Walking a Horse

Showgrounds equestrian arena…

Brian: That seahorse mark, on his forehead.
Trev: Born with it.
Brian: Does the mark make people think he’s some fancy breed?
Trev: Had a lady ask if he was ‘mythic stock.’ Nah. He’s just a paddock pony with a quirky star.”
Brian: How old is he?
Trev: Three, his first time out on a walk around here.
Brian: Why bring him out today? No one else around.
Trev: Exactly. First outing should be calm. No crowds. No show ponies judging us.
Brian: What’s the hardest part of raising a horse?
Trev: Consistency. People want quick results. Horses don’t. You can’t rush trust. You can touch his nose, slowly does it.
_________
Voiceover
Trev winds up by saying his horse doesn’t swim but likes walking in water. Upright?

White Rabbits for New Year (of the Horse)

WHITE RABBIT WHITE RABBIT WHITE RABBIT

First sunrise of the year. An auspicious dawning of January 1^st. You may very well declare that rabbits have absolutely no business riding on horses. But after staying the southern summer at the White Horse Inn (on a 1936 Broadway remake), the courageous rabbits departed singing, “The White Horse Inn, at the White Horse Inn, There's joy the whole summer through, The days fly past, you must leave at last…” (to horse-trot beats) and into a new year on energetic equines. Resolutions for 2026 will be based on actions that if we don’t take now, we never will, perhaps stopping short of joining the Légion étrangère française but maybe taking up horse riding. 

Photographic evanescence

Perusing family photographs...

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To horse! To school!

Charlotte: When was it taken?

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Emily: It’s Andrea on Chestnut with Mum beside her. So it must be about 1920.

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Charlotte: Your mother rode?

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Emily: Oh yes. Sent all us kids to school on horse.

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Charlotte: Do you have any other photos?

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Emily: I think most were thrown out after Dad died.

________

Voice-over

Some people like to discard and declutter. Archivists tend by nature to be hoarders. Compiling family histories can be a bit like a lottery.

...

Holiday accident

Lionel comes in with tragic news.

…

Arthur: Hello. We got a call from Michael. What's up?

Lionel: Kerry. She was killed.

Arthur: No!

Lionel: Car accident.

Arthur: When?

Lionel: Wednesday.

Arthur: How did it happen?

Lionel: Horse bolted onto the highway. Crushed the roof in. She was in the passengers seat. Head injuries. Died at the scene.

Arthur: Will you stay over?

Lionel: Got to get over there. They're closing the casket tonight. Funeral tomorrow. Only 19.

____________

Authorial aside: Arthur suspects something is amiss, Lionel, related to the accident victim, is suffering and keeps words to a minimum and descriptions cryptic. As males often do when coping with grief. A female bridge into expressing grief might be along the lines of “Life’s not fair” or “Why do these things happen?”

…