Ever since time immemorial, harnessing the equine has been one of the greatest achievement of the human race. The brute strength it possesses combined with its durability has made it man’s best friend and the regal animal has been instrumental in the development of civilization.
Although the creature is of a gentle disposition, its resilience in harsh times and its dedication towards it work often draws out the same from its masters. Some of the stories from the equestrian world, from the past to the present, will definitely inspire anyone that appreciates a good success story.
Amberley Synder always had a dream of being successful as a rodeo ever since she was little kid. Like most aspiring rodeos, she had learned horse riding at a very young age. She seemed to be on the right path as she found success in her endeavours at the young age of 18. She soon became a world champion barrel racer. But tragedy generally comes unannounced and so was the case for Synder.
She met with a terrible car crash which left her paralyzed from the waist down. Such an altercation is the most devastating blow for any athlete. But when the doctors informed her that her rodeo days are behind her now, she didn’t roll over and give up. Instead, she decided to continue on her road even without her legs.
Regaining her balance was the hardest part of recovery, but even then, Snyder used her riding as a tool to help her overcome any obstacle. Since her balance was best in the saddle, they brought in a saddle to her physical therapist and sure enough, she showed drastic improvements in her conditions. Four months post her accident, Snyder was back on her horse and while balance is still her biggest struggle, Snyder is living her dreams.
The contributions of her 4 diligent horses, Power, Maximus, Legacy and Outlaw have played a major role in her recovery and enabling her to regain her steed. Post their master’s accident, they had to operate on verbal commands as their rider had lost her legs. Surely, the animals have improvised with time. “I use my hands and my voice,” Snyder says. “My horses are super sensitive to the cues I can give. If anyone within 10 feet around me kisses, my horses jump. “
Snyder went after her endeavours with a rejuvenated vigour and now races in professional rodeo again. In 2016, she was in the top 5 for the Rocky Mountain Pro Rodeo Association, and she also won her Women’s Professional Rodeo Association card in 2016, and now competes in the Wilderness Circuit. Her incredible story became the inspiration for the 2019 Netflix biopic “Walk. Ride. Rodeo”
The beautiful relationship between history’s most recognizable figure and his mighty horse
Bucephalus, the horse that served one of the most successful general Alexander the great was the most important facet of his life. As a 13-year-old, the future great was awarded the stallion after successfully completing his military tutelage. Initially, nobody, even Alexander’s father, was able to tame the massive wild stallion. Alexander, however, was successful and a spirit of camaraderie and love between man and horse blossomed since then.
The massive stallion’s elegance and massive stature had become synonymous with the Macedonian warrior as he rode only Bucephalus in his wars and expeditions. He was incredibly considerate towards his animals and many historians have cited him as “one of Alexander the Great’s best friends”. The amount of world that the stallion saw is truly incredible. Fighting from Greece, he rode alongside his master from Persia to Egypt and then all the way to India. In all of his great battles, the mighty stallion served as the commanders mount and his bare sight was sufficient to instil terror in the hearts of Alexander’s enemies.
The duo was truly inseparable. One instance in Alexander’s Persian expedition saw Bucephalus getting kidnapped by Darius. On discovering this, an enraged Alexander promised to “fell every tree, lay the countryside to waste, and slaughter every inhabitant in the region”. The horse was soon returned along with a plea for mercy.
After riding 3500 miles, Alexander was facing the mighty army of Porus near Jhelum. It was during this war that Bucephalus succumbed to injuries at the age 0f 30. Alexander in his grief was inconsolable.
Bucephalus is the only horse in history who had entire cities named after him and dedicated to him by his master. The Pakistani city of Phalia which was established by Alexander on the banks of Jhelum still stands to this day.
The relationship between Alexander the Great and Bucephalus is the stuff of legends and is the epitome of the affectionate relationship between man and animal.
A Teenager takes up an ambition of competing in the Paralympics as a dressage rider after losing three of her limbs to meningitis
Developing a life-threatening disease called meningitis during infancy, Ellie Bishop was just 30 minutes away from death at the age of 5 when she was rushed to the hospital by her parents. Medics were successful in her saving her life after a difficult operation but had to amputate both of her legs, one of her arms and a part of her remaining arm in order to stop the disease from spreading.
Even as a mere child, Ellie had developed an affliction towards horses and hoped to compete in an equestrian sport from that time. Now, without her limbs, Ellie still didn’t give up on her passion. Ellie’s mother Karen Dunnaway, 31, said: ‘Ellie has been through such a lot and has really been very determined to carry on a normal life. ‘Horses are her passion and she used to ride before she became ill and was adamant she would get back in the saddle one day.’
When she had recovered from her illness, Ellie returned to horse riding using a specially adapted saddle on top of her beautiful horse, Mollie, three times a week. Once successfully recovering from her illness, Ellie pushed on her aspirations with flair and her vision of becoming a Paralympic dressage rider got stronger with time. She now rides her beautiful horse, Charlie and although the road has been bumpy for her, she has stuck to horse riding ever since. Affiliated to UK’s horse feed company, Stance Equitec Feeding System, she is now riding towards her goals with full momentum.
Sergeant Reckless reporting for duty!
The most decorated military mare of the 20th century, Staff Sergeant Reckless of the USMC lived an intriguing life. A mare of Mongolian horse breeding, she was purchased by the US Marine Corp in Korea and trained to serve in the military as a pack horse. The mare was full of life and quickly made a place in every soldier’s heart.
She served the United States in the Korean War by carrying weapons and ammunition and the wounded back from the field. Her exceptional service in the Battle of Outpost Vegas in 1953 saw her make 51 solo trips in a single day to resupply multiple front line units. She was wounded in combat twice and given the battlefield rank of corporal in 1953, and then a battlefield promotion to sergeant in 1954, several months after the war ended.
She also became the first horse in the Marine Corps known to have participated in an amphibious landing, and following the war was awarded two Purple Hearts, a Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, was included in her unit’s Presidential Unit Citations from two countries, as well as other military honours. Her military service to the US was well documented throughout the war and the US government made efforts to bring the strapping mare to her adopted homeland post-war. She sailed for home shortly after and spent her retirement years with the 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton.
She died in ’68 and her service was commemorated by several statues, the most prominent being the one sculpted in the National Museum of the Marine Corps. The plaque on the statue includes a quote from Sgt. Harold Wadley, who served alongside Reckless in the war: “The spirit of her loneliness and her loyalty, in spite of the danger, was something else to behold. Hurting. Determined. And alone. That’s the image I have imprinted in my head and heart forever.”
