Man does not have the only memory, The animals remember, The earth
remembers, The stones remember, If you know how to listen, they will tell
you many things.
Most of the recent posts are about awards, receiving
recognition, whether people feel welcome. Maybe it is time we talked
about personal rewards that are a little less transitory. The best ride of my
life was a ride I did not complete. Why? Because on that one occasion I
knew I rode my horse better than I had ever ridden a horse before. It was
thirty years ago. I have never duplicated it. On only two occasions in
40 years of endurance riding have I felt totally in harmony with a
horse---they were brief, but memorable. I was alone both times. And I
soared. Believe me, I would trade every award I have ever won before I would
give up even one of the memories of those three events. So maybe we, as
riders, should change our perspective a bit and quit worrying about who got
the best tee shirt. Regardless of the distance ridden, our sport offers far greater
rewards. Julie
