Back at the Ranch

I am by no means a horse expert. I may whisper to them at times, but I'm no Robert Redford or Monty Roberts. I have, however, watched a wild mustang run free and may I see that there is truthfully very few things more beautiful. When we first got two mustangs a year ago, one was entrusted to me. I was given the task of introducing this animal to humanity, to people, to life outside the open range of Nevada. You take for granted the simple pleasures like a halter broken horse, one that knows when you have the rope it is supposed to listen to you. We forget that such things have to be taught, that every animal is wild until proven tamed. I could tell you the many fun stories of trying to load an animal that has never seen humans into a tiny stock trailer, or trying to get him out and into a barn. Hours upon hours were spent trying to get a free-thinking wild animal to bend to your will. I could tell you of time when the horse got out and ran through two fences because it had never seen one before, or how it drug two of us for yards because it didn't know that when we have the rope he's supposed to listen to us. Story upon story could be told about trying to break the horse, who we can now saddle and ride without running through fences, much less hold him with a simple rope.

Instead I want to focus on the brief moments when he was running... free. A symbol of America, of freedom, the Wild Mustang captures the mentality we all hope for: no fences, no restrictions, no demands; just unabated freedom. We took his freedom, his masculinity, both in metaphorical and literal ways, and to be able to ride him in a controlled and tamed fashion is amazing, but he will never be as beautiful as the day he pushed me out of the way and busted through two fences, refusing to be held by any rope, running free.




The 2005 Campaign of Alabama Football ran free, unwilling to be tamed by any opponent they encountered. They ran through a couple fences along the way, Tyrone Prothro and JP Closner, two strong heartbeats of the offense ending their seasons too soon, but the Tide rolled on. At times there were opponents who entangled them in ropes, dragging Tennessee and Ole Miss behind as they narrowly escaped, but the Tide rolled on. Through major setbacks and narrow escapes the Bama kept it's pride in Tuscaloosa, even after the sting of LSU. Yet last night, the second set of Tigers in two consecutive weeks brought a proud, free-running Crimson Tide to its knees, effectively breaking Bama.

Now Bama will play in a decent bowl, celebrating a season we could have only dreamed of a year ago, and hopefully end up a very respectable 10-2. It was a more than productive season that redeemed a program that was once thought dead, and hopefully many will remember that fact as well. But we would all be liars if we didn't admit that deep in our hearts, even though we are happy with the successes, there was no more beautiful moment than when Bama was running free -- when the Tide rolled on.

"You're Dixie's Football Pride, Crimson Tide."

In contrast to those who would call into question the ability of Brodie Croyle, the heart and soul of Bama Football, I leave you, Austin Henley, with the words of Theodore Roosevelt:

“It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”

Here's to you Brodie; stand tall, roll tide.

# posted by Matt Foster : 1:50 PM