If you have ever been to a horse show you understand all too well the concept of hurry up and wait....
Hours are spent bathing, grooming, and prepping for just a few shorts minutes actually spent riding in the show arena. It is an expensive sport, it often involves lots of traveling, it is thought of as dangerous, and it can be very time consuming.
As a mother of a child that has been in love with horses all of her life I sometimes wonder why I put myself through all of this? Surely there are other sports she would enjoy. Sports that actually have a precise starting and finishing time. Sports that are less dangerous. Sports that don't require carrying pockets full of treats and a poop shovel everywhere I go.
And then amidst the chaos I catch a glimpse of my daughter and her pony through the bars on the stall door. They are sitting in silence together while the world swirls around them. Quiet, familiar, and patient. And the mutual respect and trust that for a moment is just theirs takes me to a place that only a few are ever privileged enough to go. Into the heart of a giant animal that loves his little girl and gives everything he has to protect that tiny rider..... the safest place on earth.
