Mirror, mirror, on the wall...

I had a teacher once who said that everything in the world was a mirror, reflecting back to you who and what you are.

But there are mirrors and there are mirrors.

I remember the funhouse mirror in the carnival that gave back a hilarious, distorted image.

And a shattered mirror reflecting back a hundred splintered faces.

So the value of a mirror is that it reflects a perfect image, one without any distortion.

No mirror is more perfect than a horse.

Because one of the things that horses are best at is “reading” people, even at a distance.

Whether it’s your body language, your scent, or the electro-magnetic impulse of your heart, or some combination of these things, or something else entirely, horses have the most uncanny ability to perceive the mental-emotional state of person with pinpoint accuracy.

They know what you’re thinking and feeling often better than you do yourself.

They pick up minutiae of being about you that you, yourself are not consciously aware of, the way a good poker player knows when you’re bluffing.

A horse knows you better than your friends, your family, your lovers.

Knows who you are in the deepest, most secret corners of your heart.

You have no secrets from a horse.

You can’t fool a horse, con a horse, lie to a horse.

He sees you naked right down to your very soul.

And then he shows it to you.

That can be a bitter pill.

You’re walking around like Dorian Grey, smooth-talking the whole world, getting by on your looks, your charm, your superficial appearances, your “image.”

But up in the attic is that ugly portrait that displays every blemish and flaw, every selfish moment, every thoughtless cruelty, every petty fear, every brittle weakness.

And horses have the key to the attic door.

You might not like what he shows you about yourself.

And once he shows you, once that truth hits you in the face like a stiff jab, you know you have to change.

And change is difficult and terrifying.

I suspect that’s why some people don’t like horses.

It’s an allergic reaction to Truth.

sj