I was listening to Public Radio a couple weeks ago, and in between all the coverage of the primaries and subsequent political analysis and debate, came an interview out of the blue that really struck me. The subject of the interview was the total average joe American; a man, probably in his fourties or fifties from a small town in the center of the cornfield country, with a small family and house and an alright job. He was average and typical in every regard except one– His New Years Resolution for this year was to complete every item on an extensive bucket list he’d been compiling for years of things he’d like to do before he, well, kicked the bucket. A few were seemingly pretty typical and easy to fulfill (Learn to ice skate, run a 5K, drive a motorcycle etc.) while a few were a bit more outlandish (Ride in a hot air balloon, ride a Gondola in Venice, visit Ayers Rock in Australia.) He’d been saving for years to afford to do everything on his bucket list and 2012 was going to be the year he set out to complete them all.
What inspired me most about listening to this man’s 90 seconds of fame interview was the interest and desire he held for things, places, and people that were far removed from his immediate world. He had the desire to go beyond his daily life and try things for which he really had no first hand knowledge for but which he obviously felt very passionate about. In fact, his desire was so great that he was ready to leave his family and life for twelve months and spend his life savings in pursuit of all the things he’s always wanted to do.
Well his message sure got me to thinking about my life, and especially about the role Eventing plays in it. In my own humble opinion, Eventing is just about the best sport in the world, but if one thing is certain, there is a big wide world filled with horses and horse sport besides Eventing. I’d be pretty confident betting that most of us at the events today will still probably be there in some form in forty or fifty years time, which is a long time and a lot of three-day events! I know I’ve thought occasionally about the things I would like to try besides just Eventing at some point down the road, but after hearing that interview I sat down and made my equine bucket list. My list turned out to be a lot longer than I thought it would, and included equestrian pursuits of varying degrees of insanity. To give you some idea, here are a few of my bucket list items outside of Eventing:
– Watch the Chincoteague Pony Swim in person (which made the list after reading Misty of Chincoteague all those times as a kid)
– Ride in (and win) a barrel race
– Ride in (and win) a Timber Race
– Lasso a cow and experience firsthand the true definition of a ‘cowy horse’.
– Breed, raise, and train a foal
– Drive a team of Budweiser horses
So Eventing Nation, I gave you my list so now it’s your turn. What is your equine bucket list? As my art teacher always used to say in school, “Be creative”!
