Many of the riders in the Central Region have met
Jordan Israelson and Artie, her little Arabian horse who is blind in his left
eye. These two have a bond like you read about in stories. Jordan
and Artie will play tag with each other in the pasture. She starts it by
running away from him and he chases her. Then when he "catches" her, he
starts running and she chases him. Artie will come running as soon as he
hears Jordan's voice, whinnying for her all the way. Once she got her
hand pinched in a gate and was screaming, Artie nearly ran over her mother and
myself trying to get to Jordan first. If Jordan is upset and crying
about something (like most pre-teen girls are prone to do), Artie will come up
to her, lower his head over her back and stand there hugging her until she stops
crying. He has taught her to be a better rider, slowing down or stopping
completely if she comes out of the saddle. If she does fall off, he stands
over her and lowers his head so she can wrap her arms around his neck, then he
lifts her up on to her feet. I have a video of that. These two are
an amazing pair to watch. The love between them is wonderful. I
really do believe that horses are capable of showing affection and having fun
with their people when there is a special bond between them. Jordan and
Artie never cease to amaze me with their relationship.
