TUESDAY, JUNE 20, 2000

TODAY, AFTER BREAKFAST at the Waffle House, we spent the whole day at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. This involved another car trip, but it was only a couple of hours. We got only as far as 74 by the time we arrived (starting from 67; we're playing this game accumulatively until we reach 100, whenever that will be).

We got to see some very famous racehorses, including thoroughbreds Cigar, Bold Forbes, and John Henry, along with champion five-gaited American saddlebred, CH Sky Watch. There's a covered staging area built next to the barn where they all live, and that's where the horses are brought for display (although you can also visit them in their stables). The audience sits around the circle and as each horse is brought into the center, only a few feet away, the announcer tells the story of that horse. The announcer at the show we were at (whose name we never learned) was the best part of the show. She was a wonderful storyteller, and she used her voice and her phrasing to really make the stories come alive. As she spoke of John Henry, we could almost see him run and hear the thunder of his hooves. Grandpa says that's the way a really good radio narrator tells a story. He and Aunt Linda like to listen to Garrison Keillor on "Prairie Home Companion" on the radio. Even the horses enjoyed her narration... You could just see John Henry puff his chest out with pride when she told the story of how once they were displaying him at a racetrack and wanted to walk him around the track. This was not  all that long ago; John Henry had been retired and living here for years. Well, it seems you don't ever take a racehorse around a racetrack in a counter-clockwise direction unless there's a race going on. Racehorses don't understand, "walk slowly" when facing the "race" direction. You're supposed to ride them clockwise around the track, but somehow someone goofed and they started off heading the same direction they race. John Henry (that is, the elderly, retired, John Henry, dont'cha know?) took off running and would not be stopped until he'd completed the lap. They say he turned in a time that day that most currently racing horses would have been proud of achieving. John Henry just sparkled and shined as she said that. You could almost see him grin.

The same wonderful announcer also presented the next event we saw, which was a display of many different breeds of horse. As each was ridden into the ring, by a rider dressed in appropriate costume, she told of how that breed came about, why it's so popular for what it does, and what features distinguish it. And the fact that nearly all of these beautiful animals are show champions for their particular breeds made it really easy to see what she meant.

After that show we went horseback riding on a trail ride. The ride lasted for nearly an hour, winding through some of the beautiful paddocks and fields of the horse park, areas which can only be seen by horseback. Aunt Linda was the first one mounted. Her horse, Duke, was a dark Morgan with a steady disposition. Ryan’s horse, Mr. Natural, was a brown mixed breed that looked to be just the right size for him. With his helmet, Ryan looked just like a professional jockey and he also felt like one He was very comfortable and was able to get his horse to turn easily whenever he laid the reins on his neck. Grandpa's horse, Wilber, was a dark brown Mustang/Percheron. These are big horses,  and Grandpa says they're well suited for hauling large, heavy loads. Wilber enjoyed hanging back and getting further and further behind the next horse until there was enough distance to trot fast and catch up. Rachael rode a light buckskin gray horse named Digger. Digger had a mind of his own as far as where he wanted to walk, which was usually along a different path than the other horses. But Rachael was able to keep him under control, even when the lightning struck.

Oh, did we forget to mention that there were thunderclouds as we left the stable? Well, by the time we were halfway around the trail (that is, about a half-hour away from any kind of shelter) those clouds had gotten a lot closer. And a lot darker. There was a little rain and sporadic lightning. But by the time we were almost back, the rain was falling steadily and quite a bit harder and the lightning (and thunder) came quite a bit closer. Toward the very end, with the stables in sight, a bolt of lightning struck very close, with a LOUD crack of thunder that sent the normally quite and steady horses into a brief panic. Ryan’s horse stood up on his hind legs, and Grandpa's horse started heading for the hills. Rachael’s and Aunt Linda’s horses started as well, but quickly calmed down again. Ryan did an excellent job of bringing Mister Natural back under control and somehow Grandpa managed to hold Wilber on course until he settled down.. The trail guides, however, did not relax so quickly. They were very anxious to get us all back to the stable and dismounted as quickly as possible. Rachael got down a little harder than she’d planned to, which resulted in her sitting briefly in a mud puddle, but she sustained no damage. By then the rain (and the thunder) was over for the day and we walked back over toward the rest of the horse park. We had Rachael sit in a clear puddle and then scoot along the grass until most of the mud was off, and then we all piled back into the car for the ride home.

All text and photos ©2000 by John Lipman, except as noted. All rights reserved.