I first came across the idea of reading to horses back in 2007 when I rode a beautiful Appaloosa named Freckles. One day after a dressage session, I had just put Freckles back in his stall and said 'good bye' for the day. As I walked away, I heard him 'neigh' as if to say, "Wait, don't go." I walked back toward him and asked, "What's up buddy?" I got the feeling that he was bored and wanted some company, so I took a Children's Book out of my backpack and began reading to him.
As I read, I noticed he leaned toward the book wanting to see the illustrations. He appeared very curious, attentive, and relaxed. On lookers thought I was nuts, but I didn't care. I just kept reading to him. When the story ended, he looked at me as if to say, "Ahhh, it's over? Can you read it again?"
That experience made my day! I felt happy that I could give something back to him (other than a carrot), after a rigorous dressage session. During a second reading of the book, Freckles rested his chin on my shoulder. I couldn't help but to laugh; he reminded me of a curious child intrigued with a good story.
