Early those mornings, when the sun rose
We were up with the daybreak and out on the road
Flying down highways to the roar of the truck
Animals loaded and stalls were all mucked.
Horses stamped in their boxes, their heads were well tied
Steam from their nostrils now rose to the skies
As the roads turned to country, the fields blue and green
Lay shrouded in mist as we drove down the lanes.
Then, when arriving, the grounds filled with dew
We unloaded the horses and unpacked the gear
The saddles and bridles and leathery smells
Were all propped around us, each one had a place.
Curried and bridled, the horses performed
With a young man, a horseman, they set off to win
And around the great hurdles he and they jumped
Boldness and courage in every great leap
Monumentally brave as they heaved with the effort
Great strength was required and partnership tested
The crowds would now cheer or ignore as they chose
But the horse and young man rode the course for themselves
And no shouts or distractions would enter their heads
As they focused on hurdling the next set of jumps
If the timing was perfect, horse and rider in stride
Then good marks for the last one and on to the next
With most accurate timing and infinite care
They did cover ground quickly and fly through through the air
Setting down, turning sharply, leaping forward as one
Regroupng, repeating till the whole course was done.
Now steaming and lathered, horses walked heads bent down
They were showered and patted and given rubdowns
The sun slowly sinking, the shadows grown long
The crickets were chirping, the grass heated brown.
And coffee was downed for the long journey home
And water for horses now that they had cooled down
The horses were loaded, the truck was repacked
The tires were checked and clean shirts on our backs.
The breezes that blew brushed the ribbons from winning
They hung and they fluttered, like war medals gleaming
Back through the night we did pull the great load
Sweet hay in the hay nets, the horses were towed.
Such was the song of a day on the road
Most don\'t see the like and we wish that they could.