A Bouquet for Sebastian
When spring arrives in the valleys of the White Mountains and the grass starts to grow, I reflect back on the well-meant advice I received from local horse people about keeping my horse pasture free from harmful plants. At the beginning of my horse journey, I was glad to get any advice anyone cared to give me. I was grateful for this well-meaning advice about how to clear the horses’ grazing meadows of all suspicious and potentially poisonous plants and flowers. Back then I had much to learn about horses, and the suggestion that diverse plants and flowers could threaten their health galvanized me into action. This turned out to be dubious advice, but I was an amateur then and had much to learn.
As the fields turned green with new growth, I began the hard work of removing some of the flowers and plants from the pasture that I felt might cause possible health issues for my horses, but I soon realized that the harder I tried to remove the plants and flowers that could be 2 a potential threat the more they grew right back. For that matter I was going by other’ opinions about which ones to dig out. Quickly I saw this was a lost cause and there was no way I could possibly remove even a small part of, let alone all, the flowers and plants that some told me could be harmful.
Actually, I love seeing all the varieties of wildflowers that grow in our area and often observed my horses grazing in the field eating along with their grass some of the flowers and “weeds,” at the same time passing over or avoiding eating others. In the mornings as I sat on a big rock in the meadow observing my horses graze, I could not help but notice them eating some fresh blooming wildflowers, raspberry shoots, and other plants we humans like to call “weeds” and even stripping the bark off and chewing on tree branches. I was surprised to see them eat these so-called weeds and nibble on pine and birch branches.
Over the years I developed a morning ritual. While spending time with my horses and watching them in the early morning I pick a handful of wildflowers to make a beautiful bouquet for my skin care spa from which I make part of my living. I love nature and love the sight of the beautiful trees and flowers in our part of the world which give me a sense of wellness. We are connected to everyone and everything, starting with the wildflowers. They are not only beautiful to look at but as I have learned also hold many long-forgotten health benefits for both humans and animals.
How mighty and bold the trees stand around the edge of the fields. Trees exhale the oxygen without which we would not be able to breathe or survive. Like trees, flowers have healing properties that the wild and domestic animals know and instinctively take advantage of. If I had somehow managed to remove most or all of the beautiful wildflowers and plants from my meadow, their nourishment would have been lost. I 3
would have also removed the beautiful butterflies, bees, hummingbirds, dragonflies and many other species of wildlife by eliminating their natural habitat.
One morning before leaving my horses in the pasture to get ready for work, after picking my bouquet of wildflowers for myself and my spa, I walked over to my horses and gave them a hug and pat before walking back to the house. My horse Sebastian took me by surprise as he simply ate my whole bouquet of flowers right out of my hand! I worried that some of the flowers could be poisonous to him. I knew how potent some flowers could be. I had to get ready for work soon and could only stay a few more minutes to observe him and make sure he was not going to get sick. To my relief he was just fine. Sebastian knew exactly what he was doing before he decided to eat the whole bouquet of flowers right out of my hand. He took a few seconds to carefully smell them and let his lips run over the flowers before he decided to eat them. He did not know that I had intended to bring the flowers home to my spa but thought that when I let him smell the flowers, I was giving him a treat!
I walked home with no flowers for my spa but with a new insight about horses and their natural instincts. What Sebastian taught me that morning in a humorous way proved to me that horses have a natural judgment for what is good to eat and what is not. Any worries about my horses eating poisonous plants, trees or flowers were unnecessary. Sebastian instinctively knew which plants and flowers were healthy to eat and which ones were best left alone.
Continued in the book
