Grab your coffee…

Many of our volunteers have been with us for over 10 years, so we asked some of them, who their “first love” was when they joined us. This is the precursor to our first story next week.

His body tells the story—the story of his life… a life spent protecting his band. The life of a lead stallion or lieutenant is not for the faint of heart. There are battles won and lost, with the constant banging of bodies, searing pain from powerful kicks, and jaws clamping down on ears and legs—pain that can bring even the strongest of stallions to his knees. His body bears the visible scars of old, healed wounds.
Day after day, the assaults come from young stallions looking for their first mare to start their own band. The attacks are compounded by those middle-aged stallions seeking to expand their families. But the old warrior stands his ground. He too was once young, trying to form his own band. He remembers those days—the pride he felt when he claimed his first mare and watched his family grow.
His job now is to serve and protect another stallion’s family. The old warrior knows that before long, he won’t be able to continue. His body and skills are fading, and the lead stallion will replace him with a younger, stronger horse. He will go on his way alone, as old warriors before him have done.

Until this old warrior, too, is called home.

And this is “as the River Flows”