Horse Hymn: The Noblest Conquest of Man
Symbols of power, passion and beauty, horses have always fascinated me,
For some, pure wild life and wide open spaces embody freedom,
American Mustangs, Australian Brumbies, Mongolian Przewalski or Patagonian Baguales,
Like the horses of Camargue, they go as they please, living in a herd of free and united horses.
Arrived in North America with the Spanish conquistadors, they embody the spirit of the pioneers,
Icons of the West, the Mustangs, mythical horses, bay, chestnut, chocolate, isabelle or mouse,
Living free as air, windy manes in the great plains of the Red Rockies,
These "mestengo" still dream of the epics of the Indians of Geronimo and his carabinieri.
Circulating in complete freedom for more than a century, those nicknamed the Namibs,
Descendants of domestic horses used in the gold mines of southern Africa,
These desert sons live alongside the oryx, in the extreme conditions of the Namib Desert,
Where in a cloud of dust galloping hooves they break the silence of this sepulchral region.
With its steppe colored dress, it blends into the landscape of the Mongolian plains without limitation,
Przewalski's horse, saved from extinction, has found its steppes of Central Asia,
Known to the Mongols for centuries, it was on the Causse Méjean that he lived his rehabilitation,
Never domesticated by its impetuous character, the Takh lives again in its oriental meadows.
Slender, short-haired with his line on his spine and his multiple welts,
The Tarpan knew the domestication towards 1780 in Poland, him the mixed descendant of the primitive horse,
Used as a draft horse, this "comik polski" will be released in nature reserves,
Thanks to its resistance, France reintroduces it into large spaces in the company of fearful bisons.
In the virgin immensity of Patagonia, the gauchos or guards of cattle from the pampa to the yellow grass,
Monitor their flocks with the help of the Baguales horses brought by the conquistadores,
Even today, these criollos live freely in the company of wild guanacos,
In these immense plains delimited by the summits giving the illusion of ageless fortresses.
Under the pen of Pierre Loti, on the slopes of La Rhune was the friend of Ramuncho,
Resembling the horses of rock paintings, he lives in freedom among the pastoral Basques,
Like the Mérens d'Ariège, the Pottok were used in agriculture as porters,
Today the "potioc" chestnut dress or pic, delight the pony club by their softness.
Free to live and browse the wilderness of the Rhone Delta, these agile kings of the marsh,
Raised as a manad, mounted by the gardians, help manage the flocks in delusions,
In the Camargue these "white manes" live between sky and sea equipped,
Galloping in sheaves of foam in pursuit of black bulls with lyre horns.
Mane and tail provided floating in the wind, light gray dress, neck picked up,
Wide clogs adapted to swamps, the Camarguais represents the spirit of freedom,
Since time immemorial, like the scarf of an undulating and bushy fairy,
His abundant horse hair, floats in the sky above their outstretched neck.
Remember Crin-Blanc, the head of one of those herds that men decided to capture,
Folco the little wild fisherman and the young colt lived an idyll in the secret of the marsh,
In this immense country of blue sky and calm water a touching story of friendship,
Happened between a boy and his friend to protect him from men and their danger.
His name was Siko, he was a white horse
He was our idol and that of our children
Our nice uncle loved this thoroughbred
He treated him every day like a great champion
By bringing him his love and his great passion
L’ARIÉ….JOIE