Blame it on those Trixie Belden books I read growing up. Blame it on Black Beauty. Blame it on My Friend Flicka.
Whatever the reason, I have loved horses since I was a little girl. Even as young as six years old, I begged my parents for a pony, long before I could read the books I mentioned.
In 2024, we traveled with friends to Lexington, Kentucky where we did some sight-seeing at the Kentucky Horse Park and Claiborne Farm, located just outside of Lexington. That is where the photo was taken, and what you see is me feeding a horse a peppermint–a horse worth millions of dollars.
I know many of you are into football and other team sports, and many of you enjoy watching golf and tennis (and pickle ball!). But the highlight of sports for me is The Kentucky Derby.
It wasn’t always that way. Sure, I loved movies like Seabiscuit and Secretariat (who is buried at Claiborne Farm, by the way), but other than a slight interest in the hats and dresses worn by the women attending the event, the race at Churchill Downs in Louisville was nothing significant.
Until a few years ago when my husband and I were watching the pre-race broadcast, and I was impressed by the beauty of the horses and enjoyed listening to their stories. I analyzed each as they made their way to the starting gate, and I told my husband which one I thought would win based upon my observation, nothing more. The one I selected was not favored, but…you guessed it, he won
That prompted me to do the same thing the next year. I analyzed based upon my observation only, and…yes, he won.
The next few years I picked a horse than won either first, second, or third.
No, I never placed a bet. I never plan to do that.
But it has become a personal challenge, competing with myself, which is my favorite type of competition. I am not competitive with others, but I’ve always been competitive with myself.
I don’t know if horse racing is humane or not, but I heard there are regulations and guidelines in place to protect the well-being of the horses. I hope so. I think they’re beautiful animals, and cruelty to any animal, beautiful or not, speaks volumes to me about someone’s character.
I haven’t ridden a horse in at least fifteen years, I don’t think, and I never had the opportunity to go horseback riding as often as I would have liked. So, like the wannabe athletes who enjoy watching the better athletes compete, I’ll watch and admire the amazing jockeys guide those powerful animals in a racing event like no other.
Hmmm…just thinking about the race has inspired me to see if I can find a movie like Dreamer or Secretariat to watch. I may go to Blake’s Southern Milling on Saturday for a Kentucky Hot Brown, although I’m not a huge fan of (but it’s like going to Philadelphia and eating an authentic Philly Cheesesteak sandwich, you know?).
Will I pick a winner this year? I’ll let you know!
Life As I know it 