I have to confess that this past weekend I almost lost track of the Kentucky Derby, not that the Derby was at all harmed by this oversight on my part. I was reminded of it by a passing person who mentioned the race and said that she was rooting for the "half-blind horse" that was running in the race.
Say what?
And then, of course, I did my homework and found out about Patch, the plucky horse that had had his eye removed some 11 months before running in the Derby. Sadly, for whatever reason, Patch placed 14th in his effort in this very tough race, whether because of the rainy weather, the muddy track or simply because the Derby has become something of a rout with so many horses in it these days.
I know that I shudder when I realize that there are going to be so many horses out there all battling for placement in one race.
So many things can go wrong and so much sudden damage can happen in an instant in a race anyway that I really feel that there should be intelligent limitations on the numbers of horses in a race. But the rule of money and reflected glory have held sway in America for a long time now and seem to have overcome simple good sense in lots of other venues so why should racing be different?
It may change if there is a terrible tangle of horses and riders on that track some awful day, but I sincerely hope that sensible change does not come to pass in that way.
On to better things! Just for those who don't know, blind horses do pretty well if they have the temperament for the situation. A horse with an already flighty temperament can become darn well dangerous to itself and all who have to deal with it, but a laid back horse can go on to have a decent life even when blind. John Lyons' wonderful Appaloosa, Bright Zip, lost his sight in 1995 from a freak allergic reaction to antibiotic medication. After some initial adjustment for both man and horse, John continued to ride Zip and use him for his popular clinics, performing spins, sliding stops, roping ... he even worked bridle-less and helped John work young horses in a round pen.
This was especially tricky because Bright Zip was also hearing impaired.
Many people today are working with horses that are sight impaired and have found that, with the proper training and with sensible foresight by their riders, they are rideable. Turnout can be tricky because of having to choose the right partner for the blind horse and because the pasture needs to be sufficiently free of obstructions to forestall accidents.
My own horse, War Hawk, succumbed to moon blindness as he aged and needed a pony to be his seeing-eye friend. He went on for several years trotting and cantering around his paddocks with that pony slightly in front of him and his nose hovering just over the pony's rump as they negotiated the terrain. Hawk was finally humanely destroyed at the age of 35 and it was not due to his eyesight, either. In fact I can remember pulling up a straw bale in front of his stall door and sitting there with him while we listened to the silly chickens chugging up and down the barn aisle enthusiastically about whatever business a chicken has to do.
We both thought that the chickens were not all that bright but then Hawk and I had a naturally mutual outlook on a lot of things in life so it was not surprising that we agreed on chickens, too.
On another front entirely I want to introduce an author to those readers who have enjoyed this column. Solveig Smith, a friend for years and years, has just published a neat book called "Homespun Reflections."
It is a fun read, a book that you don't just pick up and zip right through but instead one that you sit down with and read a chapter here and there with a cup of tea or coffee and a cookie or two when you have been very good and deserve a treat. It is a truly relevant book to country folks — it even contains instructions on how to kill a car (by running a hose from the exhaust to the carburetor and turning on the car).
Most of us have had cars that we would like to do that to. I believe that this book is in the Carroll County Public Library but it can also be found on amazon.com and it would make a dandy gift for like-minded friends.
I do so appreciate people who are literate and have a good sense of the ridiculous in life.
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