Happy Trails
The new year is a time for resolutions and lists but it is also a period to reflect back even say good bye as last year the horse industry lost some stars. I’m Susan Allen stay tuned for OpenRange. He might have been a “dirty dancer” but when he got on his favorite Chestnut Arabian Stallion Tammen he became poetic. Many of you are unaware that Patrick Swayze raised Arabian horses for many years. He died in September at age 57. To honor his contributions to the breed the Arabian Horse Foundation recently started a scholarship in Patrick and his wife’s Lisa’s name. It will be awarded annually each spring to a youth involved not only with Arabian horses but also pursuing a career in performing arts. Applications are on line at the Arabian Horse Foundation. On the western front Ray Hunt one of the industrys most famous trainers passed away in March. Raised on an Idaho farm his legacy of natural horsemanship lives on in his prodigy; thousands of people and horses transformed through his clinics. Ray Hunt euphemisms pop up throughout all horse disciplines “Make the wrong thing difficult and the right thing easy” or “ believe in your horse so your horse can believe in you’. Not one to talk to his mountRay believed the horse feels the right communication without words. He preached patience, respect and understanding and found that by understanding horses he figured out the human species pretty darn well. He will be terribly missed. I’m Susan Allen
