My Soul Mate!
When talking to people who have had horses for many years and many horses, they always have one they remember, one that felt like their soul mate. For me, it was Mackay. I’ve often thought about writing a book about him, but it never happened. Now maybe the time has come, with AI and all 🙂 Because he truly is a horse worth remembering, not just for myself but also for all those who have had offspring after him. He was born in 1979, and I bought him in 1980. I had dreamed of such a horse since I was little and I had owned a few horses before I found him. He was by Pegasus-Elektron and had that wonderful golden color that I’ve bred for a whole lifetime 🙂 Today, I don’t want to write much about him personally, but having a soul mate in a horse is an experience I hope everyone can have the opportunity to experience. It has nothing to do with how much you achieve together, but that you understand each other and have fun together. I didn’t even understand that myself at the time, which resulted in me selling him when he was 11, but luckily, I got to buy him back 1.5 years later, and that’s a bit of what I want to talk about today. Horses are bought and sold, and I’ve been in the industry myself. It’s a big deal to own a horse, and some don’t have the patience needed to train and take the time to get a good horse. Because what we call a good horse is a horse that understands you, that you can feel safe with, and that you can develop together. I had fun with my Mackay. He was with me at High Chaparral and learned not to be afraid of anything. I trained him, I rode him in hunts, dressage, jumping, and much more because he was also used to traffic. Then I realized that I had to be good at something; I couldn’t just keep fooling around. I had to perform because that’s what so many had told me. I enjoyed riding dressage, and Mackay enjoyed it too, until he had to go into the arena alone. He was a stallion, and very stallion-like, so he couldn’t stand leaving all the lovely mares when it was competition time. As long as I was in the warm-up area, everything was fine 🙂 I didn’t want to castrate him either because he had such nice offspring, and I didn’t know how he would be as a gelding. Everyone told me to castrate him or buy another horse because he would never be good as a dressage horse. When you’re young, you have ambitions, especially when reminded all the time, so I bought a dressage horse. I convinced myself that Mackay felt neglected because I didn’t have as much time for him anymore, so I sold him. I focused on dressage and learned a lot, but there was a bit of conflict within me when I was soon to enter the classes where you had to use a double bridle. I thought it was awful to put so much in the horse’s mouth, and the fun disappeared. I also thought everything was getting boring when you had to sit and refine all the exercises, train, and just think about getting to the competition. My new horse was talented and nice, but it wasn’t a horse that I knew inside out, and he had his own opinions. It was my own choice but influenced by many, and I realized that what I had done didn’t align with my heart. As I said, I was allowed to buy back Mackay, and he stayed with me until his death at 28 years old. Today, I help others reconnect with their hearts and understand their horse and have fun with it. I think that’s where it can go wrong. You put too many demands on yourself, you want to show how good you are when you’ve been riding for a few years, and you forget to have fun. Everything has to be so serious, so you become stiff, sour, and stressed. Listen to your horse, have fun with it, and get to know it inside and out, then you can trust each other, and then maybe it can become your soul mate 🙂
