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I walked into this tack shop out of the blue. I lived in
the city and just found it interesting to visit and look and smell the
leather. The clerk asked me if i was buying or selling...i was just
looking i said. After looking arround i was ready to leave and this clerk
said.."i have a friend who is trying to sell a horse". I took the
name and # and went back to my city haunts in Arlington, Va and had this dream
of a dancing horse. I called the # and went to look at Dante. She
told me the story of Joe a horse she outbid the meat man on at 175$. She
wanted to sell him for $250. "Can i ride him" i asked. Sure, she
said. I rode my first horse in 20 years or so and he was a
whirlwind. I said. "Sure" but i have to find a place to keep
him. Finding a field board place off Route 7 outside a metropolis called
Washington DC i took my new horse who i thought was more than a Joe...so i
called him Jose Dante. He was a handful and i had to get a trainer to help
me with him. She worked for the CIA and did training on the side.
She sold me a weather beaten English Saddle for 15$ that i cleaned and
oiled to go along w/ the Western Saddle i purchased when i bought Jose.
I'll never forget when she hit me with her crop when i didn't do as she thought
i should do. Those lessons were over. Jose and i were on our own w/
2 saddles. This was the fall of 1973 in the city with my horse. I
was a single young man and brought this friend Lisa to ride and see my new
horse. I got on and asked Lisa to come on. Jose bucks us both
off and when i went to get him he chased us both over the fence. Jose only
did what he wanted to do. When he ran me down from a dead walk and ran out
into the traffic on Route 7 i knew my time in the city was spent. We
moved to Luray, Virginia in the fall of 1974 not really knowing what i was going
to do but i was on a quest with this dancing horse. Out in the country
Jose felt free. We rode to my 8 track to Bruce Springsteens "Born to
Run" and we rode and we rode. But you had to hang on cause
Jose only stopped when HE wanted too. We had a few tumbles, one w/
Gandolf, the Great Dane/Labrador Retriever and all 3 of us went into this slow
motion roll. Living in the country and being free and no worries i lusted
for adventure. The Great American Horse Race came along in 1976 and we
went. A duffle bag of clothes, a foot locker of horse stuff, a small
bag of toiletries and writing material and Jose and me and only enough money to
get into the race. The entry fee was 500$ and i had 659$. There are
so many to thank for getting us to the start. Lois Fortune Ireland for the
money, my Mother for her support and all those that helped us along.
Me and Jose had never been on a camping trip outside Luray. We had never
been to a horse event. We were as green as spring grass. We knew we
were in the Sport of Kings but had the audacity to not even care, cause we were
on a grand adventure. Coast to Coast in '76'. There are so many
stories to tell on that adventure that that is another story. But, we
finished. And being in Califorina for 2 days i was ready to come home and
took the first ride that came along to Illinois. That was closer than
Ca. While there Ted Allegrias' sponsor said he'd take us home if we paid
the gas. Luray Bound and Home and Glad. Jose and i were mild
celebrities here in Luray for a while but life and everything took me back to
gardening and making a living and only riding on the weekends. 1977 came
and by then i knew what Endurance was and i had to go to the Old Dominion.
I had no truck or trailer in 76 and didn't have one in 77 either but we got
there. We finished w/ 15 minutes to spare, the toughest ride i had ever
done. 78 i took a break and came back with training and ready to tackle
that OD in 79. It was a killer day the OD is known for, but we improved
our time and came in at 4:30 w/ 30 minutes to spare. Jose is dead now and
i remember him so fondly. It was only much later i found his tongue had
been practically cut off by a bit and thats why he was a runaway. Oh Jose
Man, you were a good first horse. tom
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