Einstein knew exactly what he wanted in life. For fifteen years, he had worked diligently to master his craft, and though he wasn´t ready to retire, he desperatly needed a change of pace.
He refused to jump over any more hurdles. He couldn´t stand teaching the basics to a bunch of trendy dilettantes who had no real appreciation for the subtle insights he tried to share. What he craved was a sensitive, well-educated, female companion who at least had the potential to match his talent, someone who was more interested in acquiring knowledge than amassing fame, a patron willing to support him in exchange for private tutorial sessions in his area of exptertise.
The problem was Einstein had four legs and didn´t speak any of the local human dialects. Instead, he became who is known as a "difficult" horse, and his owner wasn´t sure if she´d ever find him a good home.
People came to admire him, and some even brought large wads of cash, but Einstein wasn´t impressed by expensice clothes and shiny new horse trailers. He didn´t give a hoot about other people´s visions of glory or their hard-won show records. In fact, the flashier and more self-involved his prospective buyers seemed to be, the more likely Einstein was to give them hell during the test ride. He would shy and bold and sometimes even succeed in tossing the offending party, methods he had perfected during a short but frustrating career as a schoolhorse.
Other times, he would sidestep, rear, and fidget before anyone could get a saddle on him, espcially in the presence of men who had aspiration of jumping him.
Finally, his owner solicited the help of Tamara Solange, a trainer who was not only skilled in the classical riding style known as dressage, but was also versed in various intuitive techniques.
After spending some time gathering information on his background, silently meditating in his presence, and using a method called "muscle testing" to confirm her insights with Einstein and several other horses around him, she wrote up the following ad with the horse´s blessing: Dynamic Imported Holsteiner Gelding. Beautiful presence in arena. For educated dressage rider or professional. NOT a schoolmaster. Only skilled, sensitive horsewoman need reply.
When Allison Randall saw the notice in a national equestrian magazine, her heart raced. As a trainer with twenty years´ experience in dressage and eventing. Allison felt she had arrived at a crossroads in her career. She needed an advanced teacher, someone who knew all the upper level dressage moves and was patient yet demanding enough to hone her skills, someone who could instill a refind sense of precission, timing, and balance in her technique that she could then transfer to the younger horses she was hired to train and show. She had been searching for a horse like Einstein.
The day Allison arrived at the gelding´s stable, she endured an hour-long interview before she was even allowed to see him. The owner and the trainer who had written the ad wanted to know everything about her, including her intentions towards this horse.
Ultimately, however, it was up to Einstein. By the time she stepped into the stirrup and swung her leg over the saddle, Allison was so nervous she wasn´t sure if she was up to riding a horse of this caliber. Yet despite her vulnerable emotional state, perhaps even because of it, Einstein seemd to second guess what Allison wanted and graciously compensated for her lapses in concenctration.
The horse responded to her clumsiest aids, and though she made several mistakes that would normally have thrown Einstein into a rage, the two were able to perform the intricate movements of a highly skilled team.
When Allison finally dismounted, Einstein followed her around the arena as if he had known her all his life. After watching this spectacle, everyone in attendance had tears in their eyes, and the owner went out of her way to help Allison finance the deal.
For nearly a year, Einstein had systematically developed a reputation as a troublemaker, and some people even thought he had gone completely crazy. Still, he had a certain genius of getting his point across. Though he has since become more demanding of Allison as she continued to perfect her skills, he remains a consummate gentleman in her presence and seems to take his job very seriously. Each day, after Einstein has been ridden, groomed, and fed, he stands outside his stall, facing the arena, watching Allison train the other horses as if he´s mentally taking notes.
One of my favourite parts of this book and whenever I read it I still get tears in my eyes. I first read this book when we spend Christmas in B.C, 2005. Still love every page of it.
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