WEBVTT - The Hidden Work Behind Every Horse

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<v Speaker 1>This is Lee Habib and this is our American Stories,

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<v Speaker 1>and we tell stories about everything here on this show,

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<v Speaker 1>and everything in between, including your story. Send them to

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<v Speaker 1>our American Stories dot com. There's some of our favorites.

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<v Speaker 1>And in the end, America is the star of this

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<v Speaker 1>show and some of the American people. Up next, we're

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<v Speaker 1>gonna hear from a regular contributor, Bill Brake, about this

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<v Speaker 1>simple but important task of grooming your own horse.

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<v Speaker 2>Two weeks ago, I went to the Cheshire Horse in Swansea,

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<v Speaker 2>New Hampshire, to purchase riding boots, breeches and other paraphernalia.

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<v Speaker 2>No spurs, I see no reason to spur horse, and

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<v Speaker 2>Dorothy Crosby, my instructor, a practical woman, agrees with me.

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<v Speaker 2>Bridges have leather patches on the inner thigh the saddle

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<v Speaker 2>sides of the leg that help one post rise in

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<v Speaker 2>the saddle at the trot to manage the horse. The

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<v Speaker 2>bridges are a mixture of cotton and unnatural fibers that stretch,

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<v Speaker 2>unlike the old army riding bridges of khaki twill that

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<v Speaker 2>belled at the thighs and hips. They claim my wife

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<v Speaker 2>claims she finds them, shall we say interesting? Having spent

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<v Speaker 2>some time in my early life trying to have the

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<v Speaker 2>municipal building at one Center Street in Manhattan rezone for

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<v Speaker 2>natural fibers, I reserve judgment. Riding boots also help control

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<v Speaker 2>the horse, while being much easier to place in or

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<v Speaker 2>remove from the stirrups than my rubber Wellington's had been.

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<v Speaker 2>So today, when I went to find Julio, the horse

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<v Speaker 2>I have been riding at Miss Crosby's stable and started

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<v Speaker 2>New Hampshire, I arrived in the kind of polished high

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<v Speaker 2>boots one might expect from say, George S. Patten in

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<v Speaker 2>nineteen thirty nine. I then plunged through three inches of

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<v Speaker 2>mud to get and bring him in for grooming. With Julio,

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<v Speaker 2>there's always some physical comedy before I get him to

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<v Speaker 2>the stable, because there are other things he would rather

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<v Speaker 2>do right then than go with me, and so he

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<v Speaker 2>will walk about. Horses, unlike most humans, always live in

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<v Speaker 2>the moment. Sooner or later, though I catch Julio and

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<v Speaker 2>lead him in. A rider should groom the horse before

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<v Speaker 2>riding to ensure comfort for both parties. Cleaning his back

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<v Speaker 2>where the saddle will lie is only a part of it.

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<v Speaker 2>Julio loves to roll in the field. At this time

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<v Speaker 2>of year, from late March through early May, New Hampshire

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<v Speaker 2>has mud season, so when I finally get him into

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<v Speaker 2>the stable, he's pretty dirty. Even with some degree of efficiency,

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<v Speaker 2>the use of several brushes, combs, picks and other devices

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<v Speaker 2>takes about half an hour. That too, may have an

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<v Speaker 2>element of physical comedy, particularly if, like Julio, the horse

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<v Speaker 2>doesn't think much about where he places his hoofs Half

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<v Speaker 2>a ton of horse can make his presence known, as

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<v Speaker 2>I learned earlier today, when he places his hoof on

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<v Speaker 2>my right foot. Thankfully I was no longer wearing my

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<v Speaker 2>rubber Wellington's, which might not have taken this quite as

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<v Speaker 2>well as my Irish maid riding boots. When Julio put

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<v Speaker 2>his foot down, I took deep breath and exhaled, refraining

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<v Speaker 2>from using a few consonant clusters that leapt into mind.

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<v Speaker 2>It was my fault I should have turned him while

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<v Speaker 2>leading from the front instead of remaining at his side.

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<v Speaker 2>Having cleaned the horse, one saddles and bridles him, leads

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<v Speaker 2>him out to the mountain block, climbs into the saddle

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<v Speaker 2>and rides I'm slowly absorbing the discipline of riding at

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<v Speaker 2>the trot, which requires one to rise in rhythm with

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<v Speaker 2>a horse. It's working certain muscles that I may not

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<v Speaker 2>use as often as I should. I'm vaguely reminded of

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<v Speaker 2>an admission Graham Greene once made to Anthony Powell that

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<v Speaker 2>he had not truly known physical love until he had

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<v Speaker 2>known a horsewoman, due to the development of the muscles

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<v Speaker 2>and the loins. Anyway, having done all that and returned

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<v Speaker 2>to the stable, what happens next? First I groom Julio again,

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<v Speaker 2>going through the entire process. He's allowed me to ride him.

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<v Speaker 2>The least I can do is clean him up so

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<v Speaker 2>he can relax. It's simply a matter of quid pro quo.

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<v Speaker 2>At this time of year, he's shedding his winter coat.

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<v Speaker 2>I removed nearly as much hair from him during the

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<v Speaker 2>second grooming as I did during the first. Once I'm done,

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<v Speaker 2>I place a waterproof sheetow him an exercise in straps

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<v Speaker 2>and velcrow, lead him from the stable, remove his bridle

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<v Speaker 2>and release him. Then back in the barn, I'd clean

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<v Speaker 2>the hair and other detreatise that fell from him during

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<v Speaker 2>his grooming, including any manure and sweep or shovelet out

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<v Speaker 2>the door the other day. By power of association, I

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<v Speaker 2>recalled the French cavalryman and politician who, opposing the adoption

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<v Speaker 2>of tanks during the mid nineteen thirties, thundered during a

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<v Speaker 2>debate in the Chamber of Deputies, what would you have

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<v Speaker 2>the stench of gasoline or the noble scent of manure?

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<v Speaker 2>That was after an obscure Colonel Charles de Gould had

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<v Speaker 2>published the classic argument for the use of tanks in

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<v Speaker 2>modern warfare, The Army of the Future. The book was

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<v Speaker 2>ignored by France, but a bestseller in Germany. General Heinz Guderian,

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<v Speaker 2>whose armored cavalry smashed through the French lines that's to

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<v Speaker 2>Don in nineteen forty, particularly admired it.

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<v Speaker 1>And you've been listening to Bill Bray his story about

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<v Speaker 1>horse life, and particularly well the joy of grooming your

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<v Speaker 1>horse and the joy of just getting to know your

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<v Speaker 1>horse and getting closer to a horse. My daughter loves horses.

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<v Speaker 1>We own a horse. His name is Levado, and let's

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<v Speaker 1>just say he can make his presence known too, and

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<v Speaker 1>quite a character and a joy of our life. Owning

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<v Speaker 1>a horse, if you have one, if you have barns.

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<v Speaker 1>If you ride, you know what I'm talking about and

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<v Speaker 1>what it does for young people. My goodness, the lessons

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<v Speaker 1>you'll learn about personal responsibility, about well control, about risk taking,

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<v Speaker 1>about courage at certain points too. And if you have

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<v Speaker 1>stories of your own horse stories, particularly, I'll send them

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<v Speaker 1>to all Americanstories dot com. It's such a fundamental part

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<v Speaker 1>of so many people's lives in this country, especially in

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<v Speaker 1>the rural areas of this country and the exerbs. Again,

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<v Speaker 1>send your horse stories to our Americans Life stories dot com.

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<v Speaker 1>The beauty of the beast, the beauty of this animal.

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<v Speaker 1>It's been a fascination for Americans, well, for as long

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<v Speaker 1>as we've been Americans. Bill Brake's story, his horse riding

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<v Speaker 1>story in the end, his horse grooming story, and it's

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<v Speaker 1>a love story in the end. Here on our American

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