Faithful friends

He was a sailor, father of Oleg and Natasha. And constantly went to sea. But even in those rare days when the ship was delayed at the pier, it almost did not appear at home. This is the fleet service. Igor Sergeyevich loved her, this service, and the ship, and the sea. And he hardly crossed the threshold of his apartment, his children were fumbling, they filled him with questions. Olezhka was dragging machine guns to play white and red. Mom rushed to the kitchen to bake pies. ..

Once Igor Sergeyevich persuaded the whole family to swim across the Gauja on rafts. My wife, however, hesitated: it's cold, not bathe, or sunbathe. But the children were delighted. Olezhka by that time was twelve, Natasha - ten.

By the river came by bus. For about two hours all the tourists were busy with the equipment: they pumped rubber rafts, loaded things and products into them. Finally, the entire fleet amicably moved. Overnight in tents, songs by the fire. On the mood no one could complain.

One day I remembered especially and forever. At the break, the instructor said that next to, on the collective farm, there is a rental point for horses. Immediately the crowd went there. But it was not for everyone to go for a ride: they were allowed to take horses only to those who could ride. Adored children watched the dashing father. A little later, after agreeing with the coach, Igor Sergeyevich put Natasha on the horse first, then Oleg.

That night Oleg saw amazing dreams. Then he raced with the cavalry of Alexander the Great, then, together with Parkhomenko, chopped a piece of white. ..

When the raft was again lowered into the water in the morning, the guys seemed not to notice any beautiful rocks, past which floated, or drowning in the green islands. They asked their father to tell more and more about the horses.

- Why did not you go to work at the racetrack? !- Oleg exclaimed in amazement.

- You know, I still love the sea, my Baltic, my ship, - Igor Sergeevich explained in confidence. - And horses? The horses helped me to become strong, to endure any difficulties persistently, to be able to achieve my goal. And if suddenly there is such a meeting as yesterday, I'm always happy. ..

And then it happened that my father was transferred to serve in a big city where there was a riding school. Of course, Oleg and Natasha immediately signed up there. Engaged enthusiastically, with excitement. They gained dexterity, courage, gallantly galloped on horseback, took obstacles on the way. It does not matter what kind of profession the children choose - good physical training never hurts.

Natasha soon had a dream: to treat horses."This is also important," - explained my sister Oleg. And I painted horses with flying manes.

At the school of riding, the guys accustomed to the Beauty, which was immediately renamed Mashka. Golden Beauty inherited from her mother, and her temper was said to be her father's. Not everyone complained of their sympathy. The obstinate was heard. But Natasha made friends with the horse. She treated me with a rusk, an apple. And Mashka obeyed her commands obediently.

One day in the gym in the arena Natasha suddenly noticed her father, who had not been home for a long time: the ship went on a long trip. Returned! Waved his daughter's hand, sat down, waiting for her, on the bench. The coach, knowing how long the girl did not see her father, suggested: "Run on, say hello. Then you'll work with the Beauty. "

Masha seemed to understand everything too. I looked at the girl from a distance with her eye, according to the muzzle. Embracing her father, Natasha involuntarily continued to follow the horse. Beauty beautifully moved in the ranks, clearly, on command, turned left, to the right. Only once, for some reason, she froze in place.

- Masha, "cried Natasha." And are not you ashamed? "Come on, march!

Beauty immediately obeyed the order.

- True, Daddy, Masha is wonderful? - she was excitedly excited. - She obeys me, everything does what she needs.

The father approvingly looked at the grown-up daughter and mentally returned to that unique pore, when he himself at the same about the age rode with village

boys in the night. It seems that his love of horses was now passed on to his son and daughter. Yes, the horse is a noble, intelligent, beautiful animal. It plowed, competed in speed and dexterity, fought with enemies. Since childhood we have been singing about the red horsemen who, in civilian clothes on the dashing trotters, defeated the White Guards in cruel battles. In our hearts live the images of Tolstoy's Holstomer and Rosinante from Don Quixote, the Kuprin Emerald, Gyulsary Aitmatov. ..

People started riding horses several thousand years ago. The rider has always been distinguished by the body's training, agility, courage, perseverance in achieving the goal. The rider and the horse seem to merge together. Their will, strength, courage are doubled. It was no coincidence that Engels said: "Dogs and horses have developed in themselves, through communication with people, such a sensitive ear in relation to articulate speech that, within the range of their own ideas, they easily learn to understand every language."

Now, in the age of technology, the horse has acquired special value for both physical and moral improvement of man. Horse tourism has millions of fans. Many are happy to go by families - on horseback and on carts - in the Altai taiga and the blue Sayans, along Chuvashia and Bashkiria, the Caucasus and the trans-Ural forest-steppe. But where does not the tourist lead a horse trail!

During the hike, both in adults and in adolescents the skills of controlling a horse are developed. But, it seems, the most important thing is that their friendship grows stronger, mutual assistance, and the heart is filled with joy from the warmth of communication. My father watched with pride, as his son, his former timid, slow-witted, was haranguing day by day, what certainty appeared in the actions of the future defender of the Motherland. Yes, and my daughter easily found a common language with a quick kaura filly. Not without reason before the trip literally read "Notes by the cavalry-maiden" Nadezhda Durova. ..

Especially the tender friendship that arose in adolescence, connected Durova with Alcides. By her own admission, she "loved mad horses" from childhood. One can imagine her feelings when father, captain in retirement Andrei Durov, brought into the yard a "wild and indomitable" stallion, which he himself left.

However, Alcides did not want to submit to the bridle for a long time, did not allow anyone else to approach him. It is all the more surprising that the fragile child's hand touched the willful horse. Careful treatment, a gentle whisper, once in twenty a day running into the stables with some kind of delicacy, the girl managed to break the resistance of the horse.

At night, stealthily led Alcides to the halter, from the fence sat in the saddle. And the horse carried it with forest, field roads, humbly climbed the hills and even on a steep cliff above the Kama. And by dawn Alkid was returning to his place. His little mistress hurriedly, before she could take off her clothes, sniffing under the blanket.

In the end, the mystery was revealed. Hope was threatened with punishment - the mother did not share such hobbies of her daughter. The father stood up for the girl. He gave her Alcides in full possession, took Nadezhda with him for walks, taught the rules of riding. The young horseman rushed to Alkida through the vast expanses of the Kama region at three o'clock in the morning, did not show up until dinner.

Thanks to Alcides, who became her devoted aide, Nadezhda managed to carry out a bold idea - to fight together with Russian soldiers against Napoleon. The girl galloped out of her parents' house, without uttering a single word, after the Cossack regiment. On a dark autumn night, I made a thirty-mile journey through a remote forest, caught up with the Cossacks, who later went to the western borders of Russia. In the city of Grodno, volunteered for the Lancers regiment.

The fighting continued almost uninterruptedly. It was not easy for a young patriot: recklessly brave, but neobstrelyannaya, not sniffing gunpowder, Hope made a lot of mistakes, each of which could break off her life. Could, if not for Alcides. The horse was quickly accustomed to the surprise of the terrible military situation. He was not afraid of the thunder of artillery and the whistling of bullets, when Durov rushed to attack him. Often rescued the mistress of the trouble.

At halts, Hope, exhausted by the heavy cavalry service, literally fell from her feet, lay down on the ground, falling into a dead sleep. Sometimes, the regiment left without it. Then Alcides did everything in his power to wake the girl: he beat the hoof nearby, loudly neighing, pushing his snout to the shoulder until she woke up. Immediately jumping into the saddle, Durova swept in all her speed.

For all the time of fighting, neither Durov nor her horse have ever been injured. Somehow the enemy grenade fell to the very belly of Alcides. Instantly reacting, the horse desperately hopped aside to save himself and Hope. Not a single piece touched them. The witnesses of this episode were genuinely amazed that the rider managed not to fall off the horse. No one knew that there was a woman in the saddle.

After Alcides, Durova had other good horses. In the Mariupol Hussar Regiment served in the Hurricane, with the "ardent, arrogant and proud" Zelant passed through the whole of the 1812 campaign in the ranks of the Lithuanian Lancers. Interestingly, her remark about the mediocrity of the French cavalry: "I could be sure that. .. no one of their horses was equal to Zelant in speed."She loved all her four-legged friends, she knew how to save in battle, but she always kept faith in her memory. .. Alcides.

After retiring, the cavalier of military orders received during the war of 1812, Durova settled in the city of Elabuga on the Kama. Riding went to the end of days: "got up in the stirrup and flew". ..

The battle horse on the field proved to be a reliable warrior friend. Evidence for this is numerous memoirs, autobiographical notes. Here are a few interesting facts from the history of horses from ancient times.

Bucephalus is the favorite horse of Alexander the Great. Bucephalus, or Bullhead, he was called for a broad forehead. Alexander's father Philip bought this black stallion for 13 talans( about 340 kilograms of silver) from the Thessalian horse breeder.

After the battle with the Indians at Hydaspe in 326 BC, Bucephalus died of excessive stress. On the place where the horse died, Alexander of Macedon founded a city that was named Bucephalus( the only city in the world, bearing the name not of a horse at all, but of a specific, specific horse).

The Venetian traveler Marco Polo wrote that he( in the 13th century AD!) Heard of Bucephalus from the Mongols, who were very proud of the origin of their horses from this famous horse. Of course, it's hard to believe that the horse's pedigree was flawlessly carried on for 1,500 years, but such a strong memory of Bucephalus in distant countries, where in ancient times the horse was brought by the military campaigns of its heroic rider, is amazing.

For a long time did not forget the name of Bucephalus in medieval Europe. Minnesingers and troubadours composed in his honor laudatory songs, glorifying Bucephalus as the ideal of a horse. The horse was endowed with fictional features, born of a rich imagination of poets. ..

Intsitatus( Fast-legged) is famous only for the fact that according to the ridiculous will of the Roman emperor Caligula became. .. senator. I would have received a higher rank in the empire - a consul, if I had not killed his crazy owner.

"He guarded his Quickman's horse so much from any anxiety that every time on the eve of the races he sent soldiers to quiet in the neighborhood;he not only made him a stable of marble and a manger from ivory, not only gave purple veils and pearl necklaces, but even took him to the palace with servants and utensils, where he invited and willingly received guests on his behalf;they say, he even intended to make him a consul. "(Guy Tranquille Suetonius).

Eclipse( translated from English - eclipse) was born on the day of the solar eclipse. For 23 years this red stallion performed in different races, never having suffered defeat. Moreover, in none of the 26 important competitions won by Eclipse, none of the competitors came even close behind him. In England, then, an expression was born, alive to this day: "Eclipse is the first, the others are nowhere else."

Acquired Eclipse at auction for 75. pounds sterling. In 1789, the skeleton of a deceased at the age of 25 years was sold for a thousand pounds sterling. At autopsy, he was found to have an incredibly large heart: 6.3 kilograms( the average weight of a horse's heart is about 5 kilograms).

Eclipse was an unsurpassed producer: 344 of its descendants( children and grandchildren) brought their owners 158 thousand pounds sterling awards. In addition, it should be taken into account that the prizes at that time were not as large as now. ..

Kinxem is the only horse that has won more wins at the races than Eclipse. She belonged to a Hungarian athlete. Kinksem won at his very first races in 1876.Then four years in a row he excelled in all competitions in which he started. In all 53!

In 1878 the horse was brought to England to compete with the best racehorses of the world. Here it won as easily as on the racetracks of continental Europe. ..

Columbus, first stepping on the land of the New World in 1492, did not bring with him a single horse. But on the second journey to the shores of America, he was escorted, among several hundred soldiers, by twenty spearmen armed with spears.

In the first collisions with the Indians, the horsemen produced a stunning impression on them. In the country of Tabasco, the Indians surrounded the Spanish pedestrian detachment with large forces. It is not known what would have ended the unequal clash( and the conquest of Mexico, too), if at the critical time in the rear of the Indian army did not appear "cavalry" Cortes - sixteen horsemen. Frightened Indians, throwing their weapons at once, rushed to where.

"The Indians never saw horses, and it seemed to them that the horse and rider were one creature, mighty and merciless. The meadows and fields were filled with Indians running to the nearest forest. "(Bernal Diaz).

In the first decades of the XIII century Genghis Khan( Ocean-khan) in the fierce struggle subordinated all his khans to his authority: "the horde joined the horde".And the Mongols moved on an offensive to neighboring countries to the east, west, south of their ancestral nomadic. They conquered China, intended to cross the sea to Japan, and the storm ruined their fleet, subdued the principalities and kingdoms of Central Asia.

Two generals of Genghis Khan, Jebe and Subedey, invaded northern Iran. From there, in 1222, went to the east, the north of Iraq reached the Caucasus, smashing everything in its path, reached the lower reaches of the Don, the Polovtsian steppes. Along the shores of the Sea of ​​Azov we reached the Crimea, then returned to the Polovtsian steppes, crossed the Dnieper and returned from the Dniester River back to Genghis Khan.

This was the longest and fastest horse raid that history knows.30 thousand horsemen, having at their disposal 100 thousand horses, within two years have overcome with fights about 10 thousand kilometers. ..