I wonder now how we ever survived without Google (this from a person who didn't have email until 1999 no less). The Internet Oracle can take you just about anywhere you want to go and dream. You don't need to commit to anything, nobody knows you're there looking and you can visit the places you like as often as you like with a click or two.
One of the places I really liked to go and dream at was:
www.newstride.com
This started in the spring of 2008 when the old Oracle decided it was time to reveal this to me. There's no ticker on the site to show how many hits they've had, but if there was one you could chalk a couple thousand of them up to me. I might even be the high score, which I'm not the least bit embarrassed about.
Whenever I felt a bit low or helpless I just went to look at the horses for a bit - the electronic equivalent of leaning on the paddock fence. It felt good to get to know them and really good to see them adopted out and filed under 'Success Stories'.
Thoroughbreds hold a very special place in my heart. Once I graduated from my little Quarter Horse pony (14.2 with shoes on if I wanted to move up to the horse classes), I mostly rode Thoroughbreds. Honey Maid, Whistling Yacht, Barney's Flash, Witchy Woman - all standout mounts who made my junior years exciting, successful and sometimes even a little scary, especially for my poor Mom. These horses taught me to ride. They were fantastic athletes, coaches and partners.
Wherever there's a racetrack, there will be TB's waiting to find out if they get a second chance at a career away from the track. Some of them never make the grade, a few get hurt and have to quit, some run successfully and retire after long careers. I have no idea how my old friends fared as racehorses but I know that they were all tremendously successful at showing an eager little girl what it means to truly have 'heart'.
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