The Horseman's Guide to the Meaning of Life by Don Burt

Author:Don Burt
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
Published: 2018-07-01T16:00:00+00:00

LESSON EIGHT

Patience, Persistence, Sacrifice

The life of one of history’s truly great individuals sums up his character. He failed in business back in 1831. He was defeated for the legislature in 1832. He failed in business again in 1833 and was elected to the legislature in 1834. His sweetheart died in 1835, and he had a nervous breakdown in 1836. He was defeated for speaker of the house in 1838 and defeated for land officer and congressman in 1843. He was elected to Congress in 1846, defeated for vice president in 1856, and defeated for senator in 1858. Even though many times he wanted to quit, he didn’t. He was elected president in 1860. He never gave up. His name was Abraham Lincoln—and the rest is a story told over and over.

Seabiscuit was a rough-hewn, undersized horse with knees that wouldn’t straighten all the way. He fought his trainers and floundered at the lowest level of racing until his dormant talent was discovered by three men. Charles Howard, a former bicycle repairman who made a fortune by introducing the automobile to the American West, bought him for a pittance and entrusted him to Red Pollard, a failing jockey, and Tom Smith, “The Lone Plainsman,” who carried generations of lost wisdom about the secrets of horses. From 1936 to 1940, Seabiscuit endured a remarkable run of bad fortune, conspiracy, and injury to establish himself as one of history’s most extraordinary athletes. He had lickety-split speed, versatility, and indomitable will; he shipped thousands of railroad miles, carried staggering weight to victory against the best horses in the country, and shattered more than a dozen track records. His rivalry with Triple Crown–winner War Admiral terminated in a spectacular match race that is still widely regarded as the greatest horse race ever run. His trouble-plagued four-year quest to conquer the world’s richest horse race became one of the most legendary struggles in sports.

Patience is a lost virtue, many have said, but it does pay off in the end. When young, I wanted everything right now. As I grew a little older, tomorrow sufficed. Then came the realization that all good things come to those who wait. Have patience—all things are difficult before they become easy. Along with patience comes persistence. Waiting doesn’t mean you give up or quit trying.

I had a horse sent to me who was a notorious stopper at fences. He’d stop and throw his rider off in nearly every class. He would school at home like a champion, but in the show ring it was a different story. After being stood on my head numerous times in front of my peers, I vowed not to give up. I took him to shows way out in the boondocks and persuaded them to let me set a course and school after the show. I hauled jumps around for months trying to discover his secret. Through trial and error, I stumbled onto the fact that he jumped okay from the right lead and never stopped when courses went to the right.

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