Blog

Blog 9, June

Recently, renowned equine photographer Mark Barrett and I have teamed up to
work on a book together called, "Horses Always Make Me Smile. "
He has over 100 photographs, which he has collected from his photo shoots of horses doing funny, and sometimes outrageous things--such as jumping off the ground when they weigh a ton, or snuggling up with a cat or dog while grinning like a possum. One photo is of a girl dressed to the nines in hunt clothes standing in front of her horse, and at the moment the camera catches its truth, the horse inserts its head over its rider's head, so it looks like the horse is wearing those fancy hunt clothes.  We're considering making this photo the cover of the book.  At any rate, I am working hard on writing the text, attempting to make it not only funny but informative. Right now, I am researching the history of horse culture--and how amazing  it is to think that the automobile has been the defining transport in the last 100 years, yet the horse culture was around for centuries, and little of that history is left.
Furthermore, how unaware we are of that strong influence! Just think of how many idioms from the horse culture linger in our language.  I.E.  "Rein 'em in," "hold your horses," "long in the tooth,"  "horse's ****," and "don't look a gift horse in the mouth."  And that's only starters.
Can you think of more?  If you have a funny horse story, please send it along.  I'm collecting them to cull to put in the book.  For instance, this one, which a professional  hunt-seat trainer recently gave me:   she was training her own race horse, and when she was ready for the horse's first race, she asked a trainer-friend to get her a jockey and she would have the horse ready at a certain time at a certain race track. When she got herself and the horse there, her trainer-friend said, "I have your jockey, but unfortunately he did not pass the weight test; he is a few ounces over.  However, I know how to fix it."  So when the jockey appeared, the trainer said, "Okay, Cal, spit out your teeth." Which the jockey did, and the horse owner held them while the jockey rode, and the horse came in first!" (Of course, she returned the teeth in time for the winner circle's photograph.)
                                                  End of great story.

Happy June, and send me your thoughts.