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On the trail home
Whenever it feels as if my thinking is off track, I remember my horse named “Dark Armor.” He possesses, as all horses do, an innate instinct to find the way home.
Many years ago I’d planned to meet up with friends on a ranch for a long trail ride. One by one each friend had to cancel. But it was a lovely day, so I decided to take Armor out for a trail ride, just the two of us. Taking many turns along the way, we climbed hills farther and farther away from where we’d started. And though I knew the trails quite well, we ended up going beyond areas which were familiar to me.
As we made our way back home, we came to a fork. I turned Armor the way I thought was right. I was surprised when instead of going forward with his usual, confident pace, he walked gingerly, as if he were stepping on eggshells. Usually horses heading back to the barn will pick up their pace with no urging from the rider, but I really had to push him to move. He also swished his tail around, which was a sure sign of annoyance. Finally, I stopped to figure out what my horse was trying to tell me. Then it hit me—I’d taken the wrong trail at the fork.
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