Waylon and Willy

   Clip, clop, clip, clop. Waylon and Willy are two large dapple grey horses, pulling a hay wagon down the street. People sit on the bales of hay, looking out at the world, listening to the sounds of the horses, and slow down to a different pace.

   I had the pleasure of meeting Waylon and Willy this last weekend at a community festival. They were four years old and well matched in height and breadth. Yoked with a decorative harness, they pulled together, with feet often moving in tandem. Their noses were soft, and their necks warm and damp from their labor.
   It was such a strikingly different pace, perched behind these two animals. No rushing, not running, but moving with the pace of the horses. The sounds were different, as the shoes clipped and clopped across the cement, and an occasional whinny. It was a nice pace, the world was moving a bit slower and it was nice for fifteen minutes. I know that given an option when in a hurry or going a long distance (like to the next town), I would not really want to choose by horse. I like convenience. But, on the other hand, daily trips to work or to the store might not be so bad by horse. You have time to wave at the people passing on the street. Intersections become less of a drive through stop and more of a conversation point. It might just be a little more civilized.
   Oh those horses were so beautiful.