Preface
Throughout history, the horse-human relationship has been nothing short of profound. Not only have horses facilitated transportation, communication, agriculture, and other vital services, they have been our companions, our inspiration, and guardians of our souls.
Many eloquent and devoted people have sought to define this bond, but, still, it remains enigmatic.
The Greeks believed Pegasus, the mythical winged horse, descended from the Universe itself, through Poseidon the creator of horses and god of oceans and earthquakes. Walter Farley brought to life "The Black Stallion", Marguerite Henry honored "King of the Wind", "Misty of Chincoteague", "San Domingo: The Medicine Hat Stallion" and many more; Anna Sewell highlighted animal welfare issues with "Black Beauty", and Mary O'Hara's "My Friend Flicka" combined wilderness, wildness and the meaning of true friendship. We need everything horses have to offer.
The natural1 horse lives in freedom, love, dignity, wisdom and elegance; the artful beauty of an embodied Spirit. Moving with liberty, power and grace, horses' expression of Life invokes our emotions and activates our desires. There is one word in the human lexicon used to codify the indefinable; it comes closer than any other word, save spirit and soul.
That word is 'heart'.
Heart illustrates virtuous aspects and the beauty of an individual, a family, a community, a nation, a breed, a species, a world. the heart of a tree, a songbird, an eagle; the heart of a sunrise or a breathtaking landscape. the heart of a matter, something heartfelt or from the heart. or, it can describe the most frightening demons. A heart in great pain lurks in the depths of darkness. heartless and cold-hearted are cruel and fearful things.
'Heart', in all its forms and expressions, is forever and inextricably present. We can look at our own hearts as a manifestation of the boundless spiritual heart that binds and connects us all.
It highlights the human condition, and horses amplify it to a glorious degree; making opposites and imbalances visible, revealing unspoken and unrequited Truths. Perhaps - if we have the courage to listen and interpret with wisdom - horses can help us understand our distance from grace. They can help each of us acknowledge our individual Humpty Dumptyness2 and help us put our fragile humanity back together again.
Heart's indefatigable messages inform, embolden, direct and humble us. and horses are all about it. in every manner and way.
When Secretariat, the most recognized racehorse of the early 1970s, passed away in 1989, it seemed we had a unique opportunity to gain a deeper understanding. He attracted an adoring, worldwide fan base who had followed him closely during his racing career; afterwards waiting impatiently, idealistically and expectantly, for his first foals to hit the ground.
"His popularity endured long after his racing career. He received dozens of letters and birthday cards each year from fans, and he was a shameless ham as as well as a mischievous greeter to the thousands who visited him at Claiborne."-Steven Crist, Secretariat, Racing Legend and Fans' Favorite, Is Dead.3
Nineteen years should have been the threshold of his senior life, but instead, he was laid to rest due to a condition called laminitis 4.
A post mortem examination revealed something spectacular. I can imagine the uplifted eyebrows, widened eyes and dropping jaws, as the colossal heart was lifted from his body. For some, this mega-heart was the only explanation he could increase his speed while others fatigued4 ; the only reason he obliterated the field of horses and the clock at the 1973 Belmont Stakes, and the primary reason he occupies the number two spot (Man o' War is number one) in the book, "Thoroughbred Champions, Top 100 racehorses of the 20th Century."5
Secretariat's heart size supposedly explained it all. It became an obsession. The equine 'large' heart was identified as an inheritable trait - dubbed the 'X-factor' - and many people tried in vain to separate the inseparable. the physical from the non-physical, in order to duplicate Secretariat's abilities.
Selecting a few favored traits, a few favored combinations of ancestors and creating a blue-blooded and pedigreed animal, didn't change anything. It still amounted to a practice that, while supporting careers, businesses, industries, professionals and experts, wasn't quite as whole as we'd given ourselves credit for.
My intention for writing this book, isn't to promote or demote, nor is it my intention to discredit the passionate work of those who first investigated and published their findings about the equine large heart phenomenon.
I just felt the equine large heart 'gene' wasn't something that could be isolated within one breed. Nor was it something that should be attributed to our logic based, preference based or formulated breeding practices. In that sense, I felt it was being turned into a commodity. It categorized and materialized a special something I believed was beyond these kinds of 'constructions or buildings'.
Pragmatically, I thought if I could somehow reveal that the larger than normal heart occurred before the foundation of the British Thoroughbred (prior to ~1680 AD) - or at least demonstrate similar abilities during older and perhaps ancient times - then it might become more reasonable that the trait would have organic7 roots of formation and dispersal. It would cast a different light on the trait's origins and perhaps move the spontaneous mutation theory into a more diffuse background.
Romantically, the magnetic calibre of an intriguing and epic equine large heart story was irresistible; likening it to a creation myth where the expressions and transformative powers of 'heart' existed far beyond comprehension, extending eternally throughout the Universe like the rays of countless stars.
I wanted to see what was around the next alluring corner. beyond that well-defined horizon. So, with reading glasses, pens, notebooks and my computer, I ventured forth.
Starting at the same point others did, in Kentucky, USA, 1989, I followed the 'X' trail as it quickly leapt across the Atlantic to England. I took a delightful side trip to Australia, and then landed back in England.
At that point, instead of staying within 'Thoroughbred' bounds, I stepped off the trodden path and onto one that led into the distant past.
Each new destination had sweeping and lasting impacts.
I found myself treading in the cauldron of Central Asia, where the large heart story becomes literally and figuratively panoramic, spanning incredible distances in time and landscape; fathomless, vast, enduring, borderless and ageless.
I emerged a changed person, caring much more deeply about horses and what they represent, and much less so for the transitory (and sometimes misleading) nature of imposed limitations.
During my journey, I had purchased original stud books, studied pedigrees, inbreeding coefficients, breeds, countless individuals, and traveled all over the world on the internet. I had created spreadsheets and formulas. had taken hundreds and hundreds of notes and made hundreds and hundreds of calculations, for over nine years.
Then, 'suddenly', a few words on a haphazardly clicked link caught my attention. Excitement and anticipation stuck in my throat, and with renewed fervor and a little more digging, came into contact with John Fusco, screenwriter of Hidalgo and Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. It is my firm opinion that the information he provided broke this narrative 'wide open', and simultaneously shattered the spontaneous mutation theory.
And so it was, the 'X' trail led to a dusty old steamer trunk he had obtained somewhere in California. Mr. Fusco had long since located the treasure I was now seeking; the golden streams of knowledge. the ark of the 'X-factor'.
In this old steamer trunk resided the historically relevant and unmistakably valuable records of a passionate and dedicated man named Robert Brislawn.
Mr. Brislawn, who lived during the 1900s, came to know the descendants of the Conquistador stock deposited on this continent during the late 1400s and early 1500s. We commonly know them as the 'Spanish (Barb) Mustang', however they are also known as Colonial Spanish Horses, Spanish Barbs, Cayuse, and Indian Ponies.
Note: In this work, I predominantly use Spanish Mustang and Indian Pony, since it may strike a more familiar chord with readers. This usage isn't meant to convey personal preferences. Along those lines, I may use 'he' to refer to the horse. In other languages the word for horse, such as the French 'cheval', is a 'masculine noun'. The usage is not meant to offend or show prejudice of any kind. In the same way, 'BC' and 'AD' are used to provide consistency with quotations.
Some of these horses found themselves relieved of their bondage, reviving their natural8 lives in direct communication with Mother Nature, where they expressed themselves wholly and fully.
When America's Native People tamed and rode the mighty descendants of the 'Old World', they acquired a distinct advantage. Unfortunately, this relationship hindered the ease with which this country could be 'tamed and settled'.
In order to subdue and control the Indian Nation and their 'best weapon', the U.S. Government9 committed hostile acts mostly...
