Final dimension, long
Marinera@aol.com
Tue, 26 Nov 1996 00:37:32 -0500
I had computer problems and could not send, but I had just a couple of more
thoughts and then I will be quiet and absorb the great information on bran,
shoeing, etc. that is now occupying us.
Yes, the great athletes are great because they train like crazy, but only one
out of a thousand rises to the top even though many might train at the same
intensity. The difference is desire that some are gifted with.
What I meant by the heart of the horse might better be explained as what is
between the ears, or, the mind of the horse which cannot be measured. In
long distance riding there can be no greater thrill than to point your horse
at a mountain and have him want to climb that mountain as much as you want
to. There can be no greater thrill than crossing a finish line of a 100 mile
ride with a horse who still has a tank full of gas. It makes you feel ten
feet tall and is the ultimate emotional award that can erase 100 miles of
heat, cold, hunger and fatigue and leave you walking on air. The average
and typical endurance horse needs a little nudge in the
ribs occasionally and the encouragement of his best buddy or other
horses on the trail. The shining stars can stir our souls because the
momentum come from within This can be, but is not necessarily,competitive
desire, but just pure and plain unmitigated joy in their work. Their
enthusiasm is not the adrenline rush of
a stampede start, (because it is still there miles down the trail) or
because
they are crammed full of high powered supplements but rather some self
induced excitement that doesn't quit. Maybe it is the challenge. I really
don't know the right word. The rider senses the horse's enthusiasm, it is
contagious and then rider and horse feed off of each other. Four endurance
horses that come to mind are Wendell Robie"s stallion, Siri, who lit up the
arena at the finish line; Ed Johnson's Bezatal who took a stroll in the park
on Tevis Cup day and just happened to get there first; Donna Fitzgerald's
Witezarif who flowed like water
over a rock: and, of course, Becky Hart's Rio who continues to amaze us all.
These
horses set us on fire and make total endurance junkies of us all. The
fondest wish I can make for my fellow endurance riders, is that one of these
special horses crosses your path just once in your lifetime. When he does,
you will know it and it will be magic. Julie
-