Re: RC: The Infamous Howard

[Howard4567@aol.com]

In a message dated 2/23/01 10:27:28 AM Eastern Standard Time, 
scubagirl817@hotmail.com writes:

> During the vet check a gentlemen with one of the winners (turned out to be 
> her husband, I believe) told me a very touching story of how they had come 
by 
> this particular horse. Afterwards, Natalie, who was scribing for the vet 
> doing that horses check, comes over to my friend and I holding a camera and 
> looking very star struck. She says excitedly, "Did you see? My dad got 
a 
> picture of me and Valerie and her horse! Oh my god!" Okaaaay.....did I 
> miss something? She then filled me in on all of Valerie Kanavy's 
> accomplishments and why I should be on my knees in front of such endurance 
> greatness. 


Man, oh, man.  I did not pay Patti to write this, I know most of ya think I 
did.  But like she said, we've never met, even though she knows what I look 
like.

The only celebrity at these shows are the FEI endurance riders, and my gal 
Val is on the top of the heap.  I still can't catch up to her to chat (I have 
so many questions for my hero), even at my last ride where she did the 50, 
even though a 100 was offered.

Can you believe I couldn't catch her, with Dance Line, on that first loop?  I 
think someone told her I was wanting to talk with her and she went out of 
site, first turn, and I rarely even saw her again.

A friend of mine told me at my last ride that my relationship with Val is 
kind of like that young guy's infatuation with Suzanne Sommers in American 
Graffiti (in the movie he's always close to her or sees her but never gets to 
talk with her or meet her).  I laughed at that comparison, even though 
there's probably a ring of truth to it.

Patti, you talked with Val's husband, Larry, who helped vet in the horses at 
Osceola.  I even got to talk with him once, but I didn't ask him about the 
Sheiks or anything like that.  What a super guy.  He told me his life was 
kind of like being Arnold Palmer's wife, when I was stupid enough to ask him 
what it was like being married to someone so well known and successful.  Then 
he told an extremely funny story about a woman, who kept calling his house, 
wanting to talk to Val, cause they were having a clinic at his place.  After 
about the third call he asked the woman if he could possibly help.  She said, 
"No, that's OK, I just wanted to get directions to your house from Valerie."  
haha

Endurance riding, and camping, has no bounds when it comes to who you might 
park close to and get to talk with.  It's a big draw to me, and I know the 
wife saw the social potential for making close, close friends, not just 
acquaintances.  There's the horse bug and the horse-people bug,  put the two 
together and, to me, it's what life is all about.

cya,
Howard