Z is for Zenyatta, and a day gone to ‘waste’
By Gina Spadafori
November 9, 2009
I have spent the entire day thinking about horses. Mostly, about a single horse, a big, fast mare who actually knows how special she is, and you know that just by the way she shows off. E-mailing back and forth about horses with Glenye Oakford of the wonderful blog, Full Cry.
Order her book on horse racing. I just did, and I can’t wait until it gets here.
And when I wasn’t thinking about Zenyatta, I was thinking about Ruffian, and how much happier I am that I get to think about Zenyatta alive than Ruffian dead, and how Zenyatta is the most incredible four-legged animal I have ever seen — and I got to see her from just a few feet away three incredible times. (My brother the football coach says she is the most incredible athlete he has ever seen, and that’s pretty impressive for my brother to say.)
And when I wasn’t doing any of that, I was reading:
- Raised By Wolves, on searches with no rescue, and who gets to have the world turn out to look for them when they go missing, and how we choose. This is the must-read of the day, the week … I don’t know … just go read it.
- Full Cry: A Hound Blog, on the blessing of the hounds and just working back from there.
- Terrierman’s Daily Dose, on the horse pucky that SUVs have smaller “carbon footprints” than dogs do.
- Nathan Winograd, on why the HSUS is “appreciating” shelters instead of forcing them to reform.
All this means I’ll be getting up at 4 a.m. to meet deadline tomorrow. But I know this: For once, that procrastination was well worth it.
Well, H. Houlahan totally outdid herself with that post. Some of the most compelling prose I’ve read in a LONG time. Wow.
Comment by Susan Fox — November 9, 2009 @ 5:49 pm
sounds like a day well spent to me.
Comment by Mary Eisenhart — November 9, 2009 @ 6:02 pm
I also spent part of the day teaching all three retrievers to lift their right paws in unison. We’re still working on it.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — November 9, 2009 @ 6:37 pm
I remember Ruffian. She was another amazing athlete. I still remember how horrified I was watching her pull up against Foolish Pleasure and how sad I was when she was put down due to her injury.
Comment by Verde — November 10, 2009 @ 6:29 am
Aaaaah, Ruffian!
Comment by Glenye Oakford — November 10, 2009 @ 10:05 am