Friday, October 1, 2010

The Strength of a Tear

I just finished reading a super book, THE STORY OF BRUTUS, written by Casey Anderson. If you have watched the new National Geographic channel, NAT GEO WILD, you might be familiar with Casey Anderson, the host of EXPEDITION WILD. Brutus is an 800-pound Grizzly Bear, raised by Casey, from birth and lives at the Montana Grizzly Bear Encounter.

One of the most touching stories that I have ever read, was buried deep within this book. Casey was cradling Brutus (then a cub) while bottle-feeding him. He was looking at the cub, nestled in his arms, approximately the size of a loaf of bread. He noticed that Brutus was looking up at him, staring intently and then, he noticed something.....tears were forming in the cub's eyes. Much later in the book, when Brutus is much bigger, he wasn't feeling well. Casey laid down next to his bear and started rubbing his belly, to let Brutus know that he was there for him, to help him feel better. And what do you think happened?

Brutus looked into Casey's face and yes, once again, tears formed in the Brutus' eyes.

That's love....real, live, honest, raw love.

So, when my friend, Marilyn Lang sent me pictures of her mare, Maar Mara, I was looking at the pictures, one-by-one, enjoying the beautiful mare that I was seeing and then, I got to the very last picture.

OH MY GOSH! IT'S BRUTUS!

Do you see it in the picture? There is something about this particular picture that tugged at my heart and reminded me of the experience Casey had with Brutus. I was instantly overwhelmed by a sweetness so powerful, an innocence so beautiful;  it is inviting. I want to jump into this picture and just hug and hug and hug her until my arms ache and I can't hold them up anymore.

Maar Mara is stunning and I noticed so many of the exquisite features that I look for in the head of an Egyptian Arabian Horse:

1) big black eyes
2) large, finely shaped,  delicate, elastic nostrils
3) very dark, heavily pigmented skin
4) a shorter, wider head
5) larger jowls
5) very prominent details of bone and veins

Marilyn tells me that she is an incredibly sweet mare.
"...she would follow you to hell and back for a good scratch on the underside of her neck."
Maar Mara is full sister to our Black Angel, Angelic Noir. Sired by the stallion Zarife El Mansour and out of the Princeton Faaris daughter, SunnyRu Maaroufa.

Maar Mara is a living representation of everything that I have ever wanted in a horse and all that I find in our Egyptian Arabian horse breed. They are far more valuable than we realize...because of what they can do for us, that is, the power they have in changing our lives. These horses love people abundantly and with the right kind of love, kindness and respect, the rewards are immeasurable...off the charts. These horses will help you in your personal growth and gradually, you will realize that you have become a completely different person...a better person...all because of the love of a horse...and of course, a healthy dose of tears.
"No one gets into horses to become a better human being or to find greater meaning in life or to make the world a better place but sometimes, that's exactly what happens."-Rick Lamb, from his book, The Revolution in Horsemanship and What It Means to Mankind