What do you call an Amish guy with his hand in a horse’s mouth? A mechanic.
I grew up in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania — Amish Country. As a kid, that joke was hilarious. Horses where just those animals that pulled the buggies that made traffic slow to a crawl. Their metal shoes would destroy the roads. And then there were the road apples. There’s nothing like a fresh pile of horse droppings when you round the corner on your bike a little too fast, so you just pinch your eyes and hold your breath and pedal through.
Then we moved to Texas. We had a small farm and cattle ranch. So there was no time for horses. After high school I moved to San Antonio, so the only time I’d see horses is when cops were on crowd control.
After Texas I moved to Maine. Off the coast of Portland, there’s a small forest in the middle of the water called Walker Island. I was hiking one day, when, in the center of the island, I stumbled upon a cemetery. A pet cemetery. Granite headstones. An iron fence. I was overcome with a sense of calm as soon as I found it. Four of the graves were for hound dogs. Two were for horses. They were buried in the 1870s.
It was one of those moments when something I had only imagined in black and white suddenly had color. The past I knew — grainy photos of still faced humans, never smiling, never emitting emotion —was replaced with the realization that there was a man who loved his horses so much that he had them buried on Walker Island. An entire cemetery was built as a testament of his love for his dogs and his horses. I still get a little sentimental when I think about how much he must have missed them to give them such a beautiful resting place. And I agree with Herman Melville’s assessment that “No philosophers so thoroughly comprehend us as dogs and horses.”
I’ve never been a horse person. I’m a dog person. But I get it. When I was a kid, forced to watch westerns with the old man, I’d never flinch if a cowboy was gunned down. But if they even hinted at hurting a horse, I would be in tears.
But that is the extent of the history I have with horses.
So why am I going to the HeArt of the Horse Film Festival?
I’ll give you 5 good reasons.
#1 Sydney Collier will be there. A rider and horse lover since she was 7, Collier suffered a massive stroke in 2009 following a risky brain surgery. One year later, she attended the World Equestrian Games as a spectator. After meeting Jonathan Metz, a para-equestrian, the two became friends, and Metz became her mentor. In 2012, Collier left her home in Ann Arbor to train with Wes Dunham in Millbrook, New York. Two years later, she earned a spot on the United States Para Dressage Team, becoming the youngest competitor at the WEG in France. She was 16. Collier went on to win the 2016 United States Para Dressage Championships, and she represented team USA at the Paralympics in Rio. She continues her training as she looks forward to the 2020 Paralympics Games in Tokyo.
#2 ‘A Horse, A Convict, A Chance for Change,’ a film that follows mustang trainer Joe Misner, creator of a California based program that pairs prison inmates with wild mustangs. The story depicts his successful strategies, unlikely friendships, and life changing second chances. Misner will be at the festival to share stories and reveal his next project, in Montana.
#3 Cobra. 125 bucks, that was the price Marsha Hartford-Sapp paid for Cobra, a ‘three strikes’ mustang. ‘Cobra — Wild to World Champion,’ a video that won top awards at the Equus International Film Festival 2019, is accompanied by original music by Peter Prince. Ashley Mancuso of Ash Equine Productions, the video’s producer will be on hand to discuss the short film. In addition to her film credentials, Mancuso is an expert in yoga on horseback. You read that right, and it’s exactly what you’re thinking. Ashley will give a presentation, and if you sign up early, you may get the chance to try it for yourself.
#4 Work in progress: ‘A Cowboy in China,’ presented by Lex Hames, a cowboy filmmaker. ‘A Cowboy in China’ is an epic romance based on the real life adventures of Hames’ father. Herding 1000 pack mules across the Himalayas during WWII, bandit armies, shoot outs on the Gobi, a mysterious love interest, surviving the Japanese bombardment of Chengdu — this film has it all.
#5 ‘Riding with thisAbilities,’ a film by Matthew Handal that chronicles ten years of a therapeutic riding program in New York City. Handal introduces us to the young riders who are learning to overcome their physical restraints through their relationships with horses. Alicia Kershaw, a co-founder of GALLOP NYC, will be a guest speaker. Audience members will also hear from Eva Finnan, Great Oak and PATH international region 3 Instructor of the Year, as well as Sydney Collier, reason #1.
Ok, I’ll give you 5 more reasons, real quick:
#6 ‘A Cavallo del tempo (Riding through Time),’ the art of horse riding from Antiquity to the Middle Ages. A unique and “multivision program” directed by Italian filmmaker Gianmarco D’Agostino.
#7 ‘Rainslide,’ an experimental short film by French painter and film director Ariel Noel.
#8 ‘Silent Witness,’ a photography presentation by Aiken native Shelly Marshall Schmidt that documents the relationships between horses and veterans who have been impacted by war.
#9 Kate Tweedy, celebrating the 50th birthday of her family’s racehorse Secretariat. Yes, that Secretariat.
#10 ‘Wild — Goliath and Red Lady,’ a love story (of sorts) about two horses who are reunited after being captured in the wild.
The HeArt of the Horse Festival: A Conference Celebrating the Art of Community and the Equine Spirit takes place April 23 – 26. For tickets and details on events, times, and locations, visit AikenCenterForTheArts.org or EquusInternational.org.
