I agree with Teddy (and others)...the best feeling in the world is to
drop the reins the last half mile before the finish line and have the
horse spontaneously break into a big, happy lope, ears up, tail up, like
as not throwing in a buck or two just to let Mom know he's in better
shape than Mom is. Like we didn't already know that.
I remember reading somewhere about a horse that was coming into the
finish (first) after doing 100 miles in under ten hours, spooked at a
hose stretched across the trail and threw a bucking fit before he would
cross the "trail goblin". Undoubtedly, he/she was tired, but that sure
sounds like there was some starch left in that cookie.
With apologies for mixing my metaphors...
Susan Evans