An ordinary horse: You won't reac about Folly in the annals of champions, but his achievements were no less important to those who loved him

摘要

Everyone knows horse like Folly. An ordinary horse. He never had a string of blue ribbonshung on his stall or a trophy in the tack room with his name on it. And while it's true that Folly stylishly jumped a log or two in his time, he did so only out on the trail—without any fanfare.Over the years, I've come to think of Folly as my own horse, but the truth is, even though I cared for him in his retirement, he was never mine. He belonged—heart and soul—to Irene, my husband's mom and my trail-riding buddy. I guess you could say thatIrene was sort of ordinary, too. She never gave much thought to winning trophies and ribbons, but she could stick a sudden spook like nobody's business. She often lamented her lack of refine-lent in the saddle, but she had skills I Envied. Irene could perform real-life maneuvers you didn't see in the show ring—riding a fast gallop on a bendy trail, for istance, or keeping a perfectly balanced seat while Folly trotted down a steep bank.