Best horse ever! Theatre Royal, owned by Gayle Davis, at GMHA Festival Of Eventing. Training Rider. Photo taken by Denny Emerson
Best friends don’t just pop up instantly like dandelions, bursting with color during the peak of summer. I was incredibly lucky, though, in the beginning. From about kindergarten through my senior year in high school, I was basically attached at the hip to another. She was my absolute best friend in the whole wide world. If I could stretch my arms out to show you how much I adored this girl, I would. We were inseparable. She was like my outgoing and fearless twin sister.
Those summer days when we biked six miles to the local small town store to buy cherry cokes and a bag full of fresh, sweet cherries. We climbed trees we weren’t supposed to climb. We jumped on my trampoline until the sun went down. We laughed nonstop. We got to the point where she didn’t even have to say anything to me and I would burst out laughing hysterically.
One time I actually accompanied my best friend and her family to church. We knew we weren’t supposed to laugh, which made this particular outing even more excruciatingly difficult. The more we tried to hold it in, the worse it became. Eventually we burst from the seams laughing and were actually kicked out of church. Whoops!
This kind of friendship is immeasurable and will never be forgotten. In fact, knowing someone that well — all their idiosyncrasies, habits, reactions, and expressions — makes me think of the bond and partnership that we seek with our equine friends. Some of you out there have this undeniable and unwavering bond that only you and your horse share. Others are looking forward to this bond, and some might search for decades.
Some of these amazing stories where so and so bred, raised, broke, and competed from Beginner Novice through Rolex are incredible stories. How could these riders not know their horses like the back of their hands? I think these stories are absolutely amazing and the partnership some of these riders have with their horses is unlike anything I have ever heard or seen in my life!
Obviously this partnership is not limited to the elite four star event riders. This relationship can be with your beginner novice champion horse you have owned for ten years, or your Prix St. Georges dressage horse, or your jumper, or your endurance horse. Regardless of your discipline, it’s the intricate and elaborate relationship you have with your horse.
These partnerships mean everything. When you and your horse anticipate each other’s every movement, aid, or signal is truly inspiring. When you know what your horse is about to do before they do it, and vice versa.
I cannot say that I know Vinnie, aka the super-duper-extremely-cool-Irish-chestnut-gelding, inside and out. I have only been riding him for eight months. I obviously did not produce this horse, nor can I take any credit for his overall amazingness, but I wouldn’t trade a second of this time for any amount.
He is truly a remarkable animal and getting to know him has been a trip. Even though we haven’t known one another for any lengthy amount of time, this particular horse has given me more confidence than I could have ever dreamed about. He has taught me how to be a bolder rider. He has taught me how to relax and how to not push our relationship into a faster gear. He has taught me that it takes a while to truly get to know and understand a horse.
He is a one of a kind and I cannot wait to get to know this one better! Stay tuned!
