The story behind the story of “War Horse” is how author Michael Morpurgo came to write from the horse’s perspective. First, in 1975 he had a conversation with a veteran of WWI in a pub. The veteran told him about his experience with horses during the war, how he would feed the horses and spend time talking to the horses because he felt he had no one else with whom he could talk. That conversation started Morpurgo’s research into the history of horses during WWI.

The second piece of the puzzle came as Michael and his wife opened a center for children to come from the city to their farm outside of London to experience life on a farm for a week. One time a young boy came to spend a week with them but the teachers let them know this one boy would not speak and not to push him or he would become hysterical. Toward the end of the week Michael found him in the stables talking to a horse telling her of his days activities and hopes and dreams. It was then that he knew the perspective of his story must be told through the war horse’s eyes, listening to the hopes and fears of all those who took care of him. He saw the magical connection between man and animal and understood the power of transformation this connection can make.

Michael wrote this book over 30 years ago and has only sold a few thousand copies a year but it seems that now is the time for this story to be told. I don’t know about you but I will be in line somewhere when this movie comes out.

If you go see this movie this Christmas season Please come back and leave a comment.

Why do we have horses?

I think for most of us, at least those of us that abide by natural horsemanship, we have horses in our lives because of the connection that is possible. It is that interconnection that causes us to have horses. Somehow it makes us feel better.

Kind of mushy… but you know what I mean.

What is that connection, that mystical bond we seek? I think that this bond has different facets for each one of us. For some it could be as simple as a connection to another living being, to others a deeper connection to oneself and for others it’s a spiritual connection to nature. I don’t know what it is for you, but I do know that for most of us this connection is not a means to something more but an end in itself. And that’s why the idea of relationship rings so loud in our ears.
If your relationship with your horse is simply a means to an end then your horse becomes a tool to further your own ambitions or an extension of your ego. When we use our horses to further what we want then I’m not sure that we can call that a relationship. Maybe an association would be more appropriate.

Ok I’ll get off my soap box…

Sometimes I get a little carried away.

Recently I heard an idea that “relationships are emotion intensifiers”. They are the place where we feel our deepest, most intense emotions. Although this was directed toward human relationships I believe it holds true for our relationships with our horses and other animals as well. We feel the deepest hurts and the greatest joy in our relationships along with a whole range of feelings in between.

I found this video and I think it embodies all I have been trying to say. This clip is a story about a relationship two young men had with a lion. Many of you may have seen this but I just discovered it and it moved me enough to share it with you.

Enjoy and please leave a comment about how a relationship with an animal has impacted your life.