Hoof Beats

 

A Heart Warmer for You                                           

 

He was handsome, had impeccable manners and his superior intelligence became obvious to anyone who met him. Both men and women admired him and he had a soft spot in his heart for children. If he had been human he probably would have been in the diplomatic corps, because he had a natural ability to melt people’s hearts. 

He was known as Raffon and he came into Paul Hemming’s life when he was a five-month-old weanling Arabian colt. Since boyhood, Paul had dreamt of owning a truly fine horse. As he read and re-read The Black Stallion and other Walter Farley novels about Arabian horses, he swore to himself that some day… some day.  But time flew by, and Paul was grown and married with young sons, when the longing could no longer be denied. Thus began a series of events that would change the lives of the Hemming family, as if they had caught the tail of a passing tornado.  

“I really didn’t know anything about horses,” said Paul, “but the moment we saw this young yearling at an Arabian breeder’s farm, we were struck by his presence.” The price was more than they could afford and when they went back to see him again the owner had decided to keep him. Deeply disappointed, Paul had a deep feeling in his gut that this young horse was meant to be his. After prolonged discussions and a promise that Raffon would be shown, a bill of sale was drawn up. 

He may not have known anything about horses but he did know that they needed exercise. So everyday, he would take Raffon on a long rope, for a romp down the country lanes where they lived near Elk River, Minnesota. Slowly they got acquainted and became close friends. “He just had an unbeatable personality and was interested in every thing he saw,” said Paul, “and he had such a gentle heart.”

Mark Hemming, the oldest of the six Hemming sons, remembers it well: “My father worked hard but we really didn’t have any money. We had four boys in a one-bedroom house. Three of us slept on a roll-away in the living room. When the time came to honor our promise to Raffon’s breeder, we put plywood sides on our pick-up truck and arrived at the shows and parked beside the other breeders with fancy horse trailers. In the ring, we had no clue of what to do and the steward had to show my dad how to lead our horse around the show ring and set him up. Some people felt sorry for us and tried to help us learn the ropes but others laughed at us. We were showing against some big breeding farms.” 

There was no doubt in Raffon’s mind that he was a champion. He began winning his halter classes against stiff competition at local shows. “He was a natural in the show ring,” said Paul. “I was just along for the ride, he really showed himself. Proud and animated, he took in everything and was very aware of the judges.”  The judges were certainly aware of him. The laughing ceased.

Raffon was still not broken to ride but the boys would climb on his back at home and the handsome young stallion would walk carefully around with his precious cargo. 

Then financial disaster struck. Their financial income vanished and the Hemming family, which had now expanded to six boys, had to give up the little house. When word got around, offers to buy Raffon arrived almost daily (one from Daniel Gainey Sr.). This was the obvious solution.  It would pull them out of their hole and give the family a fresh start.  

“We were deeply aware that he was part of our family,” says Paul. “When you talked to him, he absolutely understood you. It would be like selling one of my sons.”

Mark agrees, saying, “He wasn’t just a horse. It was as if he were one of our siblings and we loved him like that.” Selling the stallion was out of the question.

Raffon repaid the Hemming’s love and faith in him. As a two-year-old he had become a champion and when he was three he actually qualified for the Arabian Horse Nationals in Dallas, Texas. “We were so excited about showing Raffon but we were broke and there was no way we could afford it. We finally decided not to go.” 

When the Nationals came around the following year they were in Springfield, Illinois, much closer to their new location. The family decided that Paul should take Raffon to the most prestigious show in the Arabian breed to compete against horses from all over the world. Their friend, Les Gallett, offered to take Raffon in his trailer with his own filly.  At the Nationals there were stallions that had won halter classes in shows from coast to coast and Gallett felt they would be very hard to beat. Paul asked some big breeders for tips on showing but the stakes were very high and no one would give an inch.

“We were standing in the ring with 53 fine stallions and I was hoping we could at least make it into the top ten. They asked us to leave the ring. Then they started calling the numbers of those that placed. As they reached the very end, Raffon’s number was finally called. “Relief flooded Paul’s veins; they had actually placed in the Nationals! Then people were shouting at him, “You won! You won!”  The electrified stallion entered the ring, to thunderous applause as the judges named him the National Champion Arabian Stallion.”

Paul returned home to his family with a heart full of joy and fifteen dollars in his pocket.  But so many requests for breeding came in, that the family finally decided to move to Oregon and then to the Santa Ynez Valley to be closer to Arabian action. Raffon became a renowned sire of champions and of Legion of Supreme Merit winners. He had been trained under saddle and in dressage by the renowned Olympic trainer Eric Bubbel, who said that Raffon was the smartest horse he had ever trained. 

At age 22, the famous Raffon still had all the fire of a yearling and if turned loose in a ring in front of a crowd, he could put quite a show. Responding to the cheering from the crowd, he would circle the ring and then gallop to the center with nostrils flared and head held high, his full black tail flowing like a silken cape behind him. Rising on his hind legs he would perform a full cabriole, the most difficult maneuver of Haute Ecole of the Spanish Riding School. When Paul stepped into the arena and called the powerful stallion to him, Raffon would charge across the ring and slide to a halt with his chest touching Paul’s chest and his head resting on Paul’s shoulder. The crowd would respond with a tremendous ovation, many in the crowd weeping at Raffon’s sheer beauty and exuberant expression of life.

This magical horse fulfilled every dream his family ever had for him. He was loved and treasured to the end of his days. When he died, he was mourned as if one of the family members had passed on and to this day, the subject can bring tears to their eyes. Raffon is now buried under a beautiful tree on their ranch with a bronze marker inscribed “Precious memories endure forever.” He is still in the heart of his family.

                                  

Horse of the Month

 

The Horse of the Month for July is Elan! He’s a gorgeous black Friesian gelding, owned by Stephan and Amity de Fontaine of Santa Ynez. “Elan has a calm and loving disposition and loves children,” says Amity. “In fact, he will sometimes even leave his feed to go and watch the children playing. There’s something special about him, like he’s an old soul.”