Horses fascinate us
for many reasons.
We're drawn to their large, soulful eyes...
Their gentleness.
We marvel at their powerful bodies
built to run.
We're particularly intrigued
by their social nature,
the desire to communicate with each other,
the ability to bond with other species,
including us.
This is Sable Island...
a narrow strip of sand off
Canada's eastern coast.
Though isolated from the world,
the island is famous for its small horses
that live wild amongst the shifting dunes.
We know the ancestors of
these horses were once tame
and had been bred by humans.
But no one really knows
the true story of how they got here.
Some say they were the survivors
of ancient shipwrecks.
Life on the island would be hard for most
exposed to the elements.
Though the island is
surrounded by seawater,
fresh water is scarce.
But horses are masters of adaptation,
and Sable Island horses have learned to dig
for underground pools to drink.
Another celebrated Sable Island inhabitant
plays a surprising role
in horse life.
The island is home to the largest colony
of gray seals in the world.
Every winter, seal droppings
bring rich nutrients from the sea...
Turning barren sand
into fertile soil.
The horses have no idea
of the unique gift the seals carry.
But horses are known
for existing peacefully
with other species.
They go about their days
slightly curious
yet unbothered by the
creatures on the beach.
No matter how they came
to this place of wind and sand,
the Sable Island horses
have developed both the toughness
and the gentleness necessary...
to make it their home.
The Yakutia Region of
Russia, near the Arctic Circle,
is one of the coldest places on the planet.
But humans can exist here...
In part because of our relationship
with horses.
The horses carry loads
and work the fields.
The Yakutian people drink the horses' milk.
These intrepid beasts
have adapted to the extreme conditions
and seem perfectly at home.
Their highly evolved sense of smell
allows them to find
grass under piles of snow.
Yakutian horses live
outside all year round.
They can slow their
breathing and blood flow
and go into a kind of standing hibernation.
Their bodies produce a type of antifreeze,
much like prehistoric mammoths.
They are proof
that horses can survive
practically anywhere.
One majestic breed has adapted to live
in the deserts of Saudi Arabia...
One of the hottest places on the planet.
Arabian horses are the stuff of legend.
They are celebrated around the world
for their endurance,
intelligence...
and strong human bonds.
And prized by the Bedouin people...
Who even let them sleep in their tents.
The Arabian is built to fly.
Unlike a trot or a canter,
where the horse's feet hit the ground
in two or three beats,
a gallop requires all four legs
to be off the ground at once.
And flying is all about breath...
breathing in when up in the air,
breathing out
when the front legs hit ground.
No wonder horses, like us,
experience euphoria when running.
In the remote flatlands of Mongolia
lives a rare horse.
The only species of horse alive today
that has evolved naturally on its own,
truly wild.
At one point, they were almost extinct,
with only 12 left.
In 2002,
a behavioral ecologist named Claudia Feh
assembled a herd from
the few horses remaining
and released them back
into their native habitat.
Now more than 2,000
roam free.
These horses are known as takhi,
which means "spirit."
And like spirits,
takhi move unrestricted,
with no interest in humans,
even Claudia.
She observes from a distance...
Learning how horses behave instinctually...
As they have for thousands of years.
They use body language...
The twitch of an ear...
the nod of a head.
While we have only two muscles in our ears,
horses have 16,
allowing for a wealth of expression.
Pricked ears telegraph curious interest.
A lowered head
conveys acceptance of each other.
Hooded eyes signal comfort and relaxation.
These spirits move together as a herd,
silently signaling,
keeping each other safe.
The Gauche de la Dèche in France
is home to horse whisperer
Jean-Francois Pignon.
Fluent in the subtle
body language of horses,
Pignon has no need for reigns or a bridal.
He simply requests the
horse's cooperation...
and the horse obliges.
This approach seeks not to train
but to build a relationship,
one that respects the horse's instincts,
its innate way of being.
Pignon uses a training stick
only as an extension of his own hand
to guide and support...
never to punish.
Here on the beach, there are no barriers.
The horses are free to flee or follow.
Horses actually read and remember emotion.
They can recognize a smile.
And they can smile back.
Horses are so sensitive,
they can feel the beating of our hearts.
If the horse whisperer is happy,
the horse will know.
So Pignon cultivates calmness,
steadiness,
and a loving heart.
The horse is so many
things in a single creature...
A balance of gentleness and power...
A free spirit,
at once wild and calm...
A sensitive animal,
receptive and expressive with emotion.
Horses have been part of the human journey
for centuries.
And they will remain for many years to come
close companions by our sides...
and forever in our hearts.
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