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To play the bagpipes, it is said, you must fill the windbag
with
divine breath. This thought was in the mind of a solitary bagpiper as he
prepared to march in the Prescott, Arizona, fourth of July Parade. A deep
breath from his soul filled the windbag under his arm with dignity and stars.
Soon, the first sound from those pipes would reach the sky and also touch
that piece of sky inside every living creature within hearing distance.
A valiant Arab horse in gleaming silver tack stood majestically just behind
the kilted piper. The horse did more than stand, he presented "standing" as
if he owned it, and he did. If there ever existed an embodiment of a free
spirit, this horse was it. The freest of the free.
Such an Arab horse deserved a rider who would not manhandle him. And this
Arabian was ridden by Maurice R. Johnson, who had come to master an
intuitive touch of riding to release the horse. Barely noticeable to most
onlookers he was not confining, or holding the Arab in place, but allowing
him to stand free. The reins were held loosely, giving slack. There was no
contact with the horse beyond a unique, intangible, telepathic link.
Behind Johnson was Gus Meeker, who completed this three man segment in the
local parade. Gus was rigged with a two way radio to give guidance to
Johnson on the Arab in front.
The necessity of such a radio link was unknown to the crowd along the
parade route. Only a handful of spectators knew Maurice R. Johnson was
totally blind.
One such observer was Sally Barringer, a reporter for the local paper who
had learned of the endeavor from parade officials. From the entry form she
discovered the name of the blind horseman.
Johnson never liked being called Maurice and was usually called "Ream," his
middle name, by his friends, while outsiders called him Maurice. Because
Sally discovered him as "Maurice," an unlikely but momentous story would
unfold which would change both their lives.
From the outset Sally thought the stunt was grandstanding and extremely
dangerous. The danger wasn't because the horse couldn't be guided by the
radio between Gus and the blind rider. The real danger was the possibility
of the horse spooking or shying. Horses can shy at the most common things
like a garbage can or a country mail box.
If something startles a horse, there is an unpredictable jumping reflex.
His instinct is to bolt for a few yards away from the threat before
determining the nature of the threat.
Sally bit her lip in anxiety as she thought, "Sure, a blind man could ride
a horse, but it's an accident waiting to happen. With the first surprise
the horse could bolt, throwing the rider into the crowd of spectators. How
could a blind man anticipate such a reflex explosion in a horse?"
Having herself been thrown as a child from a spooked horse, Sally suffered
from a fear of horses and was skeptical of this stunt. She knew first hand
their unpredictable nature, and here was a blind cowboy about to ride a
free spirited Arabian in a parade!
The bagpipes resonated their first sound, beckoning angels to the hearts of
onlookers. It was a parade within a parade. The story of true blind faith
between horse and rider, which would take them through a crowd of 20,000
excited spectators.
How this unlikely event came to be, and how Ream and Sally came to know
each other began one year earlier....
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Photo of Jim Oakley's "Biffer"
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