Dear Astrid,
I found myself reading your brief article about the love of riding and asking myself the same question: why do we ride? To say the least I was really moved by what you had to say. I can tell you that the day I left my father's house for the last time to move into my mother's, I was and still am forever crushed by leaving the one thing that I loved the most in my life, my horse, Monet. Just thinking about it right now makes me want to cry. But in reading your article I sat here for awile and pondered... what is it about this incredible creature that moves so many of us to be obsessed? As I sit here I can't pin point the exact reason. I do know this... to me horses are so many things, beauty, freedom, friendship, inner peace, love, and even an obsession. I can tell you that I dream of the day that I will be able to sit on my own horse again. Maybe it will never be Monet, but I know that horse will represent all of the things that I've listed above. Thanks so much for making me think about this important question.
Love, Larissa*
(* Name has been changed)
Image: Horse Love - by Arnd Bronkhorst