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I get lots of letters from people asking about horse shows
and why they matter in the overall scheme of things.
Let's take a closer look at that question. Horse shows,
like most shows for purebred livestock, started out as a chance
for breeders to compare their kennels and evaluate the progress
of their breeding, nutritional and training programs. We still
have that chance today, in an age when shows have been elevated
into glamorous events of national stature. Has just about everybody
who loves dogs seen the recent Westminster Kennel Club show from
Madison Square Garden in New York City? Of course they have. Nobody
who has ever been to Crufts in England, the Salon du Cheval in
Paris or the national Arabian horse show in Scottsdale can walk
away without being impressed by how far the world of horse and
dog shows have come. So, how does that fit with other kinds of
horse training, you ask? Other disciplines like endurance, harness
or flat racing?
A recent conversation with former Quarter Horse jockey Kevin Gresham,
from his farm in Kansas brought an answer to that and it goes
something like this: "Years ago," he says, "Back
when I was ridin', you'd have horses that did all kinds of crazy
stuff. Some of them horses could really get to carryin' on and
a guy could get hurt. Well, there was this one trainer who did
a lot of winning. And I mean a lot. I always liked ridin' his
horses 'cause they would just, you know, be real calm and keep
their mind on business. Well, what this guy said was, the best
racehorses are the ones who are trained the most."
Now, that's a very interesting statement and a rather broad one.
But, Kevin has a broad base of experience. Besides having a few
horses, he raises and trains some of the most expensive, successful
Greyhounds in the sport of dog racing, dogs that earn many tens
of thousands of dollars. Kevin Gresham counts among his clients
some of the most well known owners in the game and he knows what
he's talking about.
Hearing his statement is one thing. But, understanding it and
putting it into practice is a whole different matter. What it
boils down to is this: the horse with more experience is less
likely to be surprised, distracted or worried about anything "different"
that happens. So, what Kevin is talking about is the "seasoning"
that cross-training can give a horse. And that kind of seasoning
can be the difference that makes a champion.
Some of the most successful people in other disciplines have come
from the show world, and that's true for both horses and dogs.
What secrets do they know? To find that out, you'd have to ask
the many Arabian horse trainers succeeding on the track. From
there, you'd have to ask people like Neal and Ginny Ehrhart of
Keystone Driving Force, who show horses and are also among the
top winners in Harness racing. After Neal and Ginny, you'd have
to go on and ask people like Jack and Mary Butler, who were busy
showing Siberian Huskies in New England about fifteen or so years
ago and today own one of the most respected Greyhound kennels
in the world. Or ask Jan Troxell who to this day still raises
and shows German Shepherds from her Greyhound racing farm in Oklahoma.
The list goes on. Maybe what these successful breeders and trainers
discovered is that all training disciplines-no matter how different
from each other they may seem to be-go hand in hand. Maybe they
see the world of champions from a wider scope and in a brighter
light than their competitors do. Maybe it gives them an advantage.
Most of us are in horses because we love them. Whether we are
fans, owners or somewhere in between, all of us play a role in
the making of champions and champions can be found in many different
arenas. Racehorses have proven themselves in dressage, driving,
hunter/jumper classes, western pleasure and halter. Likewise in
dogs, Obedience and Herding winners have become conformation champions
and retired racing Greyhounds have gone on to win ribbons in the
show ring as well.
In the sports of our choice, we see time-honored rituals that
touch a chord in all of us. We see horses from across the country
competing to prove which is smartest, which is fastest, which
more beautiful. We see stables competing against each other to
prove which horse is the best, which trainer the wisest and which
owner the most savvy.
In a society growing ever more soft, where schools and companies
and towns seem to be falling into a political correctness that
makes our lives more boring at every turn, we in horses have something
to look forward to. We live our dreams every day. We see their
promise played out with every sporting event we attend-the promise
that if you look straight ahead and give your all, you will get
from where you are right now to where you want to be. You will
cross the finish line, fast or slow. Most horses sports, not all,
are about the individual, not about hiding behind a team that
you're part of. Most of them are about you and your horse, alone,
against all odds. They don't teach you that kind of self-confidence
in high school, but horses do. When you are a winner in the horse
world, you know on some level-no matter how long you live or what
you do-that you "made it."
There, for all to see, you stood before the crowd. You reached
the winner's circle and somewhere in the archives of your Breed,
the world will always know it.
The 600 page novel includes an appendix of documented animal
rights terrorist acts dating all the way back to 1984. If
anyone has ever doubted what the real motivation of the animal
rights movement is all about, they will never again wonder
after reading Ron Hevener's
HIGH STAKES! |
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Reprinted with permission. Author/Artist, Ron Hevener, is owner
of one of the oldest kennels in the U.S. - Lochranza Kennels. He
is the author of "The Blue Ribbon" - "Fate of the
Stallion" and "High Stakes." His collectible figurines
and watercolor prints are sought at dog, cat and horse shows everywhere.
See more at www.ronhevener.com
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