For You OTTB Followers

Over on my poetry site (link at the bottom of my blog page), I often write from prompts.  Its fun and a good way for me to try new forms, focus and words.  One of the prompts I follow regularly is called the Sunday Wordle.  The blog posts 12 words and then you write a poem using all the words.  You post your poems on a linky so you can see what everyone else did with the words.  I have a lot of fun with this.  This week, I looked at the words and an OTTB showed up.  If you are interested in what others did with the words, here is the link.

The words this week were: scrap, trapped, ample, domain, window, jasmine, montage, sunset, flawed, granite, demons, and whistle.

Re-Purposed

Her name was Jasmine
but her mouth
was hard as granite.

She grabbed the bit
and ran like demons
were on her tail.

Her domain was the racetrack
until she was tossed aside,
a flawed, unwanted scrap of horse.

I taught her to waltz
to a music montage;
to swing with Shubert and Chopin.

She hated feeling trapped
so I left a window open
in the release of the reins.

When I whistle across glowing grass
and clover, she gallops to me;
the sunset shining in her mane.

My very first horse, that was mine and not borrowed or rented, was an OTTB.  Sadly, we were not a good fit but he went on to be a nice jumper for someone else.  Dressage was not his thing.  At all.  And I was far too inexperienced at that time to deal with his race track fears.  I read quite a few blogs with owners who have done wonderful things with their OTTBs.  Some do dressage, some jumping, some eventing, some a mix.  I am constantly impressed by the work, confidence and patience required and given by these women.  My hat's off to you!  And this poem was meant to celebrate what you do.  I love rescued animals the best; be they horses, donkeys or dogs.