How horses have changed lives.

Joey of the Blacktail Ranch Herd

Joey showed up at Blacktail Ranch about the same time that horses came into my life, unexpectedly, at midlife. The first time I saw her I had been making my annual pilgrimage to the ranch for over 10 years. I had hiked out onto the land and came on the herd standing and grazing on a green, sloping hillside that gave an expansive view to the south and the Continental Divide. Joey stood out among the herd, first, because of her size. In my limited knowledge of horse breeds at the time I could only determine that she was some kind of work horse. Her appearance grabbed me next; the coal black coat, her immense crest and long wavy mane and tail. As she moved slowly toward me I became aware of her pie plate sized feet. My toes began to curl while I attempted to keep my feet planted, not wanting to move away from her in any way even though some part of me had an urge to step back or aside or maybe bow down. She stopped just before me and began checking me out. We spent time together, her sniffing me and me beginning to touch and scratch her in the places she wanted. We found the spots that needed the most attention for her and I knew I was in the presence of greatness: a big field of love and gentleness, a Mythic Horse Goddess come to earth. She inspired awe, wonder and fear in me all in the same moment.

When I asked Sandra and Tag, third generation owners of the Blacktail Ranch, how she had come to them they shared the story of getting her, a Percheron, from some neighbors for the purpose of being able to offer a trail ride to any large guests that came to stay at the ranch. Her original name was Siri but they felt that wasn’t much of a ranch horse name so changed it. I like to think of Siri AKA Joey as being on a mythic mission to touch and expand the souls of our workshop participants and others around her. For that work she fulfills her name Siri, which means Love.

She has revealed more and more of her Siri nature to us over the last 6 years as she has stepped forward to share her immense energy and presence. At our first equine workshop at Blacktail we were all in the large area of the corral with the herd just adjacent to us in a large pen. There stood Joey with her big head over the fence, watching intently, desiring to be right in the midst of what we were doing. We found that she rarely tired of us climbing onto her back and laying over her full length, facing front or back, opening our hearts to her energetic presence. We have experienced her as we stood in a circle where she came around to each of us in turn, putting her nose to a belly or heart, or standing with one of us for a time. When she finished she would stand at the gate ready to go back to the herd. Several years ago when we showed up we noticed she was playing protector for Hale Bopp, a favorite Paint gelding and Healer/Teacher in the herd who was having a particularly rough time and had a pronounced limp. Things can change fast in a large herd of 35 horses and mules. Joey was running interference for Hale Bopp and would put her body between him and other horses jockeying for position.

She is a leader in the herd, no doubt. We carry a huge amount of gratitude for her and what she brings to our Blacktail experiences. This past summer it was a while before Joey came around when I went up to the pasture to meet my Blacktail Herd friends. She walked right by me and stopped where her huge butt was facing me. She turned to look and I began scratching and rubbing. She dropped her head and accepted the service, gladly given, as her due.

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Julie and Laurie

Julie, my 23-year-old Missouri Fox Trotter mare, has been a wonderful partner for The Eye of the Horse over the past 3 years. She has seen us through many phases of growth and development. Julie came to me by way of my ex-husband and was well known to my youngest daughter who spent some of her teenage years with her. She was the perfect starter horse for me, connecting to these horses so late in life. She was just the right amount of challenge on the trail and calmness on the ground to give me what I needed as a beginner.