a morning lady. She would get up, but would be very slow and liked to have her time to strech and look what was happening outside before to begin to move. The routine was quick in the morning, but the pleasure to meet her was huge.

I would go to school, always happy to learn some new things and then, I would do my homework either at school or in the bus in order to be able to ride directly when I came back home. I think this taught me how to be efficient and reach my goals. I really needed this moment of piece and reflexion on her back. Thank you Vasy for the time!