from Jul 26, 1950 HH:
The Horseman's Dream
To awake in the morning at half past five,
To smell the clean fresh air.
To wake up and see the whole stable alive,
To know that my friends are all there,
To go to the stable to look at my horse,
To brush him with the greatest of care,
To check his legs for lameness of course,
To put a gleaming shine on his hair.
To hitch him to the Jogging cart,
And lead him onto the track,
And then once he's gotten a start
Trying to hold him back.
To feel the wind hit my face with a sting,
To feel the lines pull taut,
If I had my choice of anything
This is all that I'd want.
To walk my horse after his trot,
To feed him an apple or two,
To realize the satisfaction I got
Doing what I wanted to do.
To talk to the men and hear many stories
About some famous race,
Or hear a man tell how he has no worries
Of making the two-sixteen pace.
To oil the harness till it shines real bright,
To rest under the afternoon sun,
To bed my horse down again at night
Knowing a good day is done.
There are many jobs in this world, jobs from A to Z
But the job where you train and take care of a horse
That is the job for me.
-PHIL HAND