h is for horses

I love horses. I always have.

I love their energy, their smell, their soulful eyes and quiet hearts.
When I was young, I drew horses on everything. I was obsessed as only young children can be (that is, without it being labelled a mental illness).  I learned to ride on my dad's old ranch horses.

I don't know if I can really describe that feeling. The connection between the rider and the horse - the feeling of a common goal with an absolutely honest spirit, one willing to carry you along so that you might feel the wind on your face and the power under your hands - that connection is exhilarating.

Horseback riding is an effective form of self-therapy, for me. It's nearly impossible to be unhappy on horseback. (It's also good exercise, as I recently learned!)

In ways, there's a strong parallel between horseback riding and motorcycle riding, which has a similar exhilaration.

Yes, I do have a point. And yes, I'm getting there.

With all this love of horses, I haven't drawn or painted one since... well I don't know how long. Since I was very young. And, while I once had a strong interest in following a path with Epona, over time that faded into the background, obscured by the activities of more involved entities.


Last night, I completed a painting that had me stumped for several months because it was of a horse. I didn't want to even start it for the longest time. I had this vague notion that I would never be able to do justice to the spirit of a horse, and so I didn't even want to try. I don't do realism in my paintings, generally. In fact, I remember the one, single painting I have ever done that attempted a realistic feel. It was in high school. I painted a raven on a cross, foreshadowing a bloody orange sunset. The raven's feet were the most difficult part. They took days. It actually turned out rather well, in my opinion, but I just haven't gone that route again. With the painting I did last night - a pegasus - I didn't want a realistic scene (seriously, those have been done to death in the world of horse art), but I did want to capture the feel in such a way that some small doses of realism were necessary. In the end, I enjoyed the challenge.


Better yet, the end product inspired me to seek Epona again. It's time to talk to the Journeyer.

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This blog post was brought to you by the Pagan Blog Project and the letter H.