After the Races. Review on Horse Racing

I love and enjoy horse racing. I think it's in my blood. When I was little (around 1974) my family went to New Mexico to meet some of my daddy's family. We had horses back in Nevada, but in New Mexico everyone owned ''race horses''. They had pictures of races and trophies everywhere. The conversation at the dinner table always included racing and the horses. We even went to the race track (Ruiodoso Downs) and spent the day.

In New Mexico the athlete of choice is the quarter horse. He is a bit shorter and stockier than the elegant thorough bred.

The next day my daddy's great aunt took me to a horse auction. I remember sitting there staring up at these beautiful animals. They were true beauties. Their shiny coats tight over their muscular bodies.

I live in New Mexico now. I haven't gone to a race track since I've been here, but I did get something out of racing. I own an ex-race horse.

We bought Ruby off the track. She was barely a three-year-old filly when we got her. We've had her for six years now and I have to say she's one of the best horses we've ever had.

It took a lot of hard work to get her where she is now. A race horse knows how to run very fast, but not much else. Teaching her to ''relax'' was an experience that took a lot of patience.

She lives in a pasture right next to our house. She loves being brushed and going for long rides in the wilderness. She has proven to be an excellent and wise trail horse.

Every once in a while, though, we'll end up in an open field and you can tell that she wants to run. Every now and again we let her and hold on tight!

If you're ever looking to buy a horse and have experience training horses (or know someone who does), I would suggest heading to a race track (if there's one in your state) and checking out what horses are ''retiring''.