“In this world, I am happy. I can be myself without judgment. No rules for how I should behave, what I should say, or how I should look.”

Just shy of 15, she’s not a kid, but also not an adult. She’s trying to figure out who she is, in relation to the universe. Her friends may be preoccupied with boys and trying to decide how to feel about them. Most of the girls have insecurities about body image. They wonder, are we pretty enough, tall enough, or skinny enough? Is our hair too curly or straight enough? Is anything about us enough?

She feels boxed in by society and social norms. Everybody gets put in a category because that understanding puts others at ease. But for a young girl like her, she craves freedom and fluidity.

Still a child in many ways, and dependent on adults, the love affair with her horse provides a sense of being in control and independence. She feels confident and free. Learning to control a 1,200-pound animal is empowering, and that feeling extends to all parts of her young life.

It’s a sense of adventure and an escape from things she wishes she didn’t have to pay attention to. She’s in control, in a world that otherwise tells her what do to. It’s freedom and self-direction, something every young teen craves.

How can you describe the connection between a horse and a girl, not yet a woman?

It’s a feeling, far deeper than words.

It’s unconditional love and admiration for a majestic beauty, with enviable confidence that’s innate, and that humans can only wish for.

It’s a best friend who accepts you as you are, no matter how you look. It’s the eyes that say “trust me, I will never hurt you,” from rider to horse, and horse to rider.

It’s the unspoken words, “we can accomplish anything together, we can go anywhere and need little else to be happy.”

Others might not understand. Why would we expect them to? The horse and the girl, in their own little world, surrounded by snow but still warm. Unaware of anything but each other. You take me as I am. You don’t question my love, affections, or motives. We’re good to each other, and that’s enough.

The chill in the air is not a bother. Together in their little world, there is nothing else that matters. The sun on her face reminds her to breathe and cherish the moment. She is where she should be, and she is enough of everything.