“It was a mild and lively evening at the end of May
I had run out for one quick coffee at the corner cafe
I must have looked a little tense and over-worked, I guess
‘Cause this old man leaned in and said:
“My darling, what’s the stress?
Come sit, come have a moment’s rest
Your work is nothing worth unless
Your mind is calm and clear and at its best”
And he went on:
“To everyone who’s running faster every day, ” he said
“To everyone who’s not found peace and indepence yet and
To everyone who thinks that life is where they’re headed to
Who thinks a better day awaits as soon as they get through
These busy years of things to do
This wall of greedy cynics who
Persuade them to give up their dreams too soon
Take your time
It’s a quarter to forever now
Take your time
It’s a quarter to forever now
To everyone who thinks that love was just a dream they had
Who thinks tomorrow and the future has nothing new to add and
To everyone who’s watched their hopes run out and slam the door
And everyone who still don’t know what they are looking for or
Found it and dropped it on the floor
Whose hands and arms have gotten sore
From holding on too tight to what once was
Take your time
It’s a quarter to forever now
Take your time
It’s a quarter to forever now”
A Quarter To Forever, by Tina Dickow
This song means a lot to me, and the words resonate. So when I was looking for a quote to share around slowing down and taking time, I didn’t need to look far. These thoughts have been prompted by the devastating loss of yet another pony in the New Forest. Owned and bred by Sarah Weston, Juma was just 4 years old. He was hit by a car. Below is what Sarah posted on Facebook to share the news, in the hope of raising awareness of the dangers that ponies in the Forest face from traffic.
“I am utterly defeated. Just before midnight I had to drag my New Forest mare, Nelly, away from the dead body of her beautiful four year old son, Juma who had just been killed by a BMW SUV. I had to hope that her friends and his guardians would all come home with her and not be killed as they stood vigil over his body. She cried out for him every step of the way while I just cried my eyes out. These ponies had kept their boy safe for every moment of his life, sandwiching him between themselves when they crossed the roads when he was a baby; he was born middle-aged and never ran about stupidly even when he was very young. But now it is all over for him. Fortunately he died very quickly, before the police and the agister came but he suffered two broken legs and no doubt internal injuries. I will have to arrange for his body to be taken away. PLEASE don’t speculate about the manner of the driver’s driving … I cannot begin to tell you what it is like to find messages from the agister on your phone at the ‘wrong’ time of night and know that it can only be bad news; to imagine which of your ponies it will be. I have worked out that between them my ponies have had seventy-seven natural years on the Forest and poor Juma is the first one to be killed by a car. RIP my beautiful Juma 6.6.17 to 7.8.21 at 9.30 p.m. You gave me joy every day.” Sarah Weston
© Sue Palmer, The Horse Physio, 2021
Treating your horse with care, connection, curiosity and compassion
