Horses

A cowboy is nothing without his horse. When John Grady sells his horse, he is sacrificing his most valuable possession for the sake of Magdalena. He is declaring her to be the most important thing in the world. John Grady believes a horse can tell when you are lying and that if you are honest about yourself, then the horse will trust you. To him they are four-legged mind readers and judges of character. He credits his ability to work with them to the fact that he is not a very good liar. He tends to talk to his horse, asking his mount what they want, or what they are willing to do. The gentle way he treats them and the respect he gives to them is part of what endears us to John Grady in the first place.

The relationship between horses and people is talked about...