"Lightning"
I need to stop right here and just say.....
being named "Lightning" has to be the most highly optimistic term ever applied to this particular horse.
Patient? Gentle? Perhaps Easy Rider?
All of these would have been MUCH accurate words to describe and could have even served as a name, for this horse...
if descriptiveness was the goal.
But that is not the goal....
ever,
it seems in the business of horse naming...
There are some pretty famous horses that have accomplished great things that will go down in the annals of history with names that sound like they were picked from something as random as dropping a dictionary to the floor and choosing a word from whatever page flutters open.
Just repeat the process until you have a winner!
Consider the winner of the Kentucky Derby (I'll Have Another) OR some of his erstwhile racing companions...
Went the Day Well finished fourth, followed by Creative Cause and Liaison. Rousing Sermon was eighth.
Daddy Nose Best was 10th, followed by Optimizer, Alpha, El Padrino, Done Talking and Sabercat.
Trinniberg was 17th, followed by Prospective, Take Charge Indy
and hold on for the drumroll....
Daddy Long Legs, who was last.
See what I mean?
I rest my case.
So back to "Lightning" who was bolting by my door in slow motion......
I throw open the door camera in hand, where my air conditioned camera lens met the hot muggy outdoors, immediately fogging up to create a nice gauzy glow in the picture.
LP: I am putting Lightning up before it rains.
(the littlest princess is too polite to point out that big fat drops or rain are already splashing down on her)
Me: Well I want to take another picture of Lightning if she will hold still (we both laugh at the irony of that statement)
it proves to be too great a challenge for Lightning to quit eying her opportunity to sample the rosebush.
Camera? What camera?
She may be the complete oxymoron of her name but you know what?
She is 1000 pounds of warm, living, breathing love to one little girl.
And that counts for more than speed any time.
