Centaurs?

If you need to brush up on your mythology, the Wikipedia page on centaurs covers the basics.

The basic idea though, is of human & horse as one. Now, I'm a die-hard SF&F fan, and come from the point of view that all myths, legends and fictional stories come from some sort of truth. That does not mean that I think the Roswell Alien is real - I've been to Roswell, New Mexico, and it does little to inspire belief, though I will argue that something happened in Roswell to spark the stories. My point of view explained, without ranting, I'll return to my subject. Centaurs.

I will hazard to say that the half-human half-horse myth was started by the simplest of things: a horse and rider.

Today I would like to propose the Centaur as a metaphor, which I know has been used before, but I'll use it again, because it simply works.


Duo corpora unum mentis. Two bodies of one mind.

Don't knock the cone over! (It didn't fall.)

For anyone who has never ridden a horse, or has and never experienced it, I feel truly sorry for you. Quite simply, it is what I live for. It is not, however, something you can experience with a few attempts, it is an intangible, unteachable thing that takes a devotion that cannot waiver.

Sometimes I lose touch with that. In 2009 I retired my best friend, and mount since 1998. I ride him occasionally, but never again can I experience that feeling of true oneness that comes when your combined actions require no thought, no cues. It is a truly magical thing to know someone so well as to not require any communication at all, to simply work together, two bodies with one mind. The sad thing is, as much as he wants to work, to compete, he is aging, and there is no turning back the clock.

May '09

At times I have despaired of never having a partner like that again, at times I have had brief flashes of it with other horses, but never a level of communication that required no thought. I've bounced from horse to horse since Aug '08, and found no peace.

Then, about a month ago, I pulled my five-year old, home-bred Appendix Quarter Horse stallion off break. I don't know what happened, but it was like that wall that was between our minds has melted away. We've had all kinds of issues over the last year and a half, though I always enjoy riding him. It wasn't until this past Saturday that I realized what was happening the last month.

We are learning to speak each others language. He is a very intelligent horse, and learns from his mistakes (I'm realizing). He also gets very frustrated when I micro-manage him, which I've had a very hard time understanding. Now that I see it, I'm starting to open my ears and listen. Leonidas wants to work as a team, not as a rider and horse.

So, centaurs a myth? Perhaps. But I'll stick with the metaphor, unless I'm working on some SF&F of course.

And when I let go of my inhibitions and ride...

Duo corpora unum mentis.