Brown beauty
-By Swetha Amit
A trip to Matheran, a hill station two hours from Mumbai, also gave me life’s finest learning through a ‘gentle’-man of the animal kingdom.
Being one of the unique hill stations where a motor vehicle isn’t allowed, you had the choice of going on horseback or trek. Choosing the former option, I stumbled upon a beautiful brown horse named Goldnut, which would take me through the unexplored woods during the rest of my journey. My initial inhibition of the safety and stability with which this sturdy animal would make this trip memorable, vanished into the thin air as soon as I mounted on him. I found my fears unfounded as a feeling of trust engulfed me that minute and this marked a beginning of a strange friendship.
As the journey progressed, the curiosity about my newfound friend increased, to find out more about Goldnut’s life. I asked his young 12 year old owner more about this magnificent creature and from there began a ramble of a story that gave me an insight about the life of a horse……
Goldnut was separated from his mother at birth, the eternal separation which probably made him stronger in more than one aspect. He began training from the age of 3 and was seen galloping in the race circuit of Mumbai within a couple of years. It didn’t take long for the cheering crowd to recognize the achiever in him which motivated them to put their stakes on this champion. His fast and furious nature accompanied by a competitive streak across his personality emerged him as a winner, which ensured his position and mark in the race courses. This young victor indeed made his master proud by winning numerous medals.
He probably realized that the failure of his never say die attitude would reduce him to a slave bought by another man for fulfilling his selfish motives. As he continued to succeed offers to purchase also increased. However, his master who realized the conspicuousness of Goldnut, once he lets him go, withdrew him from race world after a few years and brought him far from the maddening crowd of Mumbai to the hilltops of Matheran. This endured the horse with the tranquility needed during its last few years.
Today, Goldnut stands proud on the hillside, as he looks back at his glorious racing days with pride and fond memories. There is a great transformation from the once energetic, impulsive, volatile and young creature to a gracefully aged, mature, stable and a wise horse which provides its rider the feeling of stability and safety.
As the story concluded and it was time to depart, I was amazed at the resemblance of its life to that of humans. Just like a man who works hard in a fast paced commercial city, retires to the solitude of the hills during his old age, the horses are no different. As the famous saying goes,” Maturity comes with age”, it was evident in the case of Goldnut.
Written for www.msn.co.in
Being one of the unique hill stations where a motor vehicle isn’t allowed, you had the choice of going on horseback or trek. Choosing the former option, I stumbled upon a beautiful brown horse named Goldnut, which would take me through the unexplored woods during the rest of my journey. My initial inhibition of the safety and stability with which this sturdy animal would make this trip memorable, vanished into the thin air as soon as I mounted on him. I found my fears unfounded as a feeling of trust engulfed me that minute and this marked a beginning of a strange friendship.
As the journey progressed, the curiosity about my newfound friend increased, to find out more about Goldnut’s life. I asked his young 12 year old owner more about this magnificent creature and from there began a ramble of a story that gave me an insight about the life of a horse……
Goldnut was separated from his mother at birth, the eternal separation which probably made him stronger in more than one aspect. He began training from the age of 3 and was seen galloping in the race circuit of Mumbai within a couple of years. It didn’t take long for the cheering crowd to recognize the achiever in him which motivated them to put their stakes on this champion. His fast and furious nature accompanied by a competitive streak across his personality emerged him as a winner, which ensured his position and mark in the race courses. This young victor indeed made his master proud by winning numerous medals.
He probably realized that the failure of his never say die attitude would reduce him to a slave bought by another man for fulfilling his selfish motives. As he continued to succeed offers to purchase also increased. However, his master who realized the conspicuousness of Goldnut, once he lets him go, withdrew him from race world after a few years and brought him far from the maddening crowd of Mumbai to the hilltops of Matheran. This endured the horse with the tranquility needed during its last few years.
Today, Goldnut stands proud on the hillside, as he looks back at his glorious racing days with pride and fond memories. There is a great transformation from the once energetic, impulsive, volatile and young creature to a gracefully aged, mature, stable and a wise horse which provides its rider the feeling of stability and safety.
As the story concluded and it was time to depart, I was amazed at the resemblance of its life to that of humans. Just like a man who works hard in a fast paced commercial city, retires to the solitude of the hills during his old age, the horses are no different. As the famous saying goes,” Maturity comes with age”, it was evident in the case of Goldnut.
Written for www.msn.co.in
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