A Little Freedom… And an OTTB Story

“Freedom is the open window through which pours the sunlight of the human spirit and human dignity.”
– Herbert Hoover

I finally had a moment of freedom on Saturday. Quick brush job and some orange polos, off we went. Almost a month without a saddle on his back, Brantley was steady and ready to explore. Of course without a huge amount of time and a horse who was a little bored with the regular route, I asked AP if she had been out to the train tracks yet. Her eyes lit up like a 10-year-old on Christmas… Who loves trains. You learn something new every day!

We had to do a small amount of off-roading to get there but after some steep hill climbs we finally came out to the clearing. Memories of my 15-year-old self a top another bay came flooding in. Young and reckless, three friends and I had made our way across the street to the other side of the park that we hadn’t explored before. A long stretch of flat ground into the woods with rolling hills I thought were a pain (oh how young me didn’t know how important these hills were for butt work back then). We came out to a clearing and a set of tracks. Two friends told NB and I not to get to close but we just laughed and said, “It’s a Sunday afternoon! Who takes the train at 430?”

Lo and behold, the crickets went silent and we heard the buzz. Here came the train, flying down the tracks. An 8-year-old OTTB with 4 years off-the-track, 10-year-old Arabian who didn’t know the definition of “WOAH” and two 20-year-old lesson horses who tucked and spun faster than any reining horse I’ve ever seen. NB’s Arabian mare reared and struck out before galloping off after the two old men.

There I was as I said before, young and reckless, excited to finally run wildly and uncontrollably through the woods after my friends. This is my chance. I can come home with battle wounds of trees grabbing at me while I “lose control” of my wild thoroughbred through the woods. There we were alone… I waited… I sunk my heels down… I whispered come on Lucky… Come on, let’s go… *kick*… Nothing… *kick kick*… Still nothing. This damn f*cking horse just stood there like a cow chewing cud as his friends ran away leaving him alone with me, and a train flying by. We walked home and that was that. Those goddamn crazy OTTBs.

I don’t know what I did to deserve these horses. Broken and misunderstood. Looked over and never meant for greatness… But both were definitely meant for me.

Now only to figure out who this guy is meant for.