Jan DSaI found out that the American actor Mickey Rooney passed away just a few days ago. The reason I remember him is that he acted as a once successful horse trainer in the Black Stallion – a movie that I took to watching over and over again with my young brother. The movie, from 1979, was a great reminder to me that dreams that we hold as children can be achieved in our adulthood. Obstacles may come. The walls of stuckness may arise. The trick is to keep going. Somehow.
Three weeks earlier, had just visited the Dubai International Horse fair, right after spending time at Art Dubai. I had read about the horse art and sculptures that would be on display at the fair. And if for no other reason, the visit was to revive the happy ‘movie’ memories of my childhood in Abu Dhabi. Remembering the majesty of the Black Arabian Stallion and to remember the dream that the little jockey boy in the movie had.
The photos of the exhibition follow after my light exhortation to achieving our dreams and goals.
How many times do we allow extrinsic forces to force us to give up our dreams? How many times do we allow life to take us somewhere else where we don’t want to go so that we are start to lead lives that are not grounded in our true calling.
If you love horse riding, go and do it.
If you want to ride horses to win competitions, go and do it.
If you want to paint horses, go and do it.
If you want to visit art exhibitions that showcase art and sculptures by horse artists, then go and do it.
We do not need anyone’s permission to do what we love. To travel, to write, to paint, to dance, to blog. To taste the colours of cultures. To touch each other’s lives.
When we seek permission from others to be our very best, it is because we are not confidential about the pools of potential lying in us, waiting to be tapped for the greater good.
We all need the likes of Henry Dailey, played by Mickey Rooney in the ‘Black Stallion’ in our lives to be our support system, the one that will help us keep on keeping on, the one that will train our muscles to build resilience, the one that will mold our raw talent.
That’s what makes us true winners.
That’s what life’s all about.
Enjoy the photos taken at the horse art exhibition. It’s amazing that these artists have dedicated themselves and their art to capturing this magnificent animal in its myriad poses, expressions and majesty.
