I love rain.

I like walking in the rain and singing.

Rain always makes me remember how my horses in Kentucky loved to dance and prance in delight as the cooling rain anointed their sleek body. The ones I enjoyed watching the most were the babies, especially the first time they felt it.

I have a feeling that, just like in humans, the younger you are, the less inhibited you are. Let me tell you about a magical noon-time on my farm.

Our friends, Judy and Lucy, came over to see the three new babies. It was sprinkling, but nothing serious, so we walked on up to the upper paddock so they could get a closer look and take pictures.

So, here the three of us were, standing by the fence and glancing at the seven horses looking back at us. It was a quiet and serene moment, until suddenly, the bottom just dropped out of the sky.

In a split second, the rain went from gentle and silent to torrents whipping sideways. We had taken a big umbrella up there but we still got soaked because we kept moving out from under its cover so we could see better.

But the real story is the reaction of the horses.

It was as if someone had reached over the fence and flipped on a switch. Every horse became a flying body. Oh, I can’t even find the right words to describe the utter excitement they felt and passed over the fence to us.

You see, if that stormed had not happened, we would have not seen that amazing, breathtaking moment as they ran as fast as they could, tails straight out, mane standing against the wind and rain, back and forth, up and down the hill.

At first, I thought they were giving us a show. But now I think they were dancing for themselves to their own inner music — four mares and three foals without a care in this world.
Sonny Honny, our chestnut colt, every time he raced past us, he looked directly at us. He all but winked as he shared his complete joy. I’m pretty sure I heard him say at each passing, “Baby, this is wondrous, come on and join us.”

And you know what? We felt the urge to shimmy that fence and run wild with my equine friends. I wonder now though, if we could have shed our human worries and concerns like they did. Nor could we have begun to keep up their pace, and if we tried to dance the perfect rain dance with them we could have never have had their grace.

Oh, we wanted to, but instead we stood in the pouring rain and marveled at the perfect beauty of that day on the hill. We had witnessed bodies given over to their own joy as they danced and pranced in the rain on the farm. It was one of those life moments so I tucked the memory into my memory box for when I need to smile.

The view from the mountain is wondrous.

Jean Brody is a passionate animal lover and mother. She previously lived in Winchester, but now resides in Littleton, Colorado. Her column has appeared in the Sun for more than 25 years.