It sounds like you have a wonderful bond with Wildfire. He is stunning! And looks like he is a bit of a comedian.
I have a similar bond with Ephy. She is very misunderstood as she is hot headed and very very sensitive. She has the worlds softest mouth to the point where I actually keep a fairly loose contact when I ride her. I just think "turn left" and she turns. I think "trot" and she trots. I think "halt" and she halts. So many people are scared to ride her because if you get into her face and start bugging her she gets really upset and boy can she throw a world class tantrum. She will buck and rear and bolt and spook at everything.
I ride her just relaxed and very "meh" and let her believe things are her idea. She goes great for me.
Ephy was my first love. She was my coaches mare. When I was a kid my coach took me under her wing and used to take me to the barn she kept Ephy at and I would groom her and help with her care. Then I went off on my own for awhile and had another horse that was my first show horse. He was stolen from me and I ended up back with my coach after some issues at home and I was living with her and she gave me Ephy to ride. I was so excited because no one ever got to ride Ephy. She ended up being my special horse and she helped me get through some really rough periods in my life. I took her to her first horse show. I got her jumping and we just had a special bond.
When I moved away I left her with my coach and no one else was riding her so she went to be a broodmare. My coach brought her back to her barn last year and another girl was riding her but having a hard time with her. I wasn't really into riding because I was going through a really hard time financially and emotionally and finally my coach convinced me to come back to the barn and the second Ephy saw me she started nickering at me. I couldn't believe it. After 8 years she remembered me and was excited to see me.
Now I ride her all the time and whenever she sees me she nickers and starts pawing and nuzzles right into me. This mare has pulled me out of the deepest pits of depression time after time. I have known her for 15 years. It seems every time I hit a low point in life she comes back into the picture and she pulls me out of it. She makes me smile when nothing else will. I have cried into her mane. I have sat in her stall with her crying and she will put her head down and nuzzle me. I can stand there hugging her next forever and she will stand there.
I have never had a bond like this with any animal other then my dog. I have her back in my life and I will never let her go. She will be with me until it is her time to cross rainbow bridge. My Mom just bought a small little house in the country and she said that I can put up a fence and shelter there and Ephy can go there when she needs to retire.
The bond with a horse is like no other. They are the greatest form of therapy.
Me and my Epiphany My favorite thing to do with her is "join up". I let her loose in the arena and I can run around and she will follow me. I stop and she stops, I turn and she turns. I will run over poles and she will follow me and even jump if I run towards a jump. I love it. I can hang out with her in the arena doing nothing for hours.