“The language Equus is predictable, discernable, and effective. It can be taught to anyone – as long as they are open to listening and learning” – Monty Roberts
A quick Google search will also show that the word Equus can be defined as ‘a Latin word meaning horse’. I think it is fitting that our national industry awards are named ‘Equus’, even though unlike Mr Roberts’ definition above, they may not necessarily always be predictable !!
I was thrilled to receive an invitation to this year’s event and was bowled over to be made the recipient of the media award for print. It was an exceptional honour, particularly considering the august company of my fellow nominees.
There has been a certain amount of discussion about the award and so I thought I’d throw in my two cents’ worth.
I know there have been some comments about the fact that I am a relative new-comer to racing journalism. I believe it has also been said that few people in Gauteng have heard of me.
I am not particularly perturbed by either of these statements. Yes, I am new to writing. I don’t think that is necessarily a bad thing. With horses as with life, one never stops learning. They say that the one who believes that he has mastered the art of horsemanship has not yet begun to understand the horse. But the more you learn, the more you understand, appreciate and enjoy. So if I’m lucky, I still have a lifetime’s worth of experiences, lessons and fun ahead.
Unfortunately I can’t do much about people in Gauteng not knowing who I am (other than to encourage people to read the Sporting Post !!), but hopefully having an additional voice in the choir talking and writing about our horses and our industry isn’t a bad thing.
I’m not terribly esoteric in my outlook on life, but have found it interesting to see how horses have guided my path. When I stop over-thinking things and trust them to lead me in the right direction of course!! I am constantly amazed at the weird and winding roads they lead you down, the doors they open for you and the people they introduce you to. Growing up, our dining room table was always adorned by a few dog-eared copies of the SA Racehorse, the Racing Record and I followed the Sporting Post on-line while I was abroad. So it has been enormous fun to join the team and try to make a contribution to the industry in my own small way.
I am at the core, a horse nut who grew up surrounded by racing and thoroughbreds. I love my horses and I enjoy the crazy racing world and the people who inhabit it and hope I reflect some of that in my weekly musings.
As the old saying goes – you can please some of the people some of the time, but never all the people all the time and everyone has their own tastes and personal favourites. It’s what makes life interesting after all. I write about the things I enjoy and find interesting and hopefully people read my column for the same reason.
Beryl Markham once said ‘A lovely horse is always an experience…. It is an emotional experience of the kind that is spoiled by words.’ We have a lot of lovely people and lovely horses and hopefully I don’t spoil them too much with my words !!
