Galloping Riderless
praise for the unexpected
dear creators,
Shortly after posting my last letter, where I was reflecting on the sensation of melancholy that accompanies my attention to something I deem beautiful, I bumped into a talk titled ‘Grief and Praise’.
No matter how many times the things I need fall into my lap, I’m taken aback and thrilled every damn time! This three-part presentation was delivered by Martín Prechtel— who is an artist, writer, musician, storyteller, teacher, and healer, and I felt it connected to this ‘life/affirming-death/accepting’ experience I’ve been having (see last letter).
Prechtel speaks from personal experience that includes what he learned from the Tzutujil Mayan teachings and proposes that “Grief and praise are one and the same” so “if you can’t grieve, you can’t praise.” Why is this? He says, “Your mortality is in your face every time you praise realistically…if you are praising something, your grief has to be present for the stakes to be high enough for the praise to be legitimate.
I don’t know if my praise is legit or not, but I’m still being taken over by sudden swells of feeling on a daily basis. Now I’m noticing an enhanced presence in these moments that I would describe less as melancholy and more as intense appreciation for being alive.
Prechtel also shares thoughts on the subject of a population that hasn’t been able to grieve/praise properly for generations. If you’re curious, I recommend listening to the full talk.
***
On the topic of ‘galloping riderless’, I wanted to share this video of the 2025 Japan Cup horse race from last November. I love horses, but it’s not like I follow horse racing— this is something exceptional, though. Right at the start gate, the rider gets dumped as Admire Terra stumbles and this horse goes on to break a world record in a three-way sprint finish.
[sidebar: I might actually show this video as my artist statement the next time I’m asked for one. But I don’t want to have to spell out all the ways it constellates to my practice and what my innermost being longs for.]
Not surprisingly, I’m laughing and bawling within the two and a half minutes of this event. And though I don’t expect anyone to respond as I do, I find it sadly lifeless that the announcer of this race follows all the rules and pretty much ignores the existence of this riderless horse.
By rules I mean that Admire Terra is technically ‘out of the race’ — so what? Would it hurt to praise his beaming spirit and agency to continue to compete without a rider?! Don’t you see?! (Now I want to go back and find a translation of the Japanese announcer)
Some might say that this horse has been conditioned to stay in the race and he’s in robo-mode. While his breeding and training are obvious factors, isn’t it an insult to Admire Terra’s intelligence to think that he had no awareness that he lost his mount and that he defaulted to competing for the win? If you watch carefully, you can see his hesitation at the beginning and then his resolve to go for it.
Even if you think he won because he was lighter without a rider and this isn’t fair to the other competitors, this is ignoring the fact that he came from way behind and outside the rail to gain the lead without his usual external (human) guidance. Also, he’s giving everything to that ears-back stretch finish (below).
Much of what I’ve said could be taken as conjecture but there’s no way to prove a feeling. I do kinda want to see a horse race with no riders, though. Not horses that have been trained and prepared to do so, mind you. I mean the jockeys should all just agree to dismount at the start gate and see what happens.
I would also like to mention that reports say that the jockey, Yuga Kawada, was not seriously injured in this race. I don’t know what he’s dealing with in terms of upset investors and such. And it can’t be easy watching your horse break a world record (that won’t be acknowledged) without you. But I’m thankful for his part in the creation of something unexpected.
Whatever anyone has to say about this event, I was immediately in a “damn that’s beautiful!” moment. Naturally, I grieved in full praise.
All beams,
~Corrie
P.S. When I did a search for the well-being of the jockey, AI seemed to freak out (below). Anyone know what’s up with 03?
