"Barbaro lived long enough to be an example of what can be done at the extreme outer edge of veterinary medicine, and he just about got there," said Kent. "With Teddy, we were starting out at impossible."
What Greatness Really Is
The absence of Teddy is something that will be felt for a very long time. Karen; his breeder, P. Wynn Norman; members of his syndicate and all those who eagerly awaited his next appearance are understandably bereft.
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- Karen O'Connor jogs Theodore O'Connor at the 2007 Rolex Kentucky.
- © 2007 by Nancy Jaffer
But eventing itself has been equally affected. Pony Power had so many dimensions. Teddy was the bright spot whose accomplishments balanced a barrage of headlines cataloging disaster after disaster in the sport over the last year. He demonstrated the beauty of the discipline, galloping effortlessly from start to finish, showing what makes it unique. The desire to follow his compelling career also drew new people to eventing, both from other disciplines and outside the horse world. Watching Teddy handle the jumps and terrain was simply an amazing experience.
"I am just so privileged and lucky to have seen his and Karen's two rides around Rolex," said Kevin.
"I have told people ever since last April (2007), when they first went around, that this was one of the top five performances in the history of eventing. They were just so darn competent. They showed us something about what greatness really is, where doing something that is incredibly audacious is done with such superb confidence."
There's a bit of comfort in thinking of Teddy at the base of the Rainbow Bridge, "where those that have been maimed are whole again." The poem about the safe haven for animals who have died says there are meadows and lush green grass on that stopover before heaven. It doesn't mention jumps, but let's hope they are there, too, for Teddy, who loved his job so much and generously shared his joy with the rest of us.
Comment on this column and Teddy's life in the Practical Horseman forum.
