his long nose and left the pool, walking down the valley.
Steve added, “He knows how to take care of himself. They all do. That’s all they’ve ever known … they and their forebears.”
Jay said nothing, but he didn’t take his eyes off the constantly moving stallion. Finally he sat down on the grass, pulling up his pantlegs to keep the fine crease in his blue suit. “I suppose you’re right, Steve, but I wouldn’t take any chances.” He looked up at the boy, and then back at Flame. “Especially after such a hard ride as you gave him,” he added gravely.
“You watched us?”
“Of course, Steve. There’s nothing I enjoy more than getting up early, before dawn sometimes, andgetting to a convenient track to watch horses in training. It really does something for me!”
Steve looked down at this well-dressed man who might have been at a popular metropolitan club, telling friends of his visits to Belmont Park or Churchill Downs. Yet here he was, where so few had ever been, very much at ease and urging him to sponge Flame, to blanket him, to walk him.… Flame, a wild stallion!
“I just wouldn’t want anything to happen to him,” Jay said. “He’s too fine a horse. I’ve never seen a better one. You must do everything possible to keep him sound.”
In the distance Flame lowered himself carefully to the grass and began rolling, his long limbs cutting the air.
“You sit him beautifully, Steve,” Jay said without taking his eyes off the rolling horse. “No one could have a better seat. It wouldn’t get by in a show ring, of course, but on the race track it’s the only way to ride.”
“I’ve never raced,” Steve said.
“I know,” Jay replied quietly.
Steve continued standing. He couldn’t sit down beside Jay and chew thoughtfully on a succulent blade of grass as the man was doing. He was not sufficiently at ease for that. He wondered how it was that Jay knew he had done no racing. Perhaps he would be able to find out. He was aware from having listened to him yesterday that Jay loved to talk and that it wouldn’t be long before he knew a lot more about this man and where he was from.
“Do you know why you have the ideal racing seat?” Jay asked.
“No. I just try to keep from falling off.”
Jay laughed loudly, and his hair fell low on his forehead when he shook his head. He turned quickly to the boy, only his eyes smiling now. “I wasn’t laughing at you,” he said when he saw Steve’s flushed face. “Your saying that reminded me of what happened a short while ago. I was down South on a visit when …”
“South America?” Steve asked quickly.
“No. Southern United States,” Jay replied. “Kentucky, I think it was, but it’s not important. Anyway, I was watching the horse races at a small country fair and most of them were being won by kids riding bareback. There were a couple of big Eastern trainers there, and I got talking to them. It seems they went to the small fairs looking for horses they might be able to use on the big city tracks. They were disturbed because while they’d been buying a lot of the winning horses at the fairs it turned out that they didn’t run very well when they reached the Eastern tracks. The trainers couldn’t understand what happened to the horses’ speed.”
Jay stopped, and his eyes glowed with an unusual brightness.
“Maybe it was the faster competition,” Steve suggested.
“No, it wasn’t that at all,” Jay answered. “The reason was that the trainers took the horses but left the kids who had ridden them behind.”
“Were they such good riders?”
“In a way,” Jay replied thoughtfully. “You see, those kids at the fairs didn’t have enough money to buy saddles, so in riding bareback their first objective was to keep from falling off.” He smiled and then went on, “Asimple matter of self preservation, Steve, as you pointed out a moment ago. They hung on to whatever was best to keep their balance. They moved forward
Steve added, “He knows how to take care of himself. They all do. That’s all they’ve ever known … they and their forebears.”
Jay said nothing, but he didn’t take his eyes off the constantly moving stallion. Finally he sat down on the grass, pulling up his pantlegs to keep the fine crease in his blue suit. “I suppose you’re right, Steve, but I wouldn’t take any chances.” He looked up at the boy, and then back at Flame. “Especially after such a hard ride as you gave him,” he added gravely.
“You watched us?”
“Of course, Steve. There’s nothing I enjoy more than getting up early, before dawn sometimes, andgetting to a convenient track to watch horses in training. It really does something for me!”
Steve looked down at this well-dressed man who might have been at a popular metropolitan club, telling friends of his visits to Belmont Park or Churchill Downs. Yet here he was, where so few had ever been, very much at ease and urging him to sponge Flame, to blanket him, to walk him.… Flame, a wild stallion!
“I just wouldn’t want anything to happen to him,” Jay said. “He’s too fine a horse. I’ve never seen a better one. You must do everything possible to keep him sound.”
In the distance Flame lowered himself carefully to the grass and began rolling, his long limbs cutting the air.
“You sit him beautifully, Steve,” Jay said without taking his eyes off the rolling horse. “No one could have a better seat. It wouldn’t get by in a show ring, of course, but on the race track it’s the only way to ride.”
“I’ve never raced,” Steve said.
“I know,” Jay replied quietly.
Steve continued standing. He couldn’t sit down beside Jay and chew thoughtfully on a succulent blade of grass as the man was doing. He was not sufficiently at ease for that. He wondered how it was that Jay knew he had done no racing. Perhaps he would be able to find out. He was aware from having listened to him yesterday that Jay loved to talk and that it wouldn’t be long before he knew a lot more about this man and where he was from.
“Do you know why you have the ideal racing seat?” Jay asked.
“No. I just try to keep from falling off.”
Jay laughed loudly, and his hair fell low on his forehead when he shook his head. He turned quickly to the boy, only his eyes smiling now. “I wasn’t laughing at you,” he said when he saw Steve’s flushed face. “Your saying that reminded me of what happened a short while ago. I was down South on a visit when …”
“South America?” Steve asked quickly.
“No. Southern United States,” Jay replied. “Kentucky, I think it was, but it’s not important. Anyway, I was watching the horse races at a small country fair and most of them were being won by kids riding bareback. There were a couple of big Eastern trainers there, and I got talking to them. It seems they went to the small fairs looking for horses they might be able to use on the big city tracks. They were disturbed because while they’d been buying a lot of the winning horses at the fairs it turned out that they didn’t run very well when they reached the Eastern tracks. The trainers couldn’t understand what happened to the horses’ speed.”
Jay stopped, and his eyes glowed with an unusual brightness.
“Maybe it was the faster competition,” Steve suggested.
“No, it wasn’t that at all,” Jay answered. “The reason was that the trainers took the horses but left the kids who had ridden them behind.”
“Were they such good riders?”
“In a way,” Jay replied thoughtfully. “You see, those kids at the fairs didn’t have enough money to buy saddles, so in riding bareback their first objective was to keep from falling off.” He smiled and then went on, “Asimple matter of self preservation, Steve, as you pointed out a moment ago. They hung on to whatever was best to keep their balance. They moved forward
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