UC Ringmaster speech by Helen Scanlon

 

Sept. 29, 2013
UC Ringmaster memorial speech by Helen Scanlon

It is an honor to be here today with all of you as we remember the life and legacy of the Great Red Horse, UC Ringmaster.

UC Ringmaster touched many lives in many ways. He was a friend, a teacher, an incredible and joyful performer-- and he certainly had a profound effect on me. He won his two World Championship titles when I was a student here at UConn, and I remember reading about him and thinking how proud I was of my school for having such a superbly talented horse. I didn’t officially meet him until 2006.

As he nickered at me through the stall bars, I was overcome by his otherworldly magnificence. I have been around horses most of my life, and no horse before or since has ever had that immediate effect on me. I was in the presence of something almost indescribable—a nobility so rare, yet so warm---he seemed to glow with it.  His coat was unlike any shade of red I had ever seen on a horse—he was  the color of brewed tea, of garnets, of amber. We were friends the instant we met, and from that moment on, he would inspire me in many life-changing ways.  He inspired me to learn more about him—the UConn Morgan, the government bloodlines, the history of his proud breed. Because of him, I finally achieved my lifelong goal of writing a book. A dream I held onto since I was 10 years old, my nose stuck in Justin Morgan Had a Horse by Marguerite Henry. He inspired me to paint him. That painting led to a phone call by Dr. Al Cowan, and a conversation that lasted over an hour---Dr. Cowan recalling to me the day UC Ringmaster was born. More calls and letters followed. It led to a phone call to Cheryl Orcutt: “Hi, my name is Helen Scanlon and I am writing a book on the UConn Morgans , and I was wondering if you could tell me all about Ringmaster?” --- and a nearly three-hour conversation followed--the phone cradled in my neck, my pen jotting notes as Cheryl so generously shared memories of her Great Red Horse with me.

I would like to thank Cheryl Orcutt for sharing her best friend with all of us. Thank you to Les Parker for your thrilling show-ring partnership with him. Thank you to John Bennett, Kathy Pelletier, Jim Dinger and the UConn horsebarn for their consummate care of UC Ringmaster—and thank you to all of the people who worked with him, cared for him, knew him, and loved him.

And thank you, UC Ringmaster. I, and many others, will never forget your strength, your exuberance, your animated nickering, your darling little ears pointed to the sky, your love of human company, your heart-stopping performances in the show ring, your lessons, your power, your grace, your beauty. For me, I will always remember how my heart leapt with joy as you fluttered your nostrils wide and trumpeted at me as I called out to you: “Who’s your biggest fan?”

I would like to conclude with a poem that I wrote. This is for you, today, Great Red Horse:

My Horse, My Heart

Under a tree, my beloved steed

Earth and roots now hold you near.

Twisted branches scrape the painted sky

With sun to soothe and stars to guide.

My old friend, he is there in the nimbus

Wind shapes his hoof and molds his ear.

I see him in the rays through my window

I hear him in the gust through the flue.

My horse, my heart-- he is near.

My horse, my heart--he is here.

-Helen Scanlon, 7/10/11

(Note: the wind magically picked up as I read the line, "I hear him in the gust through the flue." UC Ringmaster was there, with all of us. ~HS)