FROM: Cindy Furse
PST
Words fail me. This (the big black) is Tesla, and he LOVES to run. Tesla, his buddy, Hawk (the tall appy), and I ran, yes ran, 12 miles, 6 legs last night. How can I explain the sheer time traveling magic of galloping galloping galloping through the Utah desert, on a fast horse drinking the wind, tears streaming down your cheeks, because yes it is fast, and the cool moon air burns a little…hooves and breath and heart pumping and mochila slapping in rhythm, effortlessly, effortlessly, effortlessly…. starting with breathtaking sunset over the rock-walled Simpson Springs station, saddled horse dancing pawing snorting fretting as he hears the pony drawing near, he knows it means run stretch out fly, and he’s ready before it gets here … struggle (no, it’s not always graceful) the heavy mochila (hey, it’s got your mail inside), up over the saddle, swing up, turn West, let him out… just let him go… it’s a low, full moon teasing out from behind the clouds, blue white light on white blue ground, horse shadow dancing full size through the sagebrush beside you … one ride, two, three, these horses are so strong, so begging to run, four, the moon is low on the horizon again, and the blue light is starting to orange up, five (this picture is ride 5) is golden, impossibly golden, and the running horse shadow leaping beside us is on our other side now, dark golden on the now-gold ground … and finally ride 6, Hawk picks up the mail from Patsy and her big black, and runs it the last mile or two into Ibapah, romping and whinnying like the youngster he is. How can I explain this magic? Let me tell you, actually, how the night all started … yes, the mail came in to Simpson Springs a little late, and our little team of 9 riders (half our usual for this big desert ahead, that’s why I had both horses) was all pulling out in our rigs as the sunset was so gone and the moon was just up … hardly out of Simpson Springs, a thundering herd of wild horses, mustangs, easily a hundred and more, came galloping, running, full out crossing the road just in front of my rig, leaping through my headlights… had to stop and wait and watch in awe for many breaths as they ran in a swirling cloud of desert dust, backlit by the full moon, with my horses screaming at them from the trailer …
Photo Credits to Jamie Marvadakis (thank you!).