Ricky Williams once said, “I don't think people change […] the essence of what I am today is the same as when I was five years old”. I believe that this is true, and my beliefs were confirmed by one fuzzy, friendly horse.
In the late spring, horses shed their thick winter coats for sleek summer ones. Well, most horses. Starlight’s Dandelion, known affectionately as “Baby Horse,” had never lost her fuzzy foal coat. Since birth, she had been cloaked in thick and puffy hair, never shed for the summer. Her coat—as well as her expressive and gentle eyes—was her distinctive feature. “Baby Horse” would not be herself without it.
But one day, that changed.
It was early on a summer morning, and the flies had not attacked yet. The ranch was quiet and cool, a relief from yesterday’s scorching afternoon. I was pushing a large wheelbarrow through the dusty dirt of the mare pasture, mucking manure before the day grew too warm. I had not visited the horses in this pasture for nearly a week. Eager to spend time with each horse, I hastily finished my mucking, and returned to the pasture once I was done.
As I stroked the neck of Amber, a stocky Palomino, I noticed a petite bay approaching me. This startled me—I did not recognize this mare at all. Her coat was smooth and shiny, and it gleamed under the rising sun. As she ambled closer, I gasped. This was “Baby Horse,” the fuzzy mare whose distinctive puffy coat had set her apart from the other horses. She looked so different! As she nuzzled her muzzle against my palm, I recognized her eyes. Large and amiable, they confirmed that this sleek beauty was none other than Starlight’s Dandelion. I smiled and kissed her poll. She was still herself.
In my opinion, “Baby Horse’s” physical transformation revealed a truth of human nature. A person can alter their exterior in any way imaginable: tattoos, new clothes, even operations to switch gender. However, a person’s personality can never be truly changed. One’s true nature—their “heart”—remains an unvarying aspect of their character. “Baby Horse” showed me that eyes are the windows to the soul, and the view from those windows will never be altered.