It's difficult to find words that accurately convey or do justice to the impact that a firsthand experience can have on a person. Be it the moment of terrifying freedom you feel as a child riding your first bike without training wheels or the steady hand of a parent behind you...or the moment of sudden breathtaking beauty you witness after summiting a mountain...or even the gaping feeling of loneliness when a loved one passes away. Although they may eloquently describe those moments in time, they never seem to measure up to having that firsthand experience yourself. I can't help but think of the current vision insurance commercial that is on the air right now - the one that claims that words cannot describe the beauty, the fullness that your eyes bring to life. That is, unless you have experienced any of those things even once. The moments that have left us profoundly impacted stay with us long after the scene, feeling, or space in time is gone.

I do my best to describe the work at People Helping Horses in a way that does justice to the impact the experiences there have had on me. Yet I know that the words may be lost more on some than on others. That is why I hope that the stories we share - stories of horses brought back from the brink of death, horses fighting for a second chance - will inspire those who have not yet had a deeply personal experience with a horse, to put themselves in a place and situation where they may.

I don't know from where my deep love for horses really came. Part environmental - my father owned two when I was young - and part personal experience - the exhilirating anxiety I had as a 9 year old, sliding into a saddle resting on the back of a massive Thoroughbred named Stripes - it was a combination of many things that would add up to an undeniable obsession and passion that would never really go away. I've read books that have tried to capture or explain this phenomenon, but the truth is, I'm not sure it ever can be fully explained. Horses are magnificent creatures that have the power to change your life in some way...if you open yourselves up to them.

In the essential horsemanship clinic with Sus Kellogg last month, Sus and Emma helped me to recognize a side of my horse I had no idea existed. This big, stubborn brute had an incredibly sensitive, soft side underneath that was there all along - I just didn't realize it. Months spent burying my shoulder into his, breaking into a sweat while he yawned and chewed away, just to get him to move a few inches in the cross ties were all in vain. After a few minutes, I learned that I didn't even have to touch him before his skin began to twitch and quiver as I neared his shoulder with one finger and he stepped to the side. I looked up at Emma slackjawed and dumbfounded, as she nodded knowingly. "He's so incredibly sensitive."

I've seen things like that and I've read about them before. And I'm one of the first to be found sitting on the side, weeping at the beauty of those experiences. But it was an entirely different thing to have the experience myself. Any trainer could take my horse and discover these details on their own - but during those two days, it was up to me to learn and really feel them myself.

I don't imagine everyone will read or see these things and be immediately changed in their perspective on horses. I spent over a year sharing an office with a beloved coworker who, for the life of me, I could not woo, convince, or sway over to the side of being a die-hard animal lover. She just wasn't raised to have that kind of appreciation or passion. But what my words could not seem to do on their own merit, I imagine a deep personal experience may have.

The horses at PHH come with so many stories. Although we may never know the exact details of their background and history, much can be learned from spending time with them and opening ourselves up to having an experience. Much like the thrill of that first bike ride, many have experienced a life-changing joy on the back of a horse. If the work we do in horse rescue can influence even one person over to the side of the horses - and all they have to offer - then it is time well-spent.

As for me, I'll continue to soak in the joy, heartache, frustration, and exhiliration that these animals bring with an open mind and heart. I don't imagine I'll ever be disappointed.