HAPPY HALLOWEEN UNICORN STYLE

Happy Halloween from unicorn Jazz!

(Jazz is the star of The Mist Trilogy)

FALLING OFF A FUTURE UNICORN IS NOT FUN!

I don't know about you, but even after years of riding my future unicorns, I STILL fall off occasionally. Maybe it is because I can't afford a "finished" horse (if horses are ever really finished!) I always buy the "just-saddle-and-bridle-broke" horse. Yes, the initial purchase price is much less but the medical bills make up for that! Readers of Behind the Mist and Mists of Darkness will know the name of Jazz, the star of those books. He is a beautiful, dark-bay Hanoverian. He also  happens to be 17 hands tall! That is a long way above the ground. Having purchased him as a young and immature 4 year old, I began his dressage training...working up the levels very slowly. He is now 11 and getting ready to compete at third level (see...I told you I was training him slowly.) In any case, over the seven years that I have owned him and worked on training him, I have hit the ground many times. He never bucks or rears but he will whirl when he is startled. I think whirls are harder to stay on than bucks! While the whirls have become far less frequent, they still  happen on occasion. This only serves to remind me of two things...1) I still have to be alert to the warning signs and 2) I am not getting any younger!

With the last conclusion in mind, I want to share with you a funny article that a reader sent me. If you are my age you will be able to totally relate. (P.S. I changed the last line because I don't drink alcohol.) Enjoy!

The Stages of Aging on Horseback

Stage 1: Fall off pony. Bounce. Laugh. Climb back on. Repeat.

Stage 2: Fall off horse. Run after horse, cussing. Climb back on by
shimmying up horse's neck. Ride until sundown.

Stage 3: Fall off horse. Use sleeve of shirt to stanch bleeding. Have friend
help you get back on horse. Take two Advil and apply ice packs when you get
home. Ride next day.

State 4: Fall off horse. Refuse advice to call ambulance; drive self to
urgent care clinic. Entertain nursing staff with tales of previous daredevil
stunts on horseback. Back to riding before cast comes off.

Stage 5: Fall off horse. Temporarily forget name of horse and name of
husband. Flirt shamelessly with paramedics when they arrive. Spend week in
hospital while titanium pins are screwed in place. Start riding again before
doctor gives official okay.

Stage 6: Fall off horse. Fail to see any humor when hunky paramedic says,
"You again?" Gain firsthand knowledge of advances in medical technology
thanks to stint in ICU. Convince self that permanent limp isn't that
noticeable. Promise husband you'll give up riding. One week later purchase
older, slower, shorter horse.

Stage 7: Slip off horse. Relieved when artificial joints and implanted
medical devices seem unaffected. Tell husband that scrapes and bruises are
due to gardening accident. Pretend you don't see husband roll his eyes and
mutter as he walks away. Give apple to horse.

Stage 8: Go to see horse. Momentarily consider riding but remember arthritis
won't let you lift leg high enough to reach stirrup - even when on mounting
block. Share ginger ale with grateful horse & recall "good old days".=

If you liked that, then you are a true horse lover. 

So...you will love reading the first two 

books of the fantasy for horse lovers: 

Behind the Mist and Mists of Darkness. 

They are available where ever books are sold. Or get 

an autographed copy at: 

www.behindthemist.com 

PORCELAIN UNICORN

Behind the Mist is a fun story about the noble and great horses that become unicorns in the afterlife. This blog is dedicated to those noble and great horses. However, today I want to share with you a completely different unicorn story that was sent to me by a reader. It is worth your time, I promise you.

Let me include this by way of introduction:

The legendary British film director Sir Ridley Scott launched a global film contest for aspiring directors. The contest was called, "Tell It Your Way." There were over 600 entries. The rules of the contest were that the film could be no longer than three minutes, contain only 6 lines of narrative, and be a compelling story.

The winner was "Porcelain Unicorn," by the American director Keegan Wilcox. It's a story of the lifetimes of two people who are totally opposite, yet very much the same. All told in less than three minutes. Maybe you too can see why it won.



May we never forget the brotherhood and sisterhood of all men.

WAR ADMIRAL - Famous son of Man O'War

The picture above is of the most famous horse race in American History: the match race between the 1937 Triple Crown winner, War Admiral and the "people's darling" from the west coast: Seabiscuit. As you probably already know, Seabisuit won that race by four lengths.

However, dear readers, do not let that take away from the greatness of War Admiral! This wonderful horse was born in February, 1934 at the Lexington, Kentucky home of his father: Man O'War. The name of the breding facility is Faraway Farm. He was the sixth foal by Man O'War from the mare Brushup. The first five were fillies and didn't do great on the race track. But War Admiral was another story. In all, his owner: Samuel D. Riddle raced him 26 times and he won 21 of them. As I mentioned, he was the triple crown winner in 1937 and was named "Horse of the Year" that year. He was later elected to the National Museum of Racing and the Hall of Fame.

Unlike the movie depiction of him, he was a dark brown and smaller than average. The average race horse is 16 hands. His father, Man O'War was 16.2 but War Admiral was only 15.3 hands.

War Admiral went on to become a great sire. He fathered 40 stakes winners before he died in 1959 at the age of 25.

He is truly one of the noble and great horses and deserves to become a unicorn!


Here is the newsreal clip of War Admiral winning the 1937 Kentucky Derby, the first of the Triple Crown Races.

Send me the story of your noble and great horse. He doesn't have to be famous...just loved:

Email: http://mjevansbtm@gmail.com

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SSgt Reckless - Her story deserves to be told

Did you know that in the 1990's Life Magazine named a horse as one of the 100 all time greatest American Heros? That's right! A little, sorrel, Mongolian mare was a war hero, serving our country and our soldiers during the Korean war. Reckless deserves to have her story told. Watch this touching video!



Staff Sargeant Reckless deserves to become a unicorn. God Bless America and God Bless Reckless as she gallops across the flower-filled fields of Celestia!

KRIPTON SENI II - Andalusian unicorn

Another new breyer horse is Kripton Seni II. This mighty Andelusian stallion was the United States Equestrian Federation horse of Honor in 2009 which means he was one of the five finalists for Horse of the Year. He was the winner of 12 national championships!

This magnificent stallion is now standing at stud at the Amandalusian farm in California.

I wanted to write about the Andelusian breed today.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Andalusian horse
Distinguishing features Strongly built, compact, elegant, thick mane and tail
Alternative names Spanish Horse, Pura Raza Española
Country of origin Spain, Iberian Peninsula
Common nicknames Horse of Kings

The Andalusian, also known as the Pure Spanish Horse or PRE (Pura Raza Española), is a horse breed developed in the Iberian Peninsula. Its ancestors have been present on the Iberian Peninsula for thousands of years. The Andalusian has been recognized as an individual breed since the 15th century, and its conformation has changed very little over the centuries. Throughout its history, it has been known for its prowess as a war horse, and was prized by the nobility. The breed was used as a tool of diplomacy by the Spanish government, and kings across Europe rode and owned Spanish horses. During the 19th century, warfare, disease and crossbreeding reduced herd numbers dramatically, and despite some recovery in the late 19th century, the trend continued into the early 20th century. Exports of Andalusians were restricted until the 1960s, but the breed has since spread throughout the world, despite still-low population numbers. As of 2003[update], there were over 75,000 registered living Andalusians worldwide.

Strongly built, and compact yet elegant, Andalusians have long, thick manes and tails. Their most common coat color is gray, although they can be found in many other colors. They are known for their intelligence, sensitivity and docility. A sub-strain within the breed known as the Carthusian, is considered by breeders to be the purest strain of Andalusian, though there is no genetic evidence for this claim. The strain is still considered separate from the main breed however, and is preferred by breeders because buyers pay more for horses of Carthusian bloodlines. There are several competing registries keeping records of horses designated as Andalusian or PRE, but they differ on their definition of the Andalusian and PRE, the purity of various strains of the breed, and the legalities of stud book ownership. At least one lawsuit is in progress as of 2010 to determine the ownership of the Spanish PRE stud book.

The Andalusian is closely related to the Lusitano of Portugal, and has been used to develop many other breeds, especially in Europe and the Americas. Breeds with Andalusian ancestry include many of the warmbloods in Europe as well as western hemisphere breeds such as the Azteca. Over its centuries of development, the Andalusian breed has been selected for athleticism and stamina. The horses were originally used for classical dressage, driving, bullfighting, and as stock horses. Modern Andalusians are used for many equestrian activities, including dressage, show jumping and driving. The breed is also used extensively in movies, especially historical pictures and fantasy epics.

As the article above states, this breed is used a lot in movies...especially fantasy movies. So, when Behind The Mist becomes a movie, I think we should use a white andalusian stallion for Urijah, the Lord of Celestia. I can just see this sparkling unicorn with his long, thick, flowing mane and tail and golden horn. It would be fabulous!

Two weeks ago, I wrote about the new Breyer statue of Zanyetta. However, I think the new Breyer statue of Kripton Sni II is the most beautiful I have ever seen! Don't you agree?

Get your own copy of Behind The Mist and find out how the noble and great horses become unicorns in the afterlife. CLICK HERE:

www.behindthemist.com

or CLICK HERE:

www.themisttrilogy.com

or visit your favorite book source!

COMANCHE-Survived to become a Unicorn

Comanche is the stuff from which legends are made! He was a 15 hand bay gelding of mixed breed...thought to be Morgan and Mustang. (See the post on Justin Morgan for more on Morgans.) He was purchased by the army in 1868 in St. Louis, Missouri and sent to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Captain Myles Keogh of the 7th Cavalry bought him as his personal battle mount. Later that year, Captain Keogh rode in a battle against the Comanche Indians in Kansas where the sturdy horse suffered a serious wound from an arrow to the hindquarters. Yet, this brave little horse kept going. This is where he earned his name. In fact, Comanche was wounded in several battles, yet he always countinued to carry Captain Keogh through them.

On June 25, 1876, Captain Keogh rode him behind Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. This famous battle resulted in the death of the entire detachment of soldiers but Comanche and nearly 100 horses and one yellow bulldog survived. The Legend is that only Comanche survived but this is not true. In terms of fame and reputation I guess you could say it is true as his remains are kept protected at the University of Kansas Natural History Museum to this day. Anyway, Comanche was found two days later in very bad shape. He was transported to Fort Lincoln and was nursed back to health and retired.



I found the following order on Wikipedia that you will find interesting:




In April 1878, Colonel Samuel D. Sturgis issued the following humane order:
"Headquarters Seventh United States Cavalry, Fort A. Lincoln, D. T., April 10th, 1878. General Orders No. 7.
(1.) The horse known as 'Comanche,' being the only living representative of the bloody tragedy of the Little Big Horn, June 25th, 1876, his kind treatment and comfort shall be a matter of special pride and solicitude on the part of every member of the Seventh Cavalry to the end that his life be preserved to the utmost limit. Wounded and scarred as he is, his very existence speaks in terms more eloquent than words, of the desperate struggle against overwhelming numbers of the hopeless conflict and the heroic manner in which all went down on that fatal day.
(2.) The commanding officer of Company I will see that a special and comfortable stable is fitted up for him, and he will not be ridden by any person whatsoever, under any circumstances, nor will he be put to any kind of work.
(3.) Hereafter, upon all occasions of ceremony of mounted regimental formation, saddled, bridled, and draped in mourning, and led by a mounted trooper of Company I, will be paraded with the regiment.
By command of Col. Sturgis, E. A. Garlington, First Lieutenant and Adjutant, Seventh Cavalry."[2]

Comanche then lived a life of luxury and was honored to be made "Second Commanding Officer" of the 7th Cavalry.

In 1887, he was taken to Fort Riley, Kansas where he lived out his days. He died in 1890. He is one of only two horses in U.S. history to be buried with full military honors. (See the post on Black Jack.)

At least two songs have been written about him. Enjoy this one:




I hereby nominate Comanche to the Legion of the Unicorn. May he wear his horn with honor!

Read about the Legion of the Unicorn in the first book of the Mist Trilogy: Behind the Mist.

Sold on its own website:

www.behindthemist.com

or wherever fine books are sold.

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MAXIMUS - Tangled up in Unicornhood

The movie "Tangled" far exceeded my expectations! I didn't know, in particular, that I would fall in love with the horse-hero...MAXIMUS! This horse was hilarious in his dog-like characteristics. If you have read Behind The Mist, you will know that I am a dog lover! But I also loved his determination and sense of duty. However, he was also a sucker for a good love story which he wisely saw the makings of in Flynn and Rapunzel. If you haven't seen this movie, I would recommend it. I hereby nominate the horse MAXIMUS for unicornhood (a term I coined for Behind The Mist.) I can just see him in the fantasy world of Celestia being a noble and great unicorn!

Send me the story of your favorite horse to:

http://mjevansbtm@gmail.com

or on the Behind The Mist Facebook Page

Even Unicorn Riders can get old!

Well dear readers, I just had my 60th birthday. I tried to forget about it but my wonderful family and friends in Oregon and Colorado didn't let me. One of them, the photographer for my Trail Guide books, Lynn Johnson, sent me this poem.

When I am an Old Horsewoman


When I am an old horsewoman
I shall wear turquoise and diamonds,
And a straw hat that doesn’t suit me
And I shall spend my social security on
(horse feed) and carrots,
And sit in my alleyway of my barn
And listen to my horses breathe.

I will sneak out in the middle of a summer night
And ride the old bay gelding,
Across the moonstruck meadow
If my old bones will allow
And when people come to call, I will smile and nod
As I walk past the gardens to the barn
and show instead the flowers growing
inside stalls fresh-lined with straw.

I will shovel and sweat and wear hay in my hair
as if it were a jewel
And I will be an embarrassment to all
Who will not yet have found the peace in being free
to have a horse as a best friend
A friend who waits at midnight hour
With muzzle and nicker and patient eyes
For the kind of woman I will be
When I am old.

-By Patty Barnhart
Originally published in The Arabian Horse World magazine in l992



MEET MY FUTURE UNICORNS:

In my first post on October 14, 2010, I told you about my very first horse, Tai, who I am sure is a unicorn by now. As I write this new post, sitting in my tan breeches with hay in my hair, I want to tell you about the three horses that fill my barn and my heart.

My littlest horse is Hardy, a 14 hand 1/2 Welch pony, 1/4 thoroughbred and 1/4 Arabian. He got the best of each breed. I got him when he was 2 and 1/2 and started training him. He is now 16. He is the smartest horse ever and an absolute blast to ride. He can jump the moon and is one of those "Point and Jump" horses that picks his position for the jumps perfectly. I sometimes feel guilty that I have him instead of some 12 year old that could be taking him to the national pony championships...but I love him so much!

This is a picture of my biggest horse, Jazz just shortly after I bought him as a four year old from American Sport Horses in Utah. He is much more developed now as he is 10 and doing great in his dressage training. Yes, he is the star of Behind The Mist! He is a Hanoverian and has been a fabulous horse. He was the 2009 Rocky Mountain Dressage Society 1st Level Adult Amature Champion and the 2010 Rocky Mountain Dressage Society 2nd Level Adult Amature Champion as well as the 2010 1st Level Freestyle Horse of the Year. He is so loving and tries so hard to please me. If he could, he would just curl up on my lap and sleep! I love him, too.


This is Kit on top of Kenosha Pass in Colorado. If you read Behind The Mist carefully, you will remember that Kit in the book was an Appaloosa mare. Obviously, this handsome bay thoroughbred is NOT an appaloosa mare! But that is part of writing a fantasy horse story, I can make up anything I want! Anyway, Kit is my oldest horse. He just turned 20. I have had him since he was 6 and trained him in Dressage up through level 2. He was the 2001 RMDS 1st level champion, the 2003 1st level freestyle champion and the 2005 2nd level freestyle reserve champion. He loves me deeply...something I found out when I sold him. It only lasted 5 months. He was so unhappy that he was misbehaving and lost so much weight that he looked like a rescue horse. I bought him back and promised him that I would never sell him again. I even had to move to a place where I could have three horses so we would have room for him. He is the cover horse on both of my Trail Guide books: Riding Colorado and Riding Colorado II.

Send me the story of your future unicorn! Write to me at:

mjevansbtm@gmail.com

or on the Behind The Mist facebook page

ANIMAL KINGDOM - Celestia or the Animal Kingdom in the Afterlife

Saturday, May 7th was the 137th running of the Kentucky Derby... arguably the most famous of all horse races. I have just completed revisions on Book Two of the Mist Trilogy: Mists of Darkness, and the opening scene is at Churchill Downs a couple of months before the Derby.

I missed the running of the derby as I was attending a performance of the touring group of Lipazanner Stallions (More about that in a later post.) In case you missed it, too, you can watch the race by clicking on this link:

http://youtu.be/rQsMgu9rr1k

Animal Kingdom is a great name for the winner if you are a Behind The Mist fan. You will understand the title of this post...Will Animal Kingdom earn the opportunity to become a unicorn and serve the animal kingdom in the afterlife? Time will tell but the signs are looking good!

Animal Kingdom is the son of an inexpensive Brazilian-bred Stallion by the name of Loroidesanimaux and a German-bred mare. He is owned by 20 partners including, as the New York Times writes: "A cranky former turf-writer." This horse was fortunate to have been trained by Englishman, Graham Motion who believes that a horse should be allowed to be a horse and has never been cited for violating medication rules. He raised and trained AK in a European style training farm in Maryland. There the horses are galloped and hacked through the woods and turned out in large pastures and paddocks. Mr. Motion does not believe in subjecting his horses to the race-track life. This is a man who deserves to become a unicorn rider someday!

The Kentucky Derby was AK's first race on dirt. Now it will be on to the Preakness for him. GOOD LUCK ANIMAL KINGDOM...I'll be rooting for you!

Side note: Rep. Edward Whitfield and Sen. Tom Udall introduced just last week, legislation that would regulate the use of Performance Enhancing Drugs in the horse racing industry. I am all for protecting animals but not a fan of more government regulation on private industry. So, I don't know how I feel about that. I am open to your opinions.

MOTHERHOOD = UNICORNHOOD

Happy Mother's day to all my readers who also happen to be mothers! What greater love is there than that of a mother for her child, whether horse or human? That was a rhetorical question because we ALL know there is none! A reader sent me these beautiful pictures of a new born Gypsy foal in Oregon. After giving birth, the mare laid down. Can't blame her for that. After trotting around a bit, the new baby crawled up on her lap for a nap. All of us who have been mothers kind of feel like we have earned unicorn status as well. Remember what we learn in Behind The Mist: Love is the source of our power!

Send me the story of your Noble and Great horse:

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BLACK JACK - Earned his Unicorn horn in the Army

November 22, 1963. That morning is seared in my memory like a brand on a horse's haunches. I was sitting in Mr. Lomax's music appreciation class at Lake Oswego Junior High School. It was a windowless room made of cement bricks that had been painted a pastel color, probably blue. Mr. Lomax was desperately trying to get a group of seventh graders to understand some aspect of music theory, a subject that I wouldn't appreciate until I was thirty, when a voice came over the intercom and interrupted, permanently, Mr. Lomax's lecture. President John F. Kennedy had been shot. A few other events are equally embedded in my memory: my marriage, the birth of my children and historical events like the first moon walk, 9/11, and today's anniversary...the Columbine shootings (we Coloradoans really remember that day!) But surprisingly few. If you weren't alive at that time, you probably can't envision what it was like. The media had made us believe that we were living in Camelot with King Arther (or, perhaps Lancelot) at our lead. It was like looking in a mirror and having it suddenly shatter before your face. I remember watching the funeral on our black and white T.V. I remember seeing a lovely, lean black horse being led down the crowd-lined avenue, riderless with riding boots placed in the stirrups...backwards.

(Photo taken by Ron Williams from the Arlington National Cemetary Website.)

I want to share with you what I found out about this horse. His name was Black Jack. He was named for the General of the Armies: John "Black Jack" Pershing. He was foaled on January 19, 1947 and became the last of the Quartermaster - issue horses. He entered the 3rd U.S. Infantry Stables at Ft. Myer on September 22, 1953. He was given the last Quartermaster brand on the left shoulder and the army serial number 2V56 on the left side of his neck. Black Jack served a long and honorable army career, including participating in the funerals of President Kennedy in 1963, President Hoover in 1964, President L. Johnson in 1964 and Five Star General Douglas MacArthur in 1964. When a riderless horse is led in a funeral procession he is called a "Caparisoned Horse." He is the symbol of a warrior who would ride no more. Apparently the tradition started with Genghis Khan. The draping on the horse, including the backward boots are part of the tradition. Black Jack died on February 6, 1976. His remains were laid to rest in a plot at Fort Myer, Virginia. He joined Comanche as the only other horse buried with full military honors. In the horse fantasy story, Behind the Mist, it is the noble and great horses that are chosen to become Unicorns once they enter animal heaven. If they complete their training, they are inducted into the prestigious Legion of the Unicorn. I, hereby, nominate Black Jack, the last Army horse, to the Legion of the Unicorn!

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NOBLE FLAIR - A Fancy Future Unicorn

I started taking riding lessons on a weekly basis as an eight year old at the Portland Riding Club in Portland, Oregon. Soon, thereafter, I switched stables to Highlands Hunt Club located by the Portland Zoo. Sadly, it isn't there any more. Anyway, my trainer was named Johnny Johnson and I rode under his tutelage until he got married and moved up to Seattle. At that time, another man named Gary began training there and changed the stable from a hunter/jumper barn to a saddle seat barn. I have vivid memories of gazing over the stall doors at his horses in all their artificial braces for necks and tails and their long, weighted hooves. It made me very sad to look in their hollow eyes. One of the things that attracks me to Dressage is the emphasis on working with the horse's natural movement and biomechanics. Very little artificial equipment is used by most trainers. (We could get into a discussion about "Rollkur" at this point but I won't.) However, with all of that said, I am sure that the training techniques for Saddle Seat and Park Harness showing have improved. I want to tell you about one of the most famous Park Harness horses. He was a Morgan Stallion by the name of Noble Flair. Noble Flair was foaled in 1984. He was sired by Noble Command out of Lost River. He was bred by Bob and Judy Whitney. This beautiful horse with obvious potential was purchased as a yearling by Herbert V. Kohler of Kohler Stables and lived there for the rest of his life. Noble Flair won numerous world Championships in Park Harness Driving. His first big win was in 1986 when he was the champion two year old Park Harness driving horse. His three time world championships in 1988, 1989 and 1991 are unprecidented. Noble Flair retired from showing in 1991 and became an outstanding stud. PARK HARNESS DRIVING: This is something that I know VERY little about. I do know that the horses are judged on action and animation. They are shown at the park walk, park trot and "Show Your Horse" which is the show-off time where you want an even more active trot without excessive speed. The horses are driven to a four wheel buggy. The following video shows the 1986 championships but not the 2 year olds so I don't have a video of Noble Flair but you can see what goes on at a show. Noble Flair is surely one of the Noble and Great horses that will become a unicorn in the animal heaven. I can just see him prancing across the fields of Celestia with the other unicorns galloping beside him. Read about the unicorns in "Behind The Mist," the horse lover's fantasy story for teens and adults alike!

Tell me the story of your Noble and Great horse! He doesn't have to be famous, just loved! Write to me at my email:

www.mjevansbtm@gmail.com

or on the Behind the Mist Facebook Page

SEABISCUIT - looks down from Animal Heaven

With an informative book and movie out about Seabiscuit, you undoubtedly know a lot about this amazing horse and his story. Horse stories are wonderful, especially when they are true! As you watched the end of the video about the match race at Pimlico did you notice the jockey, The Iceman, on Seabisuit turn back after he crossed the finish line and yell something to War Admiral's jockey? I wish I knew what he said! When the two horses were head to head, Woolf said, "So Long, Charlie!" and Seabiscuit took off. Let me back "track" and give you some background on this famous horse: Seabiscuit was born on May 23, 1933. He was the son of Hard Tack and the grandson of Man 'O War. His name came from his father's, both of which stand for the crackers eaten by sailors. He grew up on Clairborne Farms in Paris, Kentucky and was owned by Gladys Mills Phipps. He had a rather inauspicious start in life. He was small and knobby kneed and his only desire in life was to eat and sleep. (Party Hardy in the second book of The Mist Trilogy: Mists of Darkness is like that!) He failed to win his first ten races. As a two year old he was raced 35 times. (Readers of this blog know how I feel about that!) Even with such a hard race schedule, he managed to still win five times and come in second seven times. In the great scheme of things, that is very good. However, he didn't catch any one's eye. Three of those races were "claiming" races where he could have been purchased for $2,500. No one claimed him. Seabiscuit was sold as a three year old to auto entrepreneur, Charles S. Howard for $8,000 who saw something in the awkward, lazy colt that he liked. He hired washed-up and unconventional trailer, Tom Smith. Smith, in turn hired Canadian Jockey, Red Pollard. Their formula worked for Seabiscuit. His fame spread as he began winning races under ever increasing amounts of weight. In 1937, Seabiscuit was the leading money winner, winning eleven out of fifteen races. That was also the year the beautiful War Admiral won the triple crown. (As I wrote The Mist Trilogy, I pictured the evil unicorn Hasbadana looking like War Admiral!) In 1938, Pollard was badly injured while racing another horse so his friend George Woolf, nicknamed the Iceman, was selected to ride the "Biscuit." Throughout 1937 and 1938, while the country suffered under the effects of the Great Depression, speculation was rampant about a match between Seabiscuit and War Admiral. While the west coast favored the Biscuit, the rest of the country put their money, if not their hearts, on War Admiral. The long anticipated "Match of The Century" was held on Nov. 1, 1938. The grandstands and infield were packed with 40,000 people while 40 million more listened over the radio. The video shows you the results of that race! Seabiscuit was named the 1938 "Horse of the Year" and the little brown colt became the national symbol of hope through hard work...something we need now! Not long thereafter, Seabisuit tore a suspensory ligament in a race. He and his friend, Red Pollard went to Charles Howard's ranch to recover together. Slowly, they both learned to walk and run again. Against all odds, Seabiscuit, with Pollard aboard, did race and win again. Their big comeback was in the 1940 Santa Anita Handicap where they walked away with the $121,000 purse. Seabiscuit was retired on April 10 and lived out his life at Ridgwood Ranch in Willits, CA. He received 500,000 visitors a year! A statue of Seabiscuit was erected at the ranch on June 23, 2007. Side note: There was an earlier movie about Seabiscuit filmed in 1949/50 titled "The Story of Seabiscuit" staring Shirley Temple! All of you Shirley Temple fans should check it out!

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