Hello dear friends! Emma here, your trusty grey mare with the snow-white mane and tail from the heart of Scotland's Hayfield. Today, I'm sharing my musings about 0717, a year filled with both the familiar routine of work and some exciting whispers of change in the horse world.
It's hard to imagine a life without work, I suppose. I'm a strong, sturdy draught horse, and the farmers here in the highlands have always needed us to till the land, transport supplies, and pull heavy loads. It's our lifeblood, a way to feel a deep sense of purpose and contribute to the wellbeing of our community.
My days start at the crack of dawn, usually with a mouthful of sweet oats and the friendly neighs of my fellow horses as we prepare for another busy day. This year, the spring harvest was bountiful, with the fields brimming with plump barley and oats. I remember feeling the muscles in my legs ripple as I pulled the heavy plough through the rich soil, feeling the sun warm my coat as the earth yielded to my efforts.
But this year was a little different. We've been hearing rumbles of things changing far beyond our Highland home. The wind carries whispers from the distant shores of England, about grand castles and grander horses being bred there, steeds of a swiftness and agility that I could only dream of.
There's a fascination with these horses – "descendientes", as they're called – coming from Spain, with sleek coats and long, flowing manes. People talk about how these new breed are revolutionizing warfare, swift and powerful enough to be the instruments of conquest. It feels distant to us here in our quiet valleys, a world of heavy duty and daily tasks, but it's impossible to ignore the buzz in the air.
Perhaps the most fascinating thing is their training. I hear tales of these descendientes being trained in "dressage", a skill that allows them to dance with their riders. Can you imagine a horse dancing, moving with grace and precision? It sounds almost unbelievable, a concept that goes beyond the simple workhorse life we know. It sets a curious spark in my soul.
I often pause during my long journeys, pulling carts filled with freshly cut hay or bringing in supplies from the nearest town, and think about this. There must be more to the world than just the toil of labor, more than pulling the same cart, day after day. I yearn to explore, to experience the world beyond my usual routines, to discover if there's more to being a horse than being just a tool.
But, even as I dream of these faraway places and imagine my own coat shining in the sunlight of some grand castle courtyard, I know my life is here, in these rolling hills, amongst the farmers and my fellow horses. I am, after all, Emma of Hayfield, a strong and reliable draught horse, and that's a role I carry with pride.
Yet, the wind carries a new kind of whisper these days, a yearning for something more. Maybe someday, the future will hold a new kind of adventure, perhaps not on the battlefield, but in some other form, bringing new knowledge and experience to this sturdy grey mare.
And that, my dear readers, is where my tale of 0717 ends, a year filled with the rhythm of farm life, punctuated by the exciting news of the world outside our borders. Stay tuned for my next blog post, where I might delve into some of those tales I hear, stories of swift steeds and elegant dances that leave a spirited mare like me with a yearning to explore further.
Until next time, my fellow horse lovers!
Love, Emma
