110 degrees magazine - Index

110 degrees magazine - magazine - Index

BLOOM I BY BETTY GARRISON I PHOTOS BY RUSSELL BYRNE
HORSES AND KITTENS
AND DOGS... OH MY!
The horses here at Brentwood Oaks Equestrian
Center all know when I’m coming. Every day I pass
up and down the lanes between the stalls handing
out treats of vegetables and fruit to these
beloved animals.
It is common for horses to fear plastic bags;
they appear to them as foreign objects. Plastic
bags move in unnatural ways and have a bothersome
odor and texture. But the horses at
Brentwood Oaks have come to love plastic bags
because when they see me passing in front of
their stall, they know that my plastic bags are
filled with delectable goodies.
Also, horses have their own language in order
to communicate with each other. I know they do
because a chorus of nickers and neighs always
precede me as the horses pass the word of my
approach from stall to stall.
Besides providing me with a daily excuse to
serve and to connect with these beloved animals,
the feedings serve as a check on the animals’ well
being. If a horse refuses one of my carrots or a
piece of apple, a warning light goes on; perhaps
something’s wrong with the animal.
I’ve never completely understood the attraction
that horses exert upon some of us. Those big,
72 www.110mag.com September/October 2008
BETTY DESCRIBES THE LIFE THAT SHE HAS
SPENT AMONG ANIMALS AND RELATES HOW
THEY HAVE TOUCHED HER LIFE.
warm, responsive animals have been calling out
to something deep inside of me since my earliest
memories. Perhaps that relationship appeals to
our maternal instinct. However he does it the
horse has the power to conquer our heart.
Whatever the explanation, a connection often
develops between a horse and a young girl that
consumes her passion, imagination, and dreams.
Perhaps we see our own strength amplified in the
muscles of the horse, or we become beautiful in
the reflection of the horse’s beauty. Pam Brown,
an Australian poet, wrote,
A horse is the projection of peoples' dreams about
themselves — strong, powerful, beautiful — and
it has the capability of giving us escape from our
mundane existence.
The attraction of horses works especially well for
girls. Many boys seem to come into the world of
horses only when they are adults and attempt to
establish relationships with horses that many
girls have had since they met their first horse.
GROWING UP WITH PROBLEMS
AND WITH ANIMALS
I was born and raised in San Francisco. I came into
the world with a love in my heart for animals, but
began with terrible problems involving the human
beings in my life. My mom and dad were belligerent
alcoholics who would get into such furious
fights with each other that when I was eight years
old the authorities placed me in foster care.
Those foster parents were good people. In
particular, my foster mother offered to pay for
riding lessons at the St. Francis Riding Academy
on Seventh Avenue in San Francisco as a reward for
high grades. As a result, my report cards were
always excellent.
I had to walk by St. Francis on my way to school
and often got detoured on my way home.
At age 12 I returned to my own mom. My
parents had separated by that time, mom was on
the wagon, and things were a lot better at home.
The curious fact was that my folks were friends
with each other and always got along well as long
as they weren’t living together; otherwise they
fought like politicians.
After my mom kicked her drinking habit she
became a loving and loveable human being. Our
relationship during the last part of her life was
wonderful. When I returned to live with my
mom she was good about giving me money to
continue riding lessons.