In Surah Al-Imran, Allah (SWT) describes the deep hearted love that mankind has for certain things of this world, of which ‘fine branded horses’ (Wa’l Khayl) is mentioned.
Yes, we are talking about the majestic, honourable, graceful and mighty horses! Those very creatures that have walked beside man as a loyal companion, from the beginning of time, up until today, and will stand loyal to its master until the end of time.
To some, it is a fluffy four-legged creature that simply eats all day and allows for the occasional pony ride, or maybe just some animal that you see on the fields near the road, on the way to your holiday destination. To others, the thought of a scary large beast, with a loud “Neigh!” may come to mind, but to us, horse enthusiasts, the image of love, respect, nobility, relaxation and dreams is what comes to our minds.
For those who are new to horses, we introduce to you a loyal companion, which is not just best friend of man, but one who is subservient to its master. When we hear of the word ‘master’, sometimes the image of a man with a whip comes to mind. However, in the relationship we have with our horses, we, as humans are their leaders, both working as a team to achieve certain goals.
To excel, a horse and its rider need to form a bond to become one.
For those who have been on the occasional horse trail or have been riding for a while, you might have seen a different side of things. From having your foot stood on, being thrown over a fence or having had a loving horse slobber all over you in your kind efforts to feed it a carrot. Or perhaps, you have experienced the warmth of a horse hug on a cold winter’s day and sometimes, the smell of horse may just be all the aromatherapy you need.
Horse riding is an almost forgotten sunnah of our Prophet Muhammed (SAW). It is agreed that city life makes it difficult to access a little space to keep a horse or ride. However, Alhamdulillah, we are fortunate to have riding venues on most outskirts of our cities that can accommodate us and get us learning more about this wacky, wonderful world of horses!
