_{I don't own a horse, at least not yet, but every time I have the chance to spend a little time around one, I understand again why this animal has stayed somewhere in my mind for so many years and why the idea of owning one one day still feels like a real dream rather than a simple passing wish.}

Hello Steemians,

When I saw this week's question asking us to talk about our favorite pet, I immediately knew that my answer would be a little different, because the animal that came to my mind is not one that has lived with me for years, waited for me at home or become part of my everyday routine, but rather an animal that I have always admired from a certain distance and that I still hope, maybe one day, to be able to call my own.

If I ever reach a point where I have the right place, enough time, enough knowledge and, of course, enough money to take care of one properly, the animal I would choose without much hesitation would be a horse.

I honestly cannot remember one specific moment when this attraction started, because I don't think there was ever a day when I suddenly decided that horses were going to be special to me; it feels more like something that has always been there quietly, returning every time I visit a stable, watch a horse being trained or simply stand close enough to notice the way it looks at people, moves its ears and reacts to everything happening around it.

There is something about horses that I find difficult to put into a simple sentence, because they are obviously powerful animals, much stronger than us physically, but at the same time they can be incredibly calm, attentive and sensitive, and when you stand close to one you quickly realize that you are not simply looking at the horse.

The horse is looking at you too, and sometimes I have the impression that it is trying to understand what kind of person is standing in front of it.

I could spend a long time just watching them

I enjoy watching horses during training because the longer I stay there, the more I notice that there is a real conversation happening between the trainer and the animal, even when almost no words are being used.	Sometimes I arrive thinking that I will watch for only a few minutes, and then I realize that much more time has passed because I become completely absorbed by the movement of the horse and the small signals between it and the trainer.

One thing I genuinely enjoy is standing near the training area and simply observing, because before spending more time around horses I used to think that training was mainly about giving orders and expecting the animal to obey, whereas now I notice many small details that make the whole process much more interesting, such as the position of the trainer, the tension of the rope, the tone of the voice, the movement of the horse's ears and the way the animal slowly changes its behavior when it understands what is being asked.

I am certainly not an expert, and I know that there are probably many signals happening in front of me that I still do not understand, but maybe that is exactly why I enjoy watching, because every time I pay attention I feel that there is still something else to learn about the relationship between a person and an animal that is strong enough to ignore us completely if trust and communication are not there.

_{Seeing a horse move with this combination of strength, balance and control is probably one of the reasons I find them so impressive, because there is something powerful in the movement while at the same time everything can look almost effortless.}

The more I watch horses, the more I understand that physical strength alone does not create a relationship with them, because even though a person may be holding the rope or sitting in the saddle, the real connection seems to come from patience, confidence, repetition and the animal gradually learning to trust the person beside it.

That is probably one of the reasons I would never want to own a horse simply so that I could say, “I have a horse,” take beautiful photographs and ride occasionally when I feel like it, because if this dream ever becomes real, I would want to understand the animal properly, learn what it needs and slowly build a relationship instead of treating it as something impressive to own.

For now, I am usually on this side of the fence

Most of the time I am simply standing there and watching, but I have realized that I actually enjoy these quiet moments almost as much as the moments when I can get closer to the horse.	Every time I find myself beside an arena like this, the same little thought comes back into my mind: maybe one day I will be standing here because one of these horses is actually mine.

There are moments when I lean against the fence and watch the horse moving around the arena, and without even trying I begin imagining completely ordinary things, such as what it would feel like to arrive in the morning knowing that one of those horses was waiting for me, to know its habits, recognize its moods and slowly become familiar enough with each other that the relationship no longer feels new.

Then the realistic part of my mind usually arrives and reminds me that this beautiful picture also includes feeding, cleaning, veterinary care, exercise, equipment, stable costs, responsibility and probably a few mornings when I would rather stay in bed than go outside to take care of an animal.

Strangely enough, thinking about all of that does not make me want the dream less; if anything, it makes me take it more seriously, because loving an animal when everything is enjoyable is easy, while being responsible for it every single day, including the days when we are tired, busy or simply not in the mood, is what really proves whether we are ready to own it.

And then there is Yahya...

_{Seeing Yahya sitting comfortably on a pony made me realize that my attraction to horses may no longer be only my own little dream, because he seems to have developed the same curiosity and affection for them in his own way.}

The part that makes this whole subject even more personal for me now is that my son Yahya is also becoming attached to horses, and when I watch him around a pony or standing near a horse, I recognize a little of the same curiosity that I feel myself.

Seeing your child become interested in something you already love changes the way you imagine the future, because suddenly you are no longer thinking only about yourself riding one day or owning a horse of your own, but you begin to imagine experiences that the two of you might share together as he grows older.

When I saw Yahya on the pony, I was obviously looking at him first as a father, checking that he felt comfortable and that everything was going well, but somewhere in my mind there was also a much less serious thought saying that I had probably created a future problem for myself, because now there were two people in the family who might one day start asking for a horse.

I already have a feeling that if this dream ever becomes real, Yahya may become impatient much faster than I do.

Sometimes getting close is already enough

I like moments like this because when a horse looks out from its stable and starts observing you, you sometimes wonder whether you came to see the horse or whether the horse has decided to inspect you instead.	This kind of moment is enough for me because I don't always need to be riding or doing something special; sometimes simply standing close to the animal already makes the visit worthwhile.

One thing I have slowly realized is that I do not need to be riding in order to enjoy being around horses, because sometimes approaching one quietly near the stable, watching it turn its head toward me or noticing the small movements of its ears is already enough to make me stay there longer than I expected.

From far away, what you notice first is the size and strength of the animal, but when you are close you begin noticing completely different things, such as its breathing, the way its eyes follow movement, how quickly its ears change direction when it hears something and even the fact that two horses can react completely differently to the same person.

Some immediately seem curious and come closer, while others look at you for a few seconds and then seem to decide that you are not interesting enough to deserve any more attention, which I honestly find quite funny. 😄

Those are small moments, but I think they are exactly the kind of moments that make people become attached to an animal.

One experience I still remember very well

_{This is probably one of the photographs that best explains why the idea of owning a horse continues to stay in my mind, because the whole moment felt simple, peaceful and completely different from watching a horse inside an arena.}

Being beside a horse in the water was one of those experiences that felt surprisingly peaceful, because instead of being surrounded by fences, trainers and the usual activity of a riding center, there was only the horse, the open water, the landscape around us and that feeling that nobody was in a hurry to do anything.

I remember enjoying the moment without needing something exciting to happen, and perhaps that is exactly why it stayed in my memory, because sometimes the experiences we remember most clearly are not necessarily the most spectacular ones but the simple moments when everything around us feels calm.

Standing in the water beside such a large animal felt much calmer than I would have imagined, and it became one of those moments that I still enjoy looking back on through the photos.	Nothing complicated was happening here, and maybe that is exactly what I liked about it, because sometimes being close to an animal without asking anything from it is already enough.

When I look again at these photographs, I realize that this is probably close to the kind of relationship I imagine if I ever own a horse, because of course I would like to ride and learn more about training, but I would also want the ordinary moments when absolutely nothing interesting is happening and the horse is simply there beside me.

I think those quiet moments are probably where real attachment begins.

Would I really be ready to own one?

That is probably the question I ask myself most often, because dreaming about a horse is very easy while actually being responsible for one is something completely different, and I am aware that if somebody suddenly gave me a horse tomorrow, my first reaction would probably be happiness followed very quickly by a long list of practical questions about where it would stay, what it would need every day, how much everything would cost and whether I actually knew enough to take good care of it.

This is why I do not want to romanticize the idea too much, because a horse is not an animal that you can simply bring home, place somewhere convenient and learn everything afterward; it needs space, proper food, veterinary care, exercise, attention and somebody who is willing to organize part of their life around its needs.

If the day ever comes when I finally own one, I want that decision to come because I am ready for the responsibility and not simply because I have wanted a horse for many years.

_{For now I am happy to stay on this side of the fence, watch, learn and enjoy every opportunity I have to be around horses, because sometimes allowing a dream to grow slowly is better than rushing to make it real before the right moment arrives.}

I also do not think that I would choose a horse because it was the largest, fastest or most impressive-looking one, especially if Yahya was going to spend time around it, because temperament would probably matter much more to me than appearance.

I would want an animal that was relatively calm, patient and suitable for people who still had a lot to learn, because I can already imagine us making beginner mistakes and needing a horse that would forgive us while we slowly became more confident.

And knowing children, I would not be surprised if Yahya eventually learned much faster than me and started correcting everything I was doing wrong.

I can already picture that happening. 😄

Maybe this dream is really about more than a horse

The more I think about this challenge, the more I realize that what attracts me may not be simply the idea of owning an animal, because part of the dream is also connected with the kind of moments I imagine having with Yahya, away from screens, phones and everyday routines, doing something outside that requires patience, calmness and attention.

Maybe one day we could learn together, maybe we would ride together, maybe we would disagree about whose turn it was to do one of the less enjoyable stable tasks, and maybe he would eventually become much more passionate about horses than I ever was.

Or maybe life will go in a completely different direction and the dream will remain simply a beautiful idea that we shared for a while.

I do not know.

But that uncertainty does not make the dream less meaningful.

_{Maybe one day this will become more than a little family dream, but for now I am already happy that Yahya seems to enjoy these animals and that we can share these moments together.}

So technically, I cannot say that a horse has been the favorite pet I have ever owned, because I have never had the privilege of calling one mine, but if the question is which animal I would choose if one day I had the right conditions to care for it properly, then my answer comes very easily.

A horse.

And now that Yahya seems to have chosen the same animal, the dream feels a little different from before, because it is no longer only something I imagine for myself.

Maybe one day I will return to Steemit and begin another post with a completely different sentence:

“Hello Steemians, meet our horse.”

I would really like that.

Until that day arrives, I am happy to keep learning, visiting horses whenever I have the opportunity and collecting these small memories, because sometimes a dream does not have to become reality immediately in order to already give us something beautiful.

And perhaps the nicest part is knowing that I now have Yahya dreaming about it with me.