I Follow the Trail: Equestrian Trails

Mysteriously meandering,

Long-winding,

Often unknown equestrian trails,

Cautiously interspersed

Throughout the gently-rolling countryside,

A delightful part of a virgin wilderness.

Equestrian trails often lie hidden,

In among the light and deep shadows

Cast by tall trees,

Untouched by human hands;

Equestrian trails,

Seldom found,

Or traveled by tourists;

Each equestrian trail

Reveals a different tale.

Numerous, deep indentations,

Individual hoof prints,

Penetrating the damp ground,

Soft sand or peat moss;

Only the horse's hoof prints are visible.

What tale do they tell?

The rider leaves few,

If any footprints,

No clues.

The horse's hoof prints

Reveal the truth

About the horse and its rider,

As well as their journey

Along equestrian trails.

The memory of the rider,

Their journey through the forest,

May be embedded forever,

Locked deep within

The recesses of the rider's mind;

At times, it is erased forever.

Tell-tale hoof prints

Ever come and go;

Each one depicting the unique personality

Of the horse and its rider.

To which unique pathway,

Is each horse and rider

Ultimately destined?

One might ask.

No one really knows.

Only time will tell.

Ideally, love reigns through the reins,

Held firmly in the hands of the rider.

The love of the rider for his or her horse,

Is often unsurpassed.

The love of the horse for its owner,

Or its rider,

Perhaps one and the same,

Truly a miracle of nature.

The truth about both,

Often revealed,

Along mysteriously meandering,

Long-winding, equestrian trails.

"I know that equestrian trail,"

Someone might say.

"I know the horse. I know its rider;

I follow the trail." 

To understand a horse and rider, get to know the equestrian trail.