‘I think I can, I think I can’

Kalvin the Krazed, a pseudonym that pretty much sums up his history, may turn out to be something, after all. This 15-year-old Thoroughbred gelding, which we purchased for his flipped-over-the-hitching-rail vet bill about two years ago, made it over a course of poles yesterday without killing anybody. Not only that, he did it with style, which is one thing Kalvin always does. Even when he face-plants somebody, Kalvin does it with style. Perhaps as a failed race horse, Kalvin learned that life was fraught with fright, and that he would amount to nothing. Consequently, every time something did go wrong, he flipped into horse hysterics, bolting out from under the rider who slightly over-balanced, or leaping away from the truck backfiring on the nearby road. Yesterday, Kalvin braved the course of poles. He even mistimed a couple of poles and tapped the wood. Kalvin thought about bolting. Kalvin’s ears flipped back and forth in momentary panic. At the gentle brush of the rider’s leg however, Kalvin persevered. Kalvin transitioned down from the canter to a civilized trotting circle. He halted, let out a big sigh, and licked his lips. That was horse talk for, “I did it. I survived. I think I can, I think I can.”