Having seen a recommendation, I am currently reading (and thoroughly enjoying) The Eighty Dollar Champion by Elizabeth Letts.
While inhaling words through my eyeballs, I came across this description of what the Remount Program was looking for in 1912--a "usin' kind of horse." Sounds a lot like Lena Rey, except of course she is a mare and not a gelding or stallion:
"..bred to be well balanced, with well-sprung ribs and a deep heart girth to provide plenty of lung capacity, a well-developed set of withers to hold the saddle in place, lots of sufficient bone to stay sound, and a foot large enough to provide a solid foundation."
It does, however, slightly fall apart with this part:
"...temperament was a factor, with emphasis given to 'a gentle disposition and a willing mind.'" In Lena's case, sometimes yes, sometimes no.
Doesn't matter, I love Lena Rey for who she is. Just as I love Calabar for who he is. And the point of Snowman's story is just that--at least as far as I've read so far: Love them for who they are and what they offer and offer them the same in return.
That is what makes a companion, that is what makes a champion.
The "usin' kind of horse" reminds me of a Standardbred mare I once had. She was given to me for breeding and I bred her to a particularly dead-head TB in hopes of getting a sturdy event horse. My idea at the time was totally to reproduce the old cavalry event horse!
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