OLYMPICS EQUESTRIAN: Meet Henry
THE sound of the name Henry, called across the paddock, summons no intended man.
It's a horse who responds and makes towards the caller - who could be any one of a number of the people in the household. But the most important person in Henry's life the last few weeks and the next few days - apart from whoever brings his feed - is Great Britain's Olympic debutmaking event rider from Findon, Tina Cook.
Henry comes from Pulborough. He was bred by Maurice E.Pinto, bought by (Mr) Nicolas and (Mrs) Valda Embiricos and (Mrs) Sarah Pelham, and why he answers to Henry best of all is known only to him. Why shouldn't it be a secret? (damn the nosy Press].
And besides, how would he appreciate the finer points of being entitled Miners Frolic? If he started behaving with that kind of abandon as he turned towards the final fence in a winning clear round, he'd soon be out of an equestrian job of any kind, let alone the blessed Olympic Games.
Miners Frolic? Arthur Scargill, the union leader of those subterranian workers, on his soapbox, would scarcely have understood the concept of his members having such unbridled fun.
Nor would Henry kick up a fuss over the glaring lack of an apostrophe in his title. He might be a thoroughbred, but he knows that, right now, there are more pressing hoops to jump through, than answering the question of whether his is the frolic of one miner, or of several.
He's never had to write it down on an application form, or explain it away to an interview panel.
All that simply happened was that, one day, at the Sunday dinner table, his mum explained that one day she had been introduced to this nice young man called Miners Lamp and that her real name was Mighty Frolic. Before that, she might have been one for the lads, and the pair might have been named for each other once they met, perhaps to tame her wilder urges, but she wasn't going to admit all that to Henry. He was far too young.
Nor was she going to endow him with an apostrophe because she and dad had managed perfectly well without one, and were not about to start pandering to the discerning younger generation.
Perhaps, one day, when all this Olympic fuss is over, Henry will sit down in an armchair and think to himself: "I wonder what other miner's items (sorry, miners . . or should that be miners'?] there were around the stud stables at the time of my conception?" And switch on his computer and search the internet ancestry sites.
After discovering there were 55 other varieties present, he will immediately thank his lucky stars. He might be 17 hands high, and a drop-dead gorgeous dark bay. But he's a gelding and that means he won't later have to go through any of all that coming and going.
Henry is one of the most special of the, hopefully, soon-to-be celebrated horses in the British Hong Kong stable. He is almost too young to be in the team, at only 10 years old, and he is almost too thoughful and considerate to be among your brash "roll out the opposition, let's be having 'em!" competitors with ambitions to entertain.
He's about something different, and his qualities, combined with the talent, care, horsewomanship and companionship of his mistress are things the Olympic selectors suspected were worth having up their sleeves in reserve.
He responds to this woman, and she, for her part, is giving him back a heck of a time. With her, he has come from nowhere in less than two years, and the pair have started going places in the eventing world and on its calendar. The Olympics weren't on their 2008 schedule but then Lucy Wiegersma's Shaabrak picked up an injury and had to pull out.
Tina Cook and he have been an item for six years and here's why.
Extols Cook: "He's very kind, willing, sensitive and generous. He likes to be cuddled a lot, he loves people and adores children (Since she's know him, Cook's provided two - one of each]. He loves companionship and affection."
She also loves and adores his mind. She says her favourite thing about him is "his willing brain and his trainable personality."
Though one of the things she's going to have to train out of him is his intolerance of being stung. And his apprehension about small common birds. "Out on a hack, he thinks the nettles or the sparrows are going to eat him," she chuckles.
So that sets out a serious brief for the Olympic team's meticulous back-up organisation. Any stingers around the competition course or arena must be hacked down at first sight. And sparrows either shot at dawn, or lured away by a richly and repeatedly replenished bird table.
Fortunately, the highly-groomed condition of the Olympic facilities and the lack of suitable nesting sites are likely to keep Henry at ease.
Because who needs this rubbish when there are medals to be won? He needs to get on with the busines of winning one of them. Cook says he's willing, so where there's a will, there's a way.
All power, then, to Henry, and his lady.
Click here for daily bulletin from Hong Kong
See The Herald for full Tina Cook and Olympics guide
Click here for Tina's comeback
-------------------------------------
Click here to go back to Worthing sport.
Where are you? Add your pin to the Herald's international readers' map by clicking here.
Email the Herald: richard.amey@worthingherald.co.uk
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Worthing
Tuesday 29 May 2012
Today
Light showers
Temperature: 11 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: West
Tomorrow
Light showers
Temperature: 12 C to 19 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: South west
