Horses
Awareness of the outside world. CNN: ‘A whole new world’: Georgia debuts all-terrain wheelchairs at its state parks, Sottile, November 12, 2022.
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My beautiful dork.
Rodney will be trotting on the long lines with the most minimal contact, only enough to suggest that he continue in a circle, and he’s tucking his chin as if someone is asking him to do Third Level dressage. It’s not really dressage, since it’s all front-end flash without a shred of work from the hind end. It’s a false frame that comes from tension. He can’t simply loaf along in a relaxed manner. He has occasional moments when he sticks his nose out and acts like a horse, but nothing consistent.
He’s learned to be chill at a walk, most of the time. Trot and canter, not so much. If he could just (just!) get over himself, he would see that it’s not as hard as he thinks it is. Nothing is as hard as he thinks it is. If he could just (just!) get over himself, we could go out and conquer the world.
There exists, theoretically, a level of performance that Rodney could turn in that would make up for all the years, all the tears, everything. Performance does not necessarily mean winning extravagant national &/or year-end titles. Performance means the sort of rides that come with their own soundtrack. The sort of rides you remember years later. And, perhaps, one or two extravagant national &/or year-end titles.
It could, theoretically, happen.
Similarly.
There exists, theoretically, a horse who would cause me to throw my plans out the window, don a suit, and trot into a full schedule of saddleseat shows. Not necessarily an expensive, fancy horse, although he or she probably would be pricey. Not necessarily winning fistfuls of blues, although – as above – that would be nice. My ASB unicorn would be a horse that I hit it off with on a tremendous level: Sam’s attitude, Dottie’s showmanship, and enough pizzazz to take me to interesting places.
It could, theoretically, happen.
Onwards!
Katherine