Of my three horses, I am currently focused on Cyra, my nine-year-old Clydesdale cross mare. She has been with us for a year now, and I could not be happier with the way she has come along in her training. When she came to us, she was resistant to canter, did not like going out by herself, and would sometimes be quite disagreeable if I asked her to go somewhere she did not want to go. I am happy to report that all these behaviors are gone, and she has become the perfect trail horse.

I went out last Sunday after church with a group of my horse neighbors, and Cyra and I had a great time together. There were five of us in our group, and not once did Cyra complain about what I was asking her to do. She was not bothered when we headed out of the barn alone. She was polite with the other horses. She gave me three really nice walk canter transitions. In short, she was a pleasure to be with. Her good spirits combined with the pleasant company and the magnificent day all made for wonderful couple of hours in the saddle.

Between my work at Riding To The Top, RTT (where I teach riding to disabled children) and my time at my own barn, a great deal of my week is spent around horses. I have always had a deep respect for horses, but that has grown in the past six years since I left teaching at the Gray-New Gloucester Middle School and began working for RTT. I have gotten to know the 15 horses that are currently in my life quite well. They are all unique individuals with their own strengths and weaknesses just like my human friends.

There are some major differences, however. My equine friends are always "in the moment." They never judge their human friends. They may disagree, but there is an honesty in those disagreements that is sometimes lacking when humans disagree. They are content to be still when stillness is appropriate. They are equally willing to run like the wind when asked nicely. They generally adapt to change much more smoothly than people. I could go on, but I will stop there.

Do I prefer the company of horses to that of people? To be truthful, sometimes I do. I have leaned much from my equine friends over the years just as I have learned much from my human friends as well, but the lessons that I take away from my time with horses seem to be simpler and more easily learned. I am honored that these large animals trust me, allow me to sit upon their backs and use them in my teaching, and they rarely complain about all that I ask of them. So as the weather continues to slide into fall, I will continue to share it with all of my friends, equine and human, and be grateful for all of the love, trust and pleasant company that I am blessed with in my life. milajuno@aol.com