Futurities
Eleanor Hamilton
with the sky the limit for the futurity, he appreciates the support of breeders who understand its benefits to the community. “What level do you want to play it at?” asks Dick Ames rhetorically. “You can play in horses like baseball, where you’ve got double A, class A, or major league teams where they pay players millions of dollars to play ball. Some halter trainers are selling horses over in the Middle East for big prices. But in the American public right now, there are not very many players that are going to pay the kind of money that those guys in the Middle East will for halter horses.” Futurities, he indicates, with their financial reward and public exposure for the horses that do well, make it more fun and offer a boost for American breeders.
60 | A R A BI A N HOR SE T I MES
In the end, say the dedicated breeders, it is all about the horse. “Win or lose, you’ve got to feel good about the horse that you took to the futurities,” says Murray Popplewell, “and you’ve got to be happy with the one that you take home. It’s nice to win, of course. We all like to win, but it’s not the end all/be all. The horse is.” Eleanor Hamilton reflects on her long association with Arabian horses, the fun she has had and the top horses she has bred and exhibited. She can be almost hilariously modest about her achievements, but she is not unaware that she has built a strong, viable program. She doesn’t take it or her horses for granted. “I think it is the responsibility of the well-established breeders to help support some of these programs,” she says simply. “That is just my personal feeling, and if I can, I do.”