I miss my horses sometimes.  Going on trail rides for hours on end with nothing but me, my friend, and our horses.  Dancer was always so kind and fun, always behaved herself but didn't hold back when it came to splashing in the water hole or prancing in the wind.  Fakur was a character too, his cute Icelandic face and that tolt he sported was great, and he was the best at opening and closing all of the gates.  I didn't even try, I just let him do it 'cause it was the cutest thing I've ever seen a horse do.  Ever since that friend passed away last February, I haven't been on the back of a horse. I can't bring myself to.  I miss Dancer and Fakur, but I miss Sandra more.  It's hard sometimes, knowing that our friendship was just beginning to bloom when her life was cut drastically short.

My photography helps me be close to horses when I can't be.  I call myself a messenger, sent to show others the natural beauty of these animals through my eyes.  I give no credit to myself, I simply take the picture. It is the horse who does the work, who perks his ears and gazes across the track to something beyond the sight of a mere human, or who lowers his head into the wind and runs for the sheer love of running.

Another thing that gets me through a life without horses is a simple game.  I play several games online and on game systems such as Xbox and Playstation, but none hold a candle to this one.  This one...has an air about it.  Close friends, good racing, fun gatherings, and thrilling auctions and contests...it sends chills down my spine every week to log in and see that my horses have done well, or I've won a horse in auction that I've wanted for a long time, and that other players have bred their mares to my own stallions.  This week, I won a big horse in auction, the unbelievable Horse Of The World, Makybe Diva.  For those who don't know her, she was Australia's legend who won three Melbourne Cups in a row.  A horse to rival Phar Lap, she was unstoppable.  And not only that, another horse I had won in auction, Nitakupiga, won her first Grade 1 stakes.  Ironically, "Nita" is a game-bred daughter of Makybe Diva, by another Australian champion Lonhro.  You see, we have real mares and real stallions that we breed together to make foals that we can raise ourselves.  Kind of a "what could be" situation.

This game is the only one I could find to help fill the void that a life without horses has left. For many years it has helped me to learn about horses and racing as well as about friendship, teamwork, graciousness, and yes even rivalry.  When times are at their worst, and I want nothing more then to run to the barn and wrap my arms around a warm equine neck, I come online and talk to my friends on this game 'cause they know and understand exactly how I feel.

[link] if you're curious.  It's free to play, the only requirement is an undying love of the equine.