I love my little war horse.

I love this article written on ottbs How To Handle & Care For "Off Track Thoroughbred" I've read it a bunch of times and each time I pull something new out of it. I wanted to post my favorite part here. The last little bit almost made me cry.

 A racehorse today is the closest thing to a "war horse" from the past, and to be a part of that requires a huge heart on the animal's end, much bigger than a man's. The bigger the heart, the bigger the courage of the animal, which demonstrates itself and its beauty at every opening of a starting gate on every track in the world. As most admire the fascinating beauty of this animal in full run, you should learn to "hear" his heart, for it is not surpassed by any other divine creature of this Earth.



Of course, like in any other horse industry, there are many "chicken hearted horses" among the racing stock as well, and these are the ones that you will most likely get, as the greater racehorses will take part in reproduction. Nevertheless, accept this horse with respect even if only for what he went through. It is much harder for the coward to get through a war than it is for a brave heart. Where there is no fear, there is no courage, and it is the fear that makes heroes. These "little chicken hearts" are the true heroes of this "sport of kings" and they will need your brave heart to lean on.