We owe this species an apology...

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A Christmas many years ago I received the book "The Man Who Listens To Horses" by Monty Roberts. It'd been on my wish-list so I couldn't wait to read it. You know it's going to be a good book if the writer has managed to get your attention in the first chapter... Monty Roberts had me at the dedication. The very first lines in the book even before the prolouge. Here's the words:

DEDICATION

"I could think of no other choice than to dedicate this book to EQUUS: THE FLIGHT OF ANIMAL. It is my opinion that we owe this species an apology for causing it to endure our lack of understanding for thousands of years. Equus has been my teacher, my friend, my provider."

The book is a wonderfully moving account of how he taught himself to 'talk' with horses and thereby learnt how to make a horse freely 'join up' instead of subjecting it into join up by force. I believe the pure beauty of his accomplishment lies in the fact of all the hours, days, weeks and months just sitting in a field observing horses. Imagine being able to eliminate all other noise and focus on something so completely. That kind of undivided attention is bound to deliver up some profound wisdoms.

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