[RC] the joy - and heartbreak - of horses (long) - alexis_mills
Bindi (the Croc Hunter's daughter) was trying to
explain her fascination with horses to Ellen DeGeneres last week. "You know how
some people crave food?" she asked. "Well I crave horses." And so it's always
been for me. (And for Portia, said Ellen.)
At first I blissed out just seeing such magnificent
creatures from afar. Then, after years of begging, I got my first pony,
Jason. And off we went, along the Delaware and up the mountain. Alone and free.
Until he tripped over a jump, flipping over and kicking me in the face as he
scrambled to get up, and my parents sold him the next day...
My next pony, a beautiful little Welsh named
Charlie Brown, would jump 4 ft bareback in a halter, and what a thrill that was
for a 12 year old. But when I opted one day to go to the lake with friends
instead of riding, my drunken father sold him to the killers.
Then there was Neesha, my first Arab friend, the
sweetest mare I've ever known. For six years we explored the washes and trails
of Catalina, AZ. But our last days together were spent with her head in my lap
as she foundered beyond all hope, overfed on alfalfa (by her owner, not
me).
Sweetheart, an Anglo Arab, was my savior -- my only
friend for the two years I taught on the Apache reservation. I'll never forget
the thrill of riding him, swimming, across the White River and galloping across
the mesa above. His previous owner insisted I sell him back when I left, and the
only reason I did was because she'd had him all his life, more than 20
years, but she then sold him again without even paying me...
Now I have Samurai, my little bay gelding, so
spirited and loving, and the best partner I could ask for. He brings me not
just joy but ecstasy, and I feel incredibly blessed. But with horses, it
seems heartache is always just around the corner...
Wishing all of you much joy with your beloved
horses,
