I Kiss Horses

Horses are one of my lifelong loves. When I was a child, my dad rented a large pasture to raise Hereford cattle before he bought our farm. Since the property was several acres, I begged him to buy me a horse. Yes, horses and cows are different in many ways, and one of those ways is their care. Horses need more, daily. Cows need, mainly, a good pasture and adequate water, with periodic checkups. Daddy visited his little red “beauties” at least two to three times a week, but he said no to my horse request because of their care and cost. After all, he could sell cows for a profit, but horses were usually a lifelong “pet” and expensive. Later, when I finished college and started working, I bought a Quarter Horse (Lucky), then a pregnant Tennessee Walker mare (Dolly), who gave me Abe. He grew to 16 hands, which was tall for my height. Still, I found a fencerail to climb up on, which helped me into the saddle. Daddy allowed Dolly and Abe to live on the farm, to my relief.

I constantly think about our ancestor’s lives, when horses were everywhere. Prior to 1900, they transported people across rural America, and into cities to jobs, even pulling street cars until almost the 1890’s. Far earlier in history, wars all over the world were fought with horses at the center of the conflicts, dating back to approximately 4000 BC in Eurasia. One of the interesting facts in horse history is their extinction in America, 10,000 years ago. Thankfully, colonizers from Spain reintroduced our equine friends to the continent in the late 1400’s.

Some of the better known horses from the past are Sergeant Reckless, Comanche, Cincinnati, Man o’War and Secretariat. Here are many of the remarkable aspects of the animals and their contributions to history:

1. Secretariat set records in all three Triple Crown races in 1973. His autopsy showed his heart weighed 22 pounds, which was three times the size of a typical horse’s heart, so I guess we now know why he set those records.

2. Man o’War won 20 of his 21 starts, did NOT run in the 1920 Kentucky Derby, but sired exceptional racehorses, including War Admiral, the 1937 Triple Crown winner.

3. Sergeant Reckless, a small Mongolian mare, carried ammunition and supplies for the U.S. Marines during the Korean War. Her most notable contribution was when she made 51 solo trips under heavy fire, in “one” day. She earned two Purple Hearts for her bravery.

4. Comanche served in the 1876 Battle of Little Big Horn (Custer’s Last Stand) and was said to be the sole survivor of the battle. He suffered 7 bullet wounds and was found two days after the battle, but went on to live until 1891, the revered mascot of the 7th U.S. Cavalry.

5. Cincinnati, often said to be U.S. Grant’s favorite horse, fought with Grant during the Civil War. Cincinnati was sired by Lexington, the fastest four-mile Thoroughbred during the mid 1800’s. Grant rode Cincinnati to Appomattox Courthouse to Robert E. Lee’s surrender and the horse lived with Grant at the White House, until he was retired to a farm in Maryland.

While I was in college, I took care of Arabian horses in a stable near campus. They are pretty horses, but their hot-blooded personalities make them a challenge to handle, similar to Thoroughbreds. For my college internship, I worked at a Thoroughbred breeding farm in Lexington, Kentucky. Taking care of the foals was a dream job for me, and the mares were, in general, easy to deal with. I remember an incident, however, that emphasized the hot-blooded nature of the breed. I was above a stall, where the hay was stored, about to throw down some bales to feed the animals. The horse in the stall was a stallion and the owner of the farm was in the stall. Suddenly, I heard what sounded like something large being thrown against a wall and then a shout (or groan) from the owner. I yelled down “Are you okay?” and the owner laughed, before he said “Maybe”. Apparently, the stallion head-butted the guy to the ground but the owner survived without any serious injuries. Just remember that if you ever get near a hot-blooded breed.

My next horse might be a Morgan, or, perhaps I will just adopt whatever horse I find who needs me, no matter the breed. I can’t wai!