On March 1st, 2010, my friend Walter and I set off on an adventure with my Arabian horse, Sojourner. I rode Soj across America and Walter drove our little truck (with no trailer). The trip began in Los Angeles, California and successfully ended in Bath, New Hampshire 8 months and 14 days later. It was a 3,700 mile ride.

We rode in celebration of family and as an outreach to those dealing with divorce-related depression.

This ride tells a tale of love in many forms - through the people we meet along the way, our connection with the horse, with the land, and with each other.

As this blog goes on it gets more and more in depth with tons of photos and experiences. Snuggle in with a cup of tea and read this like a book. I have switched the blog around so it reads start to finish so you don't have to read backward (except the first entry).

Here is our story...

I was massaging...

4/9/10


...Soj's muscles while he was lying down and he decided to just lie his head down on my lap and go to sleep. He nestled in and started to dream. His legs were running and he would whinny or kind of mutter every once in a while. Every now and then he would burrow his head more into my lap to get more comfortable. Jordan was off walking somewhere, but Walter was there watching. He was sitting in front of the horse and I was behind as you can see with the horse resting on me. I told Walter to come over by me for a second so he slowly walked behind Soj and laid his head on his stomach, resting his body against Soj's back.
It was cool for me to sit back and see these two important souls that I love so much that are the key to the success of this ride connected like that. It made my eyes watery. Neither of us said anything. Walter just laid with his head on Soj, rubbing him, and Soj breathed heavily. It was perfect. Beautiful. The weight of the connection that is possible if you give it the time it needs to become is awing.

3 comments:

  1. Amazing and awe-inspiring, Linny!

    For those of you who aren't real familiar with horses, this is a HUGE sign of trust on Soj's part. A display of utter trust, really.

    Horses are prey animals. They are hard-wired through millions of years of evolution to be ready to flee danger in a fraction of a second. Seriously. Their reflexes are like a cat's.

    A horse lying down, and especially one sleeping is in its most vulnerable state. It would take two or three seconds to be running full speed. So, horses usually have a lookout to watch for danger. Pay attention the next time you see a horse lying flat out sleeping in a field. There will probably be another horse standing very nearby ready to alert the sleeping horse of danger.

    Although Soj wasn't likely "thinking" about it this way when he took his nap (we don't really know what goes on in their minds for sure), the conditions were so perfectly relaxing to him with Linny and Walter there that he could fall asleep.

    A story like this one is a BIG DEAL deal amongst horse people. In fact, we run to one another to share them most often because we know that our non-horse family and friends, who love us dearly, probably can't fully appreciate the beauty of it. I think my eyes would have gotten watery, too. :)

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  2. Wow, amazing Lin!! I know a little bit how you felt... Last year when Scout was in pasture at my dad's place he was lying on the ground and I could sit by him and even lay down against him. You feel such a connection with your horse at that moment, such a trust between you two, awesome that you could share that amazing moment with Walter and that he could share it with Soj too!

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  3. I have never seen a horse do this. Incredible.

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