A Golden Retriever and a Bay (horse)
By Sharmini Jayawardena
As an 8 or 9 year old I remember attending canine shows and equestrian shows in Colombo, Sri Lanka. They were grand shows attended by the breed a part, let’s say, with all of their pomp and pageantry.
From then on I developed my strong attachment to horses which to date remain my fave animal. This is besides my wanting to adopt a pair of chimps instead of raising children.
If there was one thing I learned from being around this exceptional world is that some people are made for being upright and cut above. The rest: those who sadly pale beside them.
All this came to my mind just this instant when Smooth FM 95.3, played “Some people are made for each other…”, on Mellow Music by Cameron Daddo❣
I guess one thing leads to another, the right kind of everything going on to make it’s mark where it counts.
Whoa, this Valentine’s Day of 2018, I’m being treated to the best of the best in music: My Cherie Amour sings Stevie Wonder!
Wonderful! Beautiful! Atmosphere Beyond!
To continue with my horse and dog Story, I think my partiality to dogs too came from us always having had a prize winning pedigreed pooch around the house with us.
At first, it was Baron, a handsome and superior Alsatian who’s pedigree showed his dad to have been Duke!
Baron was treated like royalty. Having been with my dad long before we arrived on the scene. He was my dad’s pet as a bachelor and Baron was treated to the best of foods even when it came to biscuits, (don’t ask me how I know now), his toys and the lot! My dad’s batman, (a British army officer’s aid is known as a batman), looked after Baron. My dad having read all the books on how to bring up an Alsatian. In the same way my parents brought me up, having read books on child upbringing.
Baron was the older kid and he protected all of us with his life, even. He knew he was a showman and prize winner and he certainly behaved that way. He wore all of his medals on his collar! When he was taken for a walk in the park or on the beach they used to make a chiming sound as he trotted along.
So, here we are at the Royal Selangor Turf Club, Riding School in Mines, (in the Southern corridor, Kuala Lumpur), Malaysia.
The Mine’s stables
It was first situated in the space occupied by the Petronas Twin Towers today. (This will be in another story by Sumiitra.)
Horse riding or learning to ride a horse is not beyond the means of you and I over here, in Malaysia. In fact Sumitra was learning how to ride a horse, when, Power Of Gold, threw him off his back, as his regular benign and friendly horse, Duke, was injured. Just as it happened to his grand dad in a different time in a different manner. Sadly, Sumitra decided to give up riding! At least, he learned how to be up on the back of a horse.
Now, for some of my own horse trivia: my maternal great grandma had their stables in their own compound. The horses having drawn their carriage. Her sister and she taking turns helping in looking after the horses! My grandparents’ romance is supposed to have started at these stables while my grandma was tending the horses. This was conveyed to me by my grandma herself.
Being the fave animal of Native Americans who ride them bare back, meaning without a saddle, the horse, has played a great part in human evolution. The horse is thought to be singularly responsible for the spread of language!
Growing up I was constantly exposed to this beautiful framed picture of Princess Elizabeth in her ceremonial attire riding sidesaddle on a chestnut, I think, the horse was.
While in Saigon, Vietnam I witnessed these gorgeous girls in short dress on an evening out on the streets riding sidesaddle on the moto as they call them, the motorbikes / scooters.
Vietnamese women riding sidesaddle.
