But for music, I enjoy great photography more than any art form. I am constantly fascinated by why we are drawn to various horse poses. Some are obvious. A picture of a running mustang symbolizes freedom and touches everything in us that wants to leave the constraints of this life behind. A picture of a solitary mustang standing still, but alert, symbolizes confidence and nothing symbolizes power more than the ubiquitous pictures of stallions fighting.
Those pictures show what we want to be.
I am drawn to a much smaller class of photos of horses and humans together. Sometimes a rare shot is taken in which the horses facial expression mirrors that of the person with him. These pictures show the oneness of the horse/human relationship. These pictures demonstrate the Dorrence concept of Unity.
These picture show what we want to feel.
These pictures are rare. They would make a great book, not just for their beauty but for what they show about horse training. This is one of my favorite horse pictures of this genre. Not only are their bodies syncronized, more stikingly, their hair is.
The picture is not misleading. Joseph was an experienced, highly impressive horse who was not tightly bound to any other horse in the herd, or to any other person. Though he lived in a herd he found lonliness as easily as other horses found grass. His prescription to treat his lonliness seemed to be to seek even more time as a solitary horse. He was in a herd but did not belong to one.
For a time before Emily came back home to Norfolk he was rarely ridden at all.
She changed all that. She rode him all the time and rode him every where. She smiled at the sight of him and he became contented in her presence. She was already a solid rider but Joseph made her a better rider. He was a good horse but she made him a happy horse.
And being happy is about the best thing one can shoot for, be they horse or human.
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