Last night on Rock Center with Brian Williams, Harry Smith reported on a horse by the name of Neville  Bardos.  Neville was destined for slaughter as he did not make it as a race horse.  But lucky for Nev (as he is called in the barn) Boyd Martin came along and bought him for $799.99 at the county fair.  Now the two of them are destined for the Olympics in one of the most grueling equestrian events - The Three Day Event - the equivalent of a triathlon for horse and rider!


As Boyd speaks about the horse you can see the love he has for the animal.  The bond between man (or woman) and horse is a very strong one.  A lot of us have pets like dogs or cats that we are very close with but the closeness between horse and rider is different.  When riding, you become one with the animal.  The animal feels every small move that you make with your legs or hands and you feel every move the horse is making.

Renegade
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I had that same bond with my horse Renegade.  I acquired Renegade when he was just 18 years old and just lost him last year at the age of 40.  Yes, I had him for 22 years.  When I tell people about Renegade and how long we were together the question I get is always the same..."How long do horses live?"  According to Wikipedia, the average horse will live between 25 and 30 years.  So, I guess Renegade was above average.  I miss him all the time but have Nikki and Fancy to keep me company now.  Nikki is 8 and Fancy is 18 so I have many years to come with them.

 

 

Do you have pets you love too much? Tell me about the unusual circumstances of how you got the pet?

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