It had been an interesting day for Henry. By the time he had gotten to the end of it, a subtle but profound change had come over him. Since he’d lost his family, his life had become little more than a dusty, closed book with only half of the pages read. But things were different now, and he knew it. He was back with the living. His book was open, and a new chapter in his life had begun. It was a chapter like no other he had experienced, and he was ready to drink it in. Years later, he would look back and recognize the change he felt that day had not only been helped along by Jessie, the woman he was slowly falling in love with, but it also came from the colt, an animal whose life paralleled his own in so many ways.

Henry was feeling happier and lighter than he had since he could remember as he walked up to the large pasture to check on the big herd before turning in. It was dusk, the sun had set, but it was still light enough for him to be able to scan nearly the entire seven acres where half the herd resided. The rest were still scattered over the property, and would be until the ranch got closer to opening for the season. Henry entered the pen and stood in a spot close to where a number of horses were grazing. One horse lazily raised his head and walked over to him. Another raised his head and came over, and a third horse followed suit. All three horses stood quietly with their heads only inches from Henry. He reached out and, smiling broadly, petted each one gently on the head. Jessie, who watched the events with a knowing smile from the window in her bedroom, turned and settled in for a restful night’s sleep.

The next morning, Henry put the colt in the round pen, and then returned later with the saddle and saddle pad. To Henry’s surprise, the colt allowed him to not only approach with the saddle pad without running off, but he also allowed Henry to touch him with it and rub it on his back, shoulders, rump and belly. Within less than ten minutes, Henry was able to gently toss the blanket on the colt’s back from a foot or so away, just like he would any “broke” horse. The colt stood so quietly, Henry then backed away a bit and tossed the blanket from two feet, four feet, then six feet and even ten, with the colt looking as though he was going to fall asleep.

All of the work with the pad had gone so well, Henry decided to bring the saddle over and see how the colt would do with it. Again, with the colt standing quietly in the middle of the pen, Henry approached and allowed the horse to smell it. The colt seemed interested, but not at all worried, and when he had apparently sniffed it to his satisfaction, Henry gently touched and rubbed it on the colt’s shoulder, then on his side, and finally he placed it up on his back. Again, the colt showed no signs of worry or regard for the once foreign object now sitting on his back, and after leaving it there for several seconds, Henry decided to remove it and call it a day. He thought about cinching the saddle to the colt’s back, but then decided against it. Tomorrow is another day, he thought.