Elegant Harmony

A silent whisper and a gentle breeze ran across my face, as I headed into the sunset. How I had missed these experiences. I loved this so much. The feeling of independence and exhilaration overjoyed me during this ride. I had avoided this delighting event for many years. How I could have shunned this, I did not know. This occasion was so much a part of my life.

I tilted my head back, as my hair flowed though the cool crisp air. The sweetness of lilac and dianthus were coming into bloom in the mid of April. My hands were clasped to two tough leather straps that lay between my middle and ring fingers. The tether lightly tugged in a repetitive rhythm. Proceeding down the strips of the leather led to a mouth of fire and two nostrils that bellowed steam. An intense excitement ran though his body, which created the exhaust from his nose, into the frigid atmosphere.

Moving from the nostrils upward following, the coarse black and brown hair came to the beast's high-spirited, glowing eyes. Looking skyward beyond the eyes were twitching triangular ears; flipping steadily forward and backward continually.

I took the leather bands into one hand as I reached forward; I ran my fingers though the long flowing hair that came from the muscular neck. The hair wisped in the wind as I twisted it between my fingers. Right before I sat back in the seat, I carefully tapped the broad robust shoulder of the beast to reassure him that I was still there. Taking the tethers back into my hands, I sat up squarely squeezing my legs around the sides of the animal to urge him to move more swiftly. His feet picked up speed, and soon the wind blasted into my face. The feet hit the ground with an immense force, and the sound of thump-duh dump, duh dump came roaring to my ears.

The long light green-brown grass beat against my legs harsh and unkind. The speed became more rapid, while the pasture soared by in a flash. Running though the field I felt the strength of him between my legs, his gigantic body stretched outward. An obstacle came into view; it was a large wooden gate that was five feet tall and a foot deep. He held his nose up into the air; with eagerness his body shuddered and sweat drenched from his bronzed hair. I tenderly seesawed my hands back and forth to bring his majestic head back down, so he could see the fence. His feet jumped with glee, and his body swayed side to side with each step, the anticipation of the jump captivated him. His nostrils flared, and his large head bobbed up and down with eagerness. I pushed the untamed creature on with the pressure of my calves and heels.

The fence drew closer while the massive animal thrusted forward. The fence looked as if it had become of substantial size the nearer we came. My heart surged with excitement, and the beast also eagerly shuddered his lathered body. We came closer to the vast fence, the strident sound still ringing in my ears, thump-duh dump, duh dump.

The sound then halted as the first two feet pushed off the ground curling up to his strong chest. His head descended, neck almost parallel to the ground. With immense strength his hind legs pressed off the firm terracotta earth. His large body gracefully leaped into the air over the gate.

The instincts of both the animal and me took over, however we still worked together in complete elegance. Joined by our hearts and spirits. I leaned forward slightly standing a few inches out of the seat, but still looking ahead. The air even now blew forcefully into my face, while the surge of adrenaline ran though my body. I had never felt so free. After passing the mid point of the fence the rounded curl in the back of the animal straightened out. When we were coming down I sat back carefully in my seat. The beast landed with the first two feet then the other two. He lunged forward, never missing the rhythm of thump-duh dump, duh dump.