You’ve all heard of Secretariat. You may have seen the film War Horse. Let me introduce you to the greatest horse of whom you’ve never heard.
We called her “Softie.” Even as a foal, she seemed acutely aware that we humans are vulnerable creatures and she could hurt us, so she was always extremely gentle.
Our church friends ran a riding stable, where couples and families could rent horses for the day and take them out on the trails. I was doing well with my paper route, so they hired me to help take care of their horses for the summer.
It was like a babysitting job and involved a lot of shoveling, but there were a lot of moments that were really magical.
Softie was no Secretariat, but to the 12-year-old kid clinging to her back for dear life, she seemed as fast as the starship Enterprise. And of course, she was a perfect companion for the kids.
As horses go, she was a comedian and all-around entertainer, prancing and trotting around. She played like the world’s most enormous puppy: sneaking up behind me, grabbing my hat off my head and running about 40 feet. Then she’d stop and turn her head back, shaking my hat back and forth as if to say, “I got it right here, Human. See? You’re supposed to chase me. Come on, it’ll be fun.” Well, it might have been fun for her. She could run three times as fast as me.
Our little town had a Fourth of July parade every year. All through high school, I was riding Softie in the parade. She was so harmonized with human behavior that she wouldn’t dare make a mess in the street. To that extent, she was “housebroken.” She was almost dancing. The crowd loved it. That horse belonged in a Disney movie. And we were bonded, as closely as with any dog or cat.
Years later, I was graduating from college and heard she wouldn’t last much longer, so I paid a visit. It would be the first Fourth of July parade in 20 years that she didn’t lead. She couldn’t stand, but she instantly recognized my voice and tried. I had to convince her to relax by sitting down beside her. She wanted to go outside and play, just one more time.
Softie passed away on July 3, 1985. For our church friends, skyrocketing insurance premiums priced a day of riding out of reach for most families. The stables, and the riding trails around them, are now a subdivision.
All good things must come to an end. Better things may be in store. Our world of technology has many wonders, but it’ll be hard to do better than that horse.
Jim Davis is an IT specialist and paralegal, with degrees in political science and statistical analysis: the underpinning of all science. His work has appeared in Newsmax and Daily Caller. You can find him as RealProfessor219 on Rumble.
Image from Grok, created by author.