As we talked, I said that I wished we had taken a photo, but then we commented that we have an image in a safe place — in our minds. We can share it from there just as if we were looking at a piece of paper.

Rose was an adventurer, a horseman of the type that only shows up once in your lifetime, and was characterized by a hardy grace. A cousin shared that from Rose he learned to “get on, hold on, and go on,” and if you could hear the hair-raising tales of her blazing trails through the North Carolina back country, you’d know he was right. You can’t capture that in a photo — except in your head.

I’m appreciative of long-time friends. Gail and I have stayed friends over a span of about 20 years. This past year, Gail’s old mare Vinaigrette (a favorite of mine) passed away. Gail felt rather than buy a perfect horse, she’d find one that needed another chance at life. So she adopted an off-the-track Thoroughbred mare to go along with the other Thoroughbred mare they had adopted.

Gail and her husband (a novice horseman) both work full-time jobs, have a son who is a senior in high school and plays sports, and twice a day take care of the horses that are boarded about 15 minutes from home. Riding isn’t particularly rewarding at this stage, since the two horses are bonded to each other, and neither one is well-enough trained to have great emotional control. (I’m sure you get the picture.)

Nonetheless, they ride every day. I asked Gail how she does it. She said she never asks the question, “Are we going to ride today?” She just assumes they are. She said that if she asked the question, there would be too many days she’d have some excuse. She knows that making progress with these two young mares requires consistency, and if she wants to make a difference in their lives, she has to stick with it.

I’ve also been impressed (as you know if you’ve been reading this blog for long) by the trainers who have taken the Extreme Mustang Makeover challenge (see http://www.myhorse.com/blogs/maureen_gallatin/september_2008/index.aspx). These horsemen (not all professionals) take a wild Mustang home and 100 days later compete to see who has done the most thorough training. It’s an exciting competition to watch, and really inspiring to talk to the trainers. For many of them, this was a life-changing event.

One trainer, Byron Hogan, was being interviewed on his way out of the arena. He said that six weeks earlier, he was ready to bring the horse back and to tell the organizers that the horse would never be safe. And then he remembered all the people who had never given up on him, so he knew he couldn’t give up on this horse. He didn’t, and he won second place in his division.

So where are my musings taking me today? Back to reminding myself of Rose’s advice — to “get on, hold on, and go on.” And to keep on going on. To show up, and stick with it. The journey is worth the effort.

P.S. If you even think you might like to train a Mustang, head over to the website for the Extreme Mustang Makeover (http://www.extrememustangmakeover.com/applications.php). There’s still time to sign up for a competition in Murfreesboro, TN (entries close June 1). They are selecting 100 trainers for the riding horse category and 25 youth trainers for the yearling groundwork competition. You don’t have to adopt the horse that you train. It’s a great opportunity to make a difference in a horse’s life — and maybe in your own.