Today Is For The Horses

Here is an odd – out-of-time post that must have gotten eaten up at some point . . . I figure – why not put it out there as a bit of catharsis – maybe it’ll make the world a better place?! And at least – if for nothing else – you get that – uhm – picture of a horse up there . . . so there is that . . .

Yeah – yeah – point and laugh if you want . . . but I have a bit of a confession to make. Yesterday (January 29, 2007) – when I found out that Barbaro had been euthanized – I got all kinds of sad and lumpy.I never knew this about myself (until a few years ago) – but evidently I enjoy watching the ponies run around and around . . . especially when all of the whatnot of the “Triple Crown” is thrown in. But where there used to just be stars-in-the-eyes excitement at the sound of the gates being thrown open – now that I have seen a horse pull up lame during a race – I can’t help but get an ugly squeamish oozy feeling in my gut that mixes uncomfortably with all of the pent up thrill that comes with each race.

I got hooked on the (at that point) undefeated Barbaro after he won the Kentucky Derby in a super-strong fashion (he won by 20 lenghts!) – he was my iphone of horses – I really bought into the hype. And then a couple of weeks later at the Preakness, after a false start (where he went through the gates before the race started) – everything went downhill.

The news coverage of his operations and recovery was crazily excessive – although I did learn that laminitis is something that happens in a horses hoof if they aren’t putting even weight on all of their legs – or something like that . . . okay – I actually learned that there is a word “laminitis” and that it has something to do with hooves. I’m pretty sure that HBO even made a movie about him. I’m pretty sure that the world went Barbaro ridiculous for awhile – the world does seem to go ridiculous for things every so often . . . thanks media! (What?!)

From my standpoint – all that I knew was that there was a horse that I watched for one race – who I liked a bunch – who got hurt – and it affected me – and I think that is odd.

Hmmmmm . . . well that is where it stopped – so I suppose that this is where I will also stop and look around. I will breath in some fresh and clean air and leave you with something ponderous . . .

Maybe you should stop reading right now – because I feel like a terrible joke is about to happen . . . a joke that is so miserable that I hope that once I get it out of my head – that I don’t even have to think about it any more . . . my first chance to use invisible text.

I guess that god needed a horse.

I understand if you never come back after that . . . but boy am I glad that is out of my head.

And – by the by – even though I would understand – I would still be sad if you didn’t come back – for the record . . .