Run with me, Friend

I put my foot in the stirrup, swinging into the saddle and pulling Lily around when she tries to wander off without my direction. Looking back to the bridge I'd had to lead her across, I shake my head at her. "Yeah, like you were actually afraid," I say to her. All she does is snort in response, obviously pleased with herself. Smiling to myself, I urge her into a walk along the dirt path. After an hour of slow, leisurely trail riding I can feel her need to run, a need that is building inside me as it does her. We've been horse and rider for long enough that we can read each other almost perfectly; each of us knows that we're thinking the same thing. Although she pulls at the bit and her muscles tense, she respects my command and remains in a walk. I almost wonder who gave her the sedative; she's too much like me: stubborn, independent, and has a mind of her own. Maybe that's why we work so well together at the same time we clash in an almost constant battle of wills, because we are one and the same. As the dirt path rounds a corner it reveals an enormous open field of short, green grass. Her ears prick up and I can feel her body tense to run. At the same time my own body tenses, and I lean forward in anticipation of the acceleration that will come in a split second. She takes my cue in stride and leaps forward, her muscular body flowing forward in a magnificent display of power. In a matter of seconds her legs are extending as far as they will reach, working as fast as they can to gain speed. The ground rushes by beneath us, the wind stings my eyes, our bodies moving in a perfect motion; never once do we fall out of balance with each other. As we speed across the field I loop the reins over the horn and extend my arms to the wind, tilting my head back and closing my eyes, letting the incredible feeling overwhelm me. I can hear her hooves beat steadily against the ground, can feel her powerful body moving with mine, adrenaline taking over both of our bodies. I laugh out loud, the wind still rushing by us, the ground disappearing under us. She never slows, but only gains speed. This is where our spirits are at the epitome of their essence, this is where they thrive, this is what feeds us. There is nothing like it in the world, and as I open my eyes again I know we are thinking the same thing: freedom. The world is ours for the taking.