The Old Gray Mare

Use Famous Horse Quotes In Conversations and Speeches



Posted: Friday, September 16, 2011

by The Old Gray Mare
www.DressYourHorse.com

Back in the days when I was a 4-H leader, President of The Connecticut Horse Council, member of speech clubs through work or privately or office-employed, I frequently gave public speeches, testified in the Legislature or was keynote speaker at various functions.

Some notable speakers employed the use of quotations by famous people, newsmakers or actors, others used funny lines, and still others mixed in a mix of humorous experiences. My public speaking never failed me when I tossed in a few well-chosen famous quotations about horses.

Actually, I found it amazing how well received these horse quotations were and the number of people that responded kindly to them. If you guess that I had many quotes at the ready, you’d be right – I had lots of them. I’d pepper my “speechifying” with horse quotes and loved to speak impersonally to my audience rather than staying formal and behind the podium.

There’s nothing I enjoyed better during a keynote address, than to study my audience. If I detected little signs of disinterest or clockwatching or yawns, I’d consider several things – where was I in my speech, how much longer did I have, is the rest of my topic boring, was I already boring? These thoughts were split second evaluations, and if I thought I was starting to lose some, I’d casually walk to a different area of the stage, glance at several members of the audience, ad lib, smile and throw in a When you're young and you fall off a horse, you may break something. When you're my age, you splatter. Roy Rogers

This is an easy quote to tie into just about any topic, get a few chuckles, and continue.

Another one I’d use is the all-time favorite: There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man. Winston Churchill Or this one: When I bestride him, I soar, I am a hawk: he trots the air; the earth sings when he touches it; the basest horn of his hoof is more musical than the pipe of Hermes. William Shakespeare, Henry V

Here are several others:

One reason why birds and horses are happy is because they are not trying to impress other birds and horses. Dale Carnegie

No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle. Winston Churchill

Horse sense is the thing a horse has which keeps it from betting on people. W.C. Fields

Wherever man has left his footprint in the long ascent from barbarism to civilization we will find the hoofprint of the horse beside it. John Moore

It's a lot like nuts and bolts - if the rider's nuts, the horse bolts! Nicholas Evans

God forbid that I should go to any Heaven in which there are no horses. R.B. Cunninghame Graham, letter to Theodore Roosevelt, 1917

A horse can lend its rider the speed and strength he or she lacks, but the rider who is wise remembers it is no more than a loan. Pam Brown

The daughter who won't lift a finger in the house is the same child who cycles madly off in the pouring rain to spend all morning mucking out a stable. Samantha Armstrong

Men are generally more careful of the Breed of their Horses and Dogs than of their Children. William Penn, Fruits of Solitude

For my purpose in conversation, professional speeches, or keynote speeches for a general or horse audience, my quotations – tactfully inserted – never failed me. In fact, in evaluations after the fact, audience members would even quote them back, remarking how well they enjoyed the speech and happy to hear a quote they themselves would be happy to use.

The quotation by Roy Rogers was hands down the most favorite and most often quoted back to me. I always thought I was clever in my use of some of these quotes.

My various audience members, however, found ways to apply horse quotes I had never even considered. Oh well, I will just incorporate some into crafty greeting cards.

Hi-Ho Silver. Away! The Lone Ranger Clayton Moore
Heidi Rucki brings expertise as a horsewoman, dog lover and stained glass/mosaic artist. She is an accomplished freelance writer in the horse industry. Writing online as The Old Gray Mare, many of her current articles can be found on www.DressYourHorse.com. In the past, Rucki wrote for numerous horse organizations including The Connecticut Horse Council. She took early retirement from Phoenix Home Life where she wrote mutual fund prospectuses and was responsible for their submissions to the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Old Gray Mare writes to share knowledge and her love of horses for everyone but especially for novice and new horse owners. Besides her two main websites, she has recently published three new blog sites. Of those, her favorite is www.BeautyOfHorses.com.
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