The Star of the Rodeo
As a very young child in Niagara Falls， New York， I was in and out of the hospital with serious asthma1 attacks. When I was six years old， the doctors told my parents that if they did not take me to a better climate， I would certainly die. And so my family moved to a tiny town high up in the mountains outside Denver. It was beautiful， but very remote. In the late '50s， there were far more animals than people in Conifer， Colorado.
We kids were in heaven. My older brother， Dan， and I would pack food and sleeping bags， take two horses and our dog， and go camping for the weekend in the wilderness around our home. We saw a lot of wildlife on our trips――including bears， bobcats2 and even a few elusive3 mountain lions. We learned to be silent and observe the life around us with respect. One time， I remember waking up and looking straight into the enormous nose of an elk4. I lay perfectly still until the elk moved on. Blending with our surroundings， riding our horses for days at a time， we considered ourselves real mountain men. My parents knew that as long as the dog and the horses were with us， we would be safe and always find our way home.
I remember that Dan， three years older and stronger， always beat me at everything. It became a burning passion with me to win. I wanted so badly to be the star for a change.
When I was eight， Dad brought home a horse named Chubby. Chubby's owner had suffered a heart attack and was told to stop riding. The owner thought that we would give Chubby a good home， so he gave the sixteen-year-old gelding5 to my parents for free.
Chubby， a smallish， charcoal-gray6 horse， had been a tri-state7 rodeo8 champion in roping and bulldogging9. Strong， intelligent and responsive， he had tremendous spirit， and my whole family loved him. Dan， of course， got first pick of the horses， so I was left with a slower， lazier horse named Stormy. Chubby was probably too much horse for a boy of eight anyway， but I envied my brother and wished fervently that Chubby were my horse.
In those days， my brother and I entered 4-H Club gymkhanas10 with our horses every year. The year I was nine， I practiced the barrel11 race over and over in preparation for that year's competition. But Stormy was a plodding12 horse and even while I practiced， I knew it was a lost cause. It was the deep passion to win that kept me at it――urging Stormy on learning the moves for getting around the barrels and back to the finish line.
On the day of the gymkhana， my older brother stunned me by offering to let me ride Chubby in the barrel race. I was beside myself with excitement and joy. Maybe this time， I could finally win.
When I mounted Chubby， I sensed immediately that I was in for a completely different barrel race. With Stormy， it was always a struggle to get her moving from a standing position， and then a chore13 to keep her going. As we waited for the start signal that day， Chubby was prancing14 in place， alert15 and obviously eager to be running. When the signal came， Chubby was off like a rocket before I could react， and it was all I could do to hold on. We were around those barrels and back at the finish line in seconds. My adrenaline16 was still pumping as I slid off the horse and was surrounded by my cheering family. I won that blue ribbon by a mile and then some.
That night I went to bed worn out17 with the excitement and glory of it all. But as I lay there， I found myself feeling uneasy. What had I really done to earn that first place？ All I could come up with18 was that I'd managed not to fall off and humiliate myself or Chubby. It was the horse that had won the blue ribbon， not me. I looked at the ribbon pinned to my lampshade and suddenly felt ashamed.
The next morning， I woke early. I got out of bed， dressed quickly and crept out of the house toward the barn19. I pinned the blue ribbon on the wall of Chubby's stall20 and stood rubbing his neck， feeling him lip my pockets， looking for the sugar cubes he loved so much. Then it hit me： this horse didn't care about ribbons， blue or otherwise. He preferred something he could eat. Chubby had run that way yesterday， not to win， but simply because he loved to run. He truly enjoyed the challenge and the fun of the game.
With a new respect， I got a bucket of rolled oats， his favorite grain， and let him eat it while I got out the currycomb and gave him a thorough brushing. This horse had given me my blue ribbon， but more important， Chubby had shown me what it means to give yourself to what you do with your entire mind， body and soul.
My heart light once more， I vowed that for the rest of his days， I was going to make sure Chubby got his reward in horse currency21： grain， sugar， brushing， the chance to run――and lots of love.
我年幼时住在纽约州尼亚加拉瀑布城，经常因严重的气喘病发作而光顾医院。待我到了6岁，医生告诉我父母，如果不带我去气候温和的地方住，我就会死去。因此，我们举家迁往丹佛市外深山高岭中的一座小镇。那里景色幽美，只是人烟稀少。50年代末期，科罗拉多州科尼弗镇的动物比人多得多。
对我们孩子们来说，生活如天堂般美好。周末我和哥哥丹带上食物和睡袋，牵上两匹马，带上狗去我们家周围的荒野扎营夜宿。在旅途中，我们有机会看到许多野生动物，诸如熊、红猫，甚至碰到过几只难得一遇的山狮。我们学会不出声，以敬重的态度观察野生动物。我记得有一回一觉醒来，眼前是只麋鹿的巨大鼻子。我一动没动。直到那麋鹿走开。和周围环境融浑一体，一连几天骑在马背上，我们自封为真正的山民。我们的父母知道，只要狗和马与我们在一起，我们就会安全无恙，总能找到家。
我记得长我3岁的丹比我强壮，什么事都胜过我。赢他的念头在心中非常强烈，我太想将竞技场上的明星换成是我！
我8岁那年，爸爸带回家一匹叫查比的马。原主心脏病发作，医生告诉他以后不能再骑马了。马主认为我们能给查比一个好的家，就把这匹16岁的骟马送给了我父母。
查比个头不大，颜色碳灰，曾经是三州马术竞技会上套绳和摔倒小公牛的双项冠军。它健壮，悟性好，反应快，精力充沛，我们全家人都喜欢它。当然，查比给我哥哥丹先挑走了，留给我的马叫斯托米，它跑得慢，而且不勤快。也许我这么一个8岁的男孩骑查比那样的马不合适，可我还是嫉妒丹，朝思暮想查比归我所有。
那时候，我和哥哥每年都参加（农业部为青少年设立的）4-H俱乐部所组织的马术竞技比赛。我9岁时，为了当年的比赛，我一遍又一遍练绕桶技巧。但是斯托米起动慢，练的时候我就知道成功的希望渺茫。然而，摘折桂冠的决心促使我坚持不懈地练下去，训练内容包括驱策斯托米往前跑，学习绕桶和回到终点线的动作。
比赛那天，哥哥的举措令我吃惊，他主动让我骑查比参加绕桶比赛。我欣喜若狂，也许这回胜券在握了。
我跨上查比，立刻感到这会是一场截然不同的绕桶比赛。要让斯托米从静止位置起动得费很大劲，要它保持全速前进还得不断扬鞭驱策。那天，在我们等待出发信号时，查比在原地腾跳，全神贯注，明显表现出要奔跑的强烈愿望。信号一发出，我还没来得及反应，查比如弩箭离弦向前奔去，我所作的只有握紧缰绳，任它奔驰。瞬息间，我们绕过一个个木桶，回到终点线。待我下马后被欢呼的家人团团围住时，我还沉浸在高度兴奋中。我以很大优势赢得了蓝飘带。
那天晚上，沉醉于摘取桂冠带来的荣誉，我激动不已，但睡在床上时，我却感到内心不安。我自己究竟做了什么获取第一名的呢？我所做到的只是没从马上掉下来给自己或查比带来耻辱。蓝飘带是马赢得的，不是我。我看着别在灯罩上的蓝飘带，顿时感到羞愧。
第二天，早早地我就醒了。我下了床，很快穿上衣服，蹑手蹑脚走出房子来到谷仓。我把蓝飘带别在查比的栏圈上，然后站在旁边揉摸它的脖子，我感到它在舔我的衣服口袋，找它特别爱吃的方糖块。我忽然领悟到这匹马并不在乎飘带，不管是蓝的还是别的什么颜色。它更愿得到它能吃的东西。昨天查比跑得那么带劲，不是为了输赢，而只是因为它喜欢跑，它的确喜欢挑战和比赛带来的乐趣。
对查比有了一层新的理解，我给了它一桶它爱吃的压过的燕麦；它边吃着，我边用马栉好好地刷了它一遍。这匹马为我赢得了蓝飘带，但更重要的是，查比使我懂得了全身心投入的真正含义。
我的心情又好了，我立誓在查比的余生，确保它将以马的货币形式――谷物、白糖、刷身、奔跑机会――获得它的奖赏，还有许多的爱。
注释：
1.asthma n.气喘，哮喘
2.bobcat n.红猫，短尾猫（一种北美野猫）
3.elusive adj.逃避的，躲避的
4.elk n.麋
5.gelding n.骟马，去势的马
6.charcoal-grey n.深灰色
7.tri-state adj.三州的
8.rodeo n.牧马骑术表演
9.bulldog vt.抓住牛角摔倒（小公牛）
10.gymkhana n.赛马
11.barrel n.桶
12.plodding adj.行动沉重缓慢的
13.chore n.困难的工作，令人讨厌的工作
14.prance vi.（马）腾跃，腾跳
15.alert adj.留神的，敏捷的
16.adrenaline n.一阵兴奋
17.wear out 经受住
18.come up with 提供，想出
19.barn n.谷仓，粮仓
20.stall n.马厩
21.currency n.交换媒介
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