The
world of horse racing is merely a microcosm of life as we know it. It is a
world filled with lost souls in search of riches and privileged souls in search
of themselves. It is a world dependent upon controversy and debate, yet one
that abounds with poignant competition and delightful solidarity. Horse racing drives
human emotions to unimaginable extremes. The highs have been likened to being touched
by the hand of God, while the lows can incite ideations of leading the loneliest
existence on earth.
Mankind’s
ability to formulate thoughts and articulate feelings helps to distinguish our
species from all others. It is this giftedness which allows those associated
with the sport of kings to express themselves in ways that define
individuality. Thoughts become emotions, emotions are intensified by feelings,
and eventually those feelings evolve into the attitudes and behaviors that are so
publicly on display.
Six
primary emotions were identified by American-born psychologist Paul Ekman in
1972. The classification model he devised consisted of anger, disgust, fear,
happiness, sadness, and surprise. Each of these universally recognized emotions
plays a pivotal role in the horse racing community, yet none of them are as misunderstood
or complex as sadness.
We
pacify ourselves with peaceful solutions when we are angry, we excuse ourselves
from situations and environments that precipitate disgust, and we look for
shelter or comfort when we are fearful. Surprise is reconciled by the
acceptance of matters at hand, while happiness is embraced for as long as lighthearted
sentiment will allow.
Sadness
is an emotional pain characterized by loss, despair, or grief. It is the
emotion that most frequently goes unresolved, and in the horse racing world, it
is as commonplace as the equine athletes themselves. It can be said that a willingness
to love requires a willingness to grieve. For the impassioned people aligned
with our beloved sport, this willingness often culminates in either triumphant
joy or indomitable sadness.
Humanity
needs little guidance in the midst of happiness or gaiety. People will naturally
gravitate towards winners and place their trust in the hands of those who are most
likely to succeed. We have mastered the fine art of celebration, but our capacity
for coping with grief and loss leaves much to be desired. In horse racing, the heartaches
are real as despondency seemingly lies in wait for one victim after the other.
Everyone connected to the sport is susceptible and there is no magic pill that
provides even the slightest shred of immunity.
Jockey colonies across the land are a proverbial
grab bag of ethnicities, ages, and genders. Gains and accomplishments are measured
in mounts that have been secured, purse money earned, and extended blessings of
good health. Gains and accomplishments are worthy of celebratory moments, yet along
with each individual achievement, comes the birth of another’s misfortune. Mounts
bestowed upon jockeys might have little or no chance of winning, or worse yet; the
offerings may be gifted far too sporadically. There are never-ending battles with
weight scales and the potential for serious injury is always present. Much to
the disbelief of some, jockeys do not retreat to plush stalls at the conclusion
of a card, waiting for the next racing day to begin. These are authentic lives
with families to look after, mouths to feed, and bills to pay. Aspirations of fame
and fortune are admirable, but loss and despair can sometimes surface as cold
reality in the jockey’s life.
Owners
flirt with destiny and risk thousands upon thousands of hard-earned dollars on
the animals they love and the sport they cherish. Unfortunately, ownership cannot
guarantee happiness as salvation can never be found on the back of a talentless
horse.
Trainers
balance relationships with their equine athletes that are parental in nature
and professional in practice. There is time set aside for teaching and for work,
time for rest and time for laughter. Trainers and horses bask harmoniously in
the glow of victory, while they wallow as one in the grips of defeat. This unity
allows for growth, growth which can only be achieved through the emotional wellness
and stability of both horse and human.
Workers
employed along the backstretch remain the lifeblood of any race track. They are devoted souls, creating kinships
with God’s creatures that are quite unlike those formed by any other group.
From sunrise to sunset, their hearts and minds are focused exclusively on the
welfare of the animals. An aptitude for their craft is overshadowed solely by the
innate ability to comfort and nurture life. Unbreakable bonds such as these are
not meant to be broken, yet every so often, the gates of sorrow swing open in
the case of an untimely death.
We
are then left with the horse players, the handicappers. This eccentric bunch has
been systematically wired with the gamut of human emotions. Discarded tickets
tumble along grandstand floors and take to the air like tiny feathers on windy
days. These images in no way reflect the horse player’s disdain for Mother
Nature, but rather, they illustrate anger or disgust that gnaws from within as
perfectly laid plans have gone awry. Pleasant surprises and spells of happiness
await the ardent handicapper, but those moments are often fleeting as sadness and
fear loom around every bend. The horse player will press on at any cost, in
spite of empty pockets or relationships lost. This unwavering perseverance is the
result of being equipped with creation’s most selective memory.
Sadness
is derived from loss, and loss is symbolic of the things that we can no longer
have. In horse racing, it comes in many forms and signifies different things to
different people. Losses can affect confidence and hope; one’s monetary worth, and
indeed, their self-worth. Bodies are sometimes battered and minds can be
broken, but no loss is as profound as the loss of another life.
Psychiatrist
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross is perhaps the most renowned authority to date on death,
grief, and loss. Following years of work with terminally ill patients, she
published the ground-breaking book entitled, “On Death and Dying” in 1969. Kubler-Ross
explored death and loss in a multifaceted way, and from a multicultural point
of view. She explained the grieving process as one that is comprised of five acutely
unique stages.
Denial
is the stage where disbelief overrides reality, while the anger stage can
prompt individuals to lash out behaviorally or place blame for the loss itself.
Bargaining occurs as negotiations take place with higher powers, and the
depression stage is one that cripples both function and sensibility. Persons
may be predisposed to more than one or all of the stages, but peace can ultimately
be found when acceptance has overpowered one’s grief. These stages are vital to
the struggles in life and quintessential during times of death.
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| Dance With Fate Following Victory In The Bluegrass Stakes (Photo Courtesy of Heidi Carpenter) |
2014
has been a year marked by record-setting achievements and inconsolable tragedies.
Not long after witnessing a valiant chase of the ever-elusive Triple Crown, the
horse racing community endured two devastating losses.
Fortune
tellers might proclaim that prophecies are simply written in the stars, but in
some instances, a name alone can be prophetic. Trainer Peter Eurton’s three-year-old
sensation, Dance With Fate, was euthanized after sustaining critical injuries in
a training accident at Del Mar Race Track on the twenty-fourth of July. The
dark bay beauty had already captured the Bluegrass Stakes at Keeneland, run a
respectable sixth in the Kentucky Derby, and was just days away from a start in
the San Diego Handicap. Exercise rider Joe Duran was also seriously injured in
the accident that claimed the life of Eurton’s talented colt. Initially, the outpouring
of support for their camp was tremendous, but as the ink slowly faded from the
pages of outdated newspapers, both the horse and rider had quietly become but a
memory.
Less
than two months later, Belmont Park was ready to open its doors to the public
on the fifth of September for its Fall Meet. Early that morning, Juan Vasquez,
an exercise rider and part-time trainer, was fatally injured while working an
unraced two-year-old for trainer Bruce Brown. Social media erupted with reports
about Vasquez and the racing world was soon abuzz with news of his passing. Friends
and colleagues were quick to hold interviews so that the thirty-nine-year-old
native of Mexico could be fondly remembered. With the day still in its infancy,
track officials decided to go on with the card as originally scheduled.
Early
in childhood, we are taught that things get better despite the circumstances
and that emotional pains will lessen when given time. These clichéd words offer
little reassurance to those stricken with unfathomable amounts of sadness. Regrettably,
some people become mired in one stage of grief or another as the opportunity
for healing cannot be clearly seen. The mystery then lies in weaving one’s way
through these stages so that acceptance and peace can eventually be attained.
It
is essential to find support sources beyond ourselves when coping with losses
of any magnitude. Chaplains are employed at horse tracks all across the land to
assist the racing community through times of hardship, loss, and death. Grief
counselors are at work in every major city in America, and hospice providers can
bring comfort to persons consumed by sadness. When coping with loss, we must call upon our own sense of spirituality, pay homage to life that has been lost, look after our physical health, and be willing to reveal heartfelt feelings with one another.
