MAYBELLINE

When Maybelline first came to the barn, in my mind, there was nothing extraordinary looking about her. No paint, no flaxen mane, not even a glossy coat. One could wonder what was so special about her. But every now and then, you would catch a wild gleam in her, like she had a crazy secret she would share with no one. What would light her eyes up in such a way? One would wonder, until you rode her. Then you knew she was wild. Not wild as in being crazy, but she was, undeniably, wild at heart--she loved life. Her whole body would become like a short fused rocket, ready to blast off at the slightest touch. She could go and go forever and nevertire, running the rest of our horses into the ground. She would stick her neck out and just fly. To me, she would transform into that beautiful horse I so quickly, at first, dismissed. Maybelline was wild and I was in love.
I loved watching different students ride her. She wouldn’t make things easy, but challenged our most advanced students, pushing them to be better. Under clumsy hands, she would throw her head and trot, and trot, and trot. But, if you were gentle, and cued her just so, she was splendid. Unlike many of our other horses, Maybelline was true to her mark. She never avoided or dodged a jump, but always pushed through. It was fun to see her opened up on the barrels and the first year she was here for our show, she won, shattering all other times.
When volunteers went out to catch her, she usually wanted to come in. If she didn’t, she would trot away, just a little, feign acceptance and then do it again right before you caught her. When she was in hand, her manner was gentle and, again, the wild horse was usually forgotten or missed. She was never pushy but would wait her turn to come into the barn. She knew where her place was among man. It was only when you rode her that she let you know where your place was. Sometimes, when she was being led in a lesson, she would get a bit carried away and want to go. You would have to use a firm hand & remind her that you were still down there. Most of the time, she still just wanted to go.
Maybelline was a very messy eater. I always wondered how she could get her supplements all the way onto her forelock. Oh, and what a beautiful forelock it was. It would reach all the way down her face, sometimes covering her eyes. It would always make me think of some mysterious woman, and she was. I thought it was funny when she would get into a really deep sleep because her bottom lip would hang, reminding our staff of another one of our four legged friends.
When Maybelline got sick, it was like watching a bird be locked into a small cage. She could no longer run. Her eyes were dull and that beautifully wild horse was hidden in all the pain. There were many times that she was close to death, only to miraculously pull out of it. When she was so sick she had to get shots every day, she didn’t like it but, she never bore her teeth or got mad. She just stood there, throwing her head at most. We battled her sickness together for a long time, waging the war that was finally lost. I was with her until the end and that wild gleam was back in her eye. I know she was ready to go. I don’t believe I have lost a nobler friend. My heart is truly broken. But, now that Maybelline is free, I’m sure she is again running, with all the wild horses.
-Bekka Olds
“When riding a horse, we leave our fear, troubles, and sadness behind on the ground.”
-Juli Carlson