It’s rare for me to be out walking and for something out of the ordinary to happen, something I’m not expecting at all, something that might even seem strange to me, yet which sends shivers down my spine with excitement, leaves me frozen with surprise and brings tears to my eyes.
I’ve been on so many walks, all different, through city streets, through nature in all its forms, by the sea, in the woods, in parks and gardens, so many that I can’t even count them anymore; I’ve lost count. But I can assure you that I’ll never forget this walk for the rest of my life.
This walk began as a search along various paths within a nature reserve, a quest to find something else that was marked on the map; but not all the paths were shown on it, so at that moment all I could do was explore on foot, following the paths as I went.
As the whole landscape looked very similar, I had to memorise and remember everything I’d walked so as not to get lost, as there were very few people there; every now and then I’d come across someone who was simply out for a walk, but wasn’t looking for anything in particular.
It was a very sunny, hot day, early in the afternoon, and I always carried water and some fruit, just in case I got a bit hungry. I didn’t feel as though I was lost inside the nature reserve, but all the paths looked the same and I wanted to find places marked on the map, so I started wandering round in circles. Being here doesn’t scare me; if this had happened to me in Argentina, it would have, in fact, I wouldn’t even have dared to go somewhere so far from the city.
I wandered along several paths, and one looked just like the next, as if I were in the middle of a field and, within it, a vast maze.
But at the end of one of those paths, I turned to my right and, after a few steps, saw the first one emerge from behind some bushes; at first I thought it was a stallion, but then I realised it was a beautiful white mare followed by her foal. They were still a long way off, but I couldn’t get over my amazement and, at the same time, my immense joy.
I couldn’t stop looking at them; I just couldn’t. For those who don’t know me, I’ve loved horses just as much as I love cats ever since I was a child. Even when I was very young, in my naivety, I asked my godmother to give me one; I wanted a horse with all my heart, but of course I didn’t know what that entailed. I simply feel an overwhelming attraction to them.
I’ve had very few opportunities in my life to see and be close to them; I admire them and identify strongly with their characteristics.
Little by little, I crept closer without making a sound, and as I did so, an intense chill ran through my body; I got goosebumps from the excitement and tears welled up in my eyes, but they were tears of happiness. I was watching that beautiful mare suckling her foal, something I’d never seen before in my life, not in person. I stood still, watching them; it was a unique experience.
At that moment during my walk, all I could think about was touching them, but I didn’t dare. I just took out my phone and wanted to capture that moment, which I’ll never forget, but the photographs make it even better. My heart was beating so loudly I thought the horses could hear it.
As I got closer, I saw there was another horse, though it was tied up, a beautiful white horse too. It was grazing in the meadows. I can assure you it was a unique and special moment. The only thing I kept repeating over and over was: ‘How beautiful, how beautiful, oh my God, how beautiful!’ Today, I look at them in the photographs and I want to go back and be close to them, closer still, to touch them, stroke them and look into their eyes.
I carried on walking a little further and another brown mare appeared with her foal. There were five of them in total, and the wonder just kept growing. It was the best walk of my life; the emotion I felt was a joy I cannot describe.
I watched them walk, move about. I moved away a little, but they were heading towards where I was standing. What I hadn’t realised was that someone had set up a makeshift watering hole for them. It was a very hot day and they were surely thirsty.
I accompanied them to that spot, walking alongside them and taking photos at the same time; I didn’t want to miss a thing.
I can’t put my feelings at that moment into words; I suppose I was feeling pure happiness, nothing else in the world existed; my eyes were fixed on them and nothing else.
Today, I’m delighted to share this walk and experience with you all. Thank you very much for joining me today; I send you my warmest regards. See you soon. Amonet.
All photographs are my own.
