“If Wishes Were Horses” 19” x 25” Pastel by Kim McElroy
When I was a child I longed to have a horse. I didn’t know why this unexplained desire awakened in me, I only knew that it was important. When I couldn’t have a real horse I started drawing them. Fortunately this led to my dream career as a horse artist.
My painting, “If Wishes Were Horses” illustrates the fascination that many of us feel for horses. Having a horse is, in a sense, learning how to be like them. It took me 29 years to have a horse of my own – but now I realize what I was looking for.
At their core, horses are creatures of movement. Symbolically, when our world starts to revolve around horses, they affect us in ways we least expect. They are catalysts for change and expansion.
Just a few of the qualities they’ve inspired in me are:
Self awareness ~ Through horses, we can learn about ourselves and if we are lucky, tap into inner resources we never knew we had. We expand emotionally as horses teach us who we are through their reflection.
Relationships ~ We meet other people through the horses in our lives. Horses give us a common ground with which to expand our relationships. We make friends we never would have known otherwise – who share our common interests.
The Natural World ~ Horses draw us outside to experience nature. We must go out into the rain rather than walk through it. This makes the sun all the more welcome. Weather changes make us conscious of nature’s moods. We see the seasons shift in the plant, animal, and bird life around us. When we become more in tune with nature and horses, we become more fully ourselves.