© 11/2024, By Ariana Strozzi Mazzucchi

The musky smell of the damp earth under my cowgirl boots freshens my wandering thoughts. I wait in anticipation for our old friend, Cari, to arrive back at the ranch. I listen to our horses grazing on fertile ground in the field of my own belonging. Time disappears and only the spider in her tiny web keeps track.

Like many times before, Hallie drives her silver truck up the drive to the ranch, Cari in tow in her big white box. This day is different. The elegant chestnut mare has grown in years, she is thin and tired. Hallie and I, without words, walk Cari down the path to her new field where her old friends, Superman, Ruby, Cowgirl and Lily munch peacefully in the afternoon sun.

We call it a rescue. We call it a homecoming. Tears, smiles, and a whinny or two merge as the horses greet each other and Hallie and I find peace in our hearts. We have rescued, not once but twice, a horse of dignity, a horse with a wild spirit, a horse who has given so much to so many. A horse others may have dismissed long ago, but Hallie’s love for this mare knows no bounds. 

The art of love and patience melded with the endurance of kindness is shed in tears of joy as we partake in Cari’s homecoming. In the days that follow, my heart is fed beyond measure. Each morning, I watch her rest quietly in the shade of an old oak tree, regaining her strength that had been swept away in the harsh winds of yesterday.

Cari has had many lives; a race horse, a jumping horse, a riding horse and to both my and Hallie’s surprise became an Equine Guide in our EGE programs in Valley Ford. When Hallie first brought her to the ranch for our three week programs, I thought she was too spirited to be a good EGE horse. But over time, Hallie found the courage (a good example of 'wonder and wander') to let her out in our fields with the other horses. For the first time ever, Cari could run free on uneven ground and steep hillsides. I have many memories of watching her gallop across the field, just because she could. Free, connected and playful.

*May Cari's 'wonder and wander' trickle into your imagination and inspire hope.

*Photo credit: Ashley Schultz