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A Day in The Life
© Marta Towne
Feb 9, 1999
I love the smell of horse manure in the morning! I happen to live in the middle of a horse pasture, so when I open the door in the morning, the first thaing that assails my nose is horse manure. I once walked into a barn with my mother and exclaimed, "Mmmmmm, smells like home," she was not amused and wasted no time in informing me that her home NEVER smelled like manure! But the fact remains, when I smell horse manure, steaming in the morning coolness, I know I am home. My horses make me feel at home. All I have to do is feel a velvety nose against my cheek, or feel a strong shoulder brush against my back to know that all is right with my world.
As some of you know, January 24, I was in a very bad auto accident. Another car came over a hill in the middle of the road and hit me broadside, forcing me off the road, over a culvert and airborn into a cow pasture. My car flipped 3-4 times, the driver's door was torn off and my seatbelt was ripped apart alowing me to be thrown from the vehicle. Unfortunately, at some point, my left arm was rolled over on and badly injured. My little 9-year-old daughter was riding in the back of the car with a Lhasa Apso I had just picked up as a rescue. My daughter's arm was broken, and we both suffered bad bruising and cuts, along with my mangled arm, but we are alive. You have only to see that vhicle to know beyond any doubt that Angels exist. After a few days in the hospital, I was allowed to come home, and guess what the first thing I saw when we pulled into the driveway? If you said the horses, you are 100% correct. All of the horses, my two, my daughter's one and my mom and dad's five met us at the gate to my house. They were not pushy at all, as a matter of fact, they were more careful with me than most humans had been. Gentle nuzzles, soft breaths in my hair, and a feeling of love so strong I could almot physically see it surrounded us. People say horse are "dumb animals." I disagree. Horses are far more intelligent that we give them credit for, and far more intuitive. Not once did any one of the horses, including my parent's not quite yearling, get rough, or forget I was injured. They escorted me to my door and everytme I went out to go across to my mother's house for something, they would team up and one or more would walk on either side of me to the gate. If I fell, they formed a protective circle around me. As a matter of fact, twice, a horse actually stood over me, protectively, while I found my balance. Both Phanze, my gelding's full sister and a wonderful mother, and my almost 3-year-old mare, Reena, guarded me as I lay on the ground trying to find that elusive balance. The horses acted as walkers at times, giving me the quiet, undemanding support I so desperately needed those first difficult days.
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The copyright of the article A Day in The Life in Horses is owned by Marta Towne. Permission to republish A Day in The Life in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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