Thursday is Thanksgiving in America. A day to gather with family and friends, to enjoy each others company while being grateful for the opportunity to do so.
As horse loving people it’s a good time to reflect on the sport and the equine athletes that draw us to the flame.
Explaining the fundamental magic of horses is a large undertaking. But here are some folks (luckily for us) throughout the centuries that did an admirable job characterizing the allure.
And while these quotes may not entirely do the horse justice, these writers may have gotten closer than anyone else ever has, which gives pause when we realize these great creatures are (still) a part of our lives. Enjoy.
1. “When I bestride him, I soar, I am a hawk: he trots the air; the earth sings when he touches it; the basest horn of his hoof is more musical than the pipe of Hermes.” – William Shakespeare
2. “God forbid that I should go to any Heaven in which there are no horses.” – R.B. Cunninghame Graham
3. “It is the horse’s gift to connect us with Heaven and our own footsteps.” – Ronni Sweet
4. “Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains un-awakened.” – Anatole France
5. “Animals were once, for all of us, teachers. They instructed us in ways of being and perceiving that extended our imaginations, that were models for additional possibilities.” – Joan McIntyre
6. “…for there is no other feeling in the world to compare with it if one loves a great horse. It gives a thrill that nothing else ever can. It cannot be put into words, because words cannot express it.” – Samuel Riddle
7. “In the end, we don’t know what horses can do. We only know that when, over the past thousands of years, we have asked something more of them, at least some of them have readily supplied it.” – Jane Smiley
From wild horses, to cowboys riding horses, to equestrians riding dressage, there is something about horses and horse sense that is just incredible.
There is a lot we know about horses, but perhaps the best thing about them is that there is so much we don’t know.
And yet, when we ask something new of them, they keep rising to the occasion, again and again.
That may be the most magical thing of all.
The Daily Racing Blog wishes all our readers a HAPPY THANKSGIVING.
