During the fall, we started to clear the overgrown pasture fences of brush. Thorny briers and invasive bittersweet had taken over sections of the fences, weighing down boards and bending posts. My husband and I had planned to clear up the pile of branches in the afternoon, right after I ran into town to take care of some errands. 

While I was gone, my husband went outside to check on the horses and noticed that Kaylaa, our 20 year old Arabian mare, was running back and forth and circling in the pasture like a mad woman.  When John got closer, he saw that Kaylaa had long brier branches stuck in her tail trailing behind her like the kite from hell.

Upon closer examination, he saw that she had three prickly branches deeply wound into her tail, right up to the dock. Kaylaa’s attempts to rid herself of the branches only drove them deeper into the already tangled hair. Worse, her natural instinct to furiously toss her tail back and forth only added to her panic as she lashed herself with a thorny whip.

 John ran into the pasture, gently calling Kaylaa and telling her to slow down. When she heard John’s voice she seemed to understand that help was on the way. She came to him and stood like a statue holding her breath while John started to untangle the mess. As his hands started to pay the price, he realized that gloves would have been great to have, but knew that if he left them, Kaylaa would have panicked again.

For a half hour, man and horse stood quietly together as John unraveled hair strand by hair strand. When all the brier branches were removed and all the tangles were untangled, John walked to her front, petted her and told her that all was well.  Kaylaa exhaled deeply in the special way horses do when they relax. The rest of the herd who had been panicked by Kaylaa’s panic, now shared in her relief adding their collective sighs to hers.

The story could end here. My message could be, "Be mindful; don’t leave brier branches on the property." However, the truly beautiful part is how this half hour totally changed Kaylaa and John’s relationship.

Previously, Kaylaa had a rather reserved attitude toward John. Now suddenly, she won’t leave his side. In Kaylaa’s mind John had saved her life, and with that a new relationship was born. She shows her gratitude clearly. As I come with the halter to bring her out to pasture, she gives me a look and gives a head nod toward John.  Her choice is clear…

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