Paths — Have you ever returned to your childhood home, or perhaps to your grandparents’ or even your great-grandparents’ birthplace? Did you hear their voices carried on the wind? Maybe you were hiking in the mountains and, for just a moment, stopped to listen for the whispers of our ancestors.

Every step we take on Earth has already been taken by someone before us—by another person, another animal, another life. The ground beneath our feet remembers. That is why it is important to walk these paths and, every now and then, to simply stop and listen. Listen for the voices of those who came before us as they quietly guide us forward.

Horses, too, listen for the voices of their ancestors. If you have hiked through the desert or along the riverbank, you have likely seen their trails. They are narrow, just wide enough for one person or one animal. They weave around trees, following routes that have remained unchanged for generations. They lead throughout the desert, across all 20,000 acres, connecting water, shelter, and life.

These are the same paths the Salt River wild horses travel today. Horses like Little Chief, Three Socks, Athena, Courage, and Jake are following trails first worn into the earth by their ancestors. They walk the footsteps of Wisdom, Half-Tail, Chief, Fiona, Hope, Jacob, and so many others. They are listening to the voices of those who came before them. Those voices have taught them where to find water, where to find safety, and how to survive. The wisdom of generations still lives in every hoofprint.

So, the next time you are at the river and come upon one of these paths, pause for a moment. Feel the quiet. Listen to the wind. As you walk that trail, remember that you are sharing a path that has carried countless lives before your own.

And this is “As the River Flows.”

Video by Larry Naftzger