Blessed

Sometimes I wonder what I've done in either this life or a past life to be blessed with the horse I have. Coincidence? Providence? I don't know. She's taken care of me, taught me more than I can say, and been with me through the best and worst moments of my life.

Why? I don't know. I knew nothing when I bought her. Oh, I thought I knew everything, but like all 12 year olds, I was wrong. I knew fuck all and got lucky. Why was I lucky? Again, I don't know.

Every now and then it makes me think. Sometimes I wonder if there's some cosmic "neener neener, fooled you!!!!" lined up for me, or if I've been blessed with good fortune. Or, of course, neither of these things and events unfolded by pure chance.

Cherry is such an awesome horse. She's been with me for about 12 years now, and still as challenging and as fun as ever. Our challenges nowadays are more about hoof trimming and arthritis than riding issues, but that doesn't matter. I don't just coast through horse care, thinking that I know everything and there's nothing new to explore.

Maybe it's her personality, and trust me, she's got that in spades. Nothing boring about Cherry, no matter how broke she may be. My friends laugh at the expressions on her face, and even when she's carting around small children, she's anything from dead and boring.

I guess that's it. She's not boring. Never was and probably never will be. She'll be like one of those old ladies who whack young whippersnappers with their cane and yell at them to get off of the lawn. Not because she truly cares about the lawn, but just because she's old and she can. And she thinks it's hilarious.

I don't know, but something tells me there's a higher purpose for all of this. Lord knows what that purpose is, but I know it's there. I'll discover it eventually. Hopefully. Maybe I'm meant to deal with horses like Cherry, who just need training and a job, but their minds are intact. Maybe Cherry is really some Egyptian princess trapped in equine form (that would explain why she's so damn smart!) who is supposed to learn how to be subservient and "save someone's life" before she can enter heaven. Ha! I've been reading too many fairy tales and drinking too much.

Though it makes me wonder sometimes. Why? Is my awesome horse some kind of reward or some kind of training exercise? Or both? Have I done something to deserve such good fortune or am I supposed to do something with everything Cherry has taught me? Or is this simply confined to this life, and the fruits of all those years of lessons, blood, sweat and tears a well behaved, broke horse?

I forget sometimes, how far we've come. I used to stop Cherry by turning her into a wall and hoping she'd have the sense to stop before barreling into a solid obstacle (she did). Now, I sit back, close my thigh and little and say "whoa".

Maybe Cherry was sent to me (by who, I don't know) to do something for me. Who knows where I'd be without her. Probably much worse off, as there would have been nothing in my life more important than myself and my own good time. With Cherry, I had something to lose when I fucked up. My friends had cars, I could stand to lose my car, but losing my horse? There was no question of that. Of course not, keeping Cherry was more important than keeping myself alive.

I guess it doesn't matter why, how, or wherefore. I'm absolutely blessed to have such a wonderful creature in my life, and whether that is due to Fate, le bon Dieu, or pure chance, I am grateful. Eternally grateful. Cherry has a place in my life until the day she dies, and hopefully that is a loooong way off. I trust to my horsekeeping skills and her Arab pedigree to keep her going for many years to come.

Thanks, to whoever brought this horse to me. It doesn't matter if I never know. Thank you.