As a very young child in Niagara Falls， New York， I was in and out of the hospital with serious asthma1 attacks. When I was six years old， the doctors told my parents that if they did not take me to a better climate， I would certainly die. And so my family moved to a tiny town high up in the mountains outside Denver. It was beautiful， but very remote. In the late '50s， there were far more animals than people in Conifer， Colorado.

　　We kids were in heaven. My older brother， Dan， and I would pack food and sleeping bags， take two horses and our dog， and go camping for the weekend in the wilderness around our home. We saw a lot of wildlife on our trips――including bears， bobcats2 and even a few elusive3 mountain lions. We learned to be silent and observe the life around us with respect. One time， I remember waking up and looking straight into the enormous nose of an elk4. I lay perfectly still until the elk moved on. Blending with our surroundings， riding our horses for days at a time， we considered ourselves real mountain men. My parents knew that as long as the dog and the horses were with us， we would be safe and always find our way home.

　　I remember that Dan， three years older and stronger， always beat me at everything. It became a burning passion with me to win. I wanted so badly to be the star for a change.

　　When I was eight， Dad brought home a horse named Chubby. Chubby's owner had suffered a heart attack and was told to stop riding. The owner thought that we would give Chubby a good home， so he gave the sixteen-year-old gelding5 to my parents for free.

　　Chubby， a smallish， charcoal-gray6 horse， had been a tri-state7 rodeo8 champion in roping and bulldogging9. Strong， intelligent and responsive， he had tremendous spirit， and my whole family loved him. Dan， of course， got first pick of the horses， so I was left with a slower， lazier horse named Stormy. Chubby was probably too much horse for a boy of eight anyway， but I envied my brother and wished fervently that Chubby were my horse.

　　In those days， my brother and I entered 4-H Club gymkhanas10 with our horses every year. The year I was nine， I practiced the barrel11 race over and over in preparation for that year's competition. But Stormy was a plodding12 horse and even while I practiced， I knew it was a lost cause. It was the deep passion to win that kept me at it――urging Stormy on learning the moves for getting around the barrels and back to the finish line.

　　On the day of the gymkhana， my older brother stunned me by offering to let me ride Chubby in the barrel race. I was beside myself with excitement and joy. Maybe this time， I could finally win.

　　When I mounted Chubby， I sensed immediately that I was in for a completely different barrel race. With Stormy， it was always a struggle to get her moving from a standing position， and then a chore13 to keep her going. As we waited for the start signal that day， Chubby was prancing14 in place， alert15 and obviously eager to be running. When the signal came， Chubby was off like a rocket before I could react， and it was all I could do to hold on. We were around those barrels and back at the finish line in seconds. My adrenaline16 was still pumping as I slid off the horse and was surrounded by my cheering family. I won that blue ribbon by a mile and then some.

　　That night I went to bed worn out17 with the excitement and glory of it all. But as I lay there， I found myself feeling uneasy. What had I really done to earn that first place？ All I could come up with18 was that I'd managed not to fall off and humiliate myself or Chubby. It was the horse that had won the blue ribbon， not me. I looked at the ribbon pinned to my lampshade and suddenly felt ashamed.

　　The next morning， I woke early. I got out of bed， dressed quickly and crept out of the house toward the barn19. I pinned the blue ribbon on the wall of Chubby's stall20 and stood rubbing his neck， feeling him lip my pockets， looking for the sugar cubes he loved so much. Then it hit me： this horse didn't care about ribbons， blue or otherwise. He preferred something he could eat. Chubby had run that way yesterday， not to win， but simply because he loved to run. He truly enjoyed the challenge and the fun of the game.

　　With a new respect， I got a bucket of rolled oats， his favorite grain， and let him eat it while I got out the currycomb and gave him a thorough brushing. This horse had given me my blue ribbon， but more important， Chubby had shown me what it means to give yourself to what you do with your entire mind， body and soul.

　　My heart light once more， I vowed that for the rest of his days， I was going to make sure Chubby got his reward in horse currency21： grain， sugar， brushing， the chance to run――and lots of love.

　　我年幼時住在紐約州尼亞加拉瀑布城，經常因嚴重的氣喘病發作而光顧醫院。待我到了6歲，醫生告訴我父母，如果不帶我去氣候溫和的地方住，我就會死去。因此，我們舉家遷往丹佛市外深山高嶺中的一座小鎮。那里景色幽美，只是人煙稀少。50年代末期，科羅拉多州科尼弗鎮的動物比人多得多。

　　對我們孩子們來說，生活如天堂般美好。周末我和哥哥丹帶上食物和睡袋，牽上兩匹馬，帶上狗去我們家周圍的荒野扎營夜宿。在旅途中，我們有機會看到許多野生動物，諸如熊、紅貓，甚至碰到過幾只難得一遇的山獅。我們學會不出聲，以敬重的態度觀察野生動物。我記得有一回一覺醒來，眼前是只麋鹿的巨大鼻子。我一動沒動。直到那麋鹿走開。和周圍環境融渾一體，一連幾天騎在馬背上，我們自封為真正的山民。我們的父母知道，只要狗和馬與我們在一起，我們就會安全無恙，總能找到家。

　　我記得長我3歲的丹比我強壯，什么事都勝過我。贏他的念頭在心中非常強烈，我太想將競技場上的明星換成是我！

　　我8歲那年，爸爸帶回家一匹叫查比的馬。原主心臟病發作，醫生告訴他以后不能再騎馬了。馬主認為我們能給查比一個好的家，就把這匹16歲的騸馬送給了我父母。

　　查比個頭不大，顏色碳灰，曾經是三州馬術競技會上套繩和摔倒小公牛的雙項冠軍。它健壯，悟性好，反應快，精力充沛，我們全家人都喜歡它。當然，查比給我哥哥丹先挑走了，留給我的馬叫斯托米，它跑得慢，而且不勤快。也許我這么一個8歲的男孩騎查比那樣的馬不合適，可我還是嫉妒丹，朝思暮想查比歸我所有。

　　那時候，我和哥哥每年都參加（農業部為青少年設立的）4-H俱樂部所組織的馬術競技比賽。我9歲時，為了當年的比賽，我一遍又一遍練繞桶技巧。但是斯托米起動慢，練的時候我就知道成功的希望渺茫。然而，摘折桂冠的決心促使我堅持不懈地練下去，訓練內容包括驅策斯托米往前跑，學習繞桶和回到終點線的動作。

　　比賽那天，哥哥的舉措令我吃驚，他主動讓我騎查比參加繞桶比賽。我欣喜若狂，也許這回勝券在握了。

　　我跨上查比，立刻感到這會是一場截然不同的繞桶比賽。要讓斯托米從靜止位置起動得費很大勁，要它保持全速前進還得不斷揚鞭驅策。那天，在我們等待出發信號時，查比在原地騰跳，全神貫注，明顯表現出要奔跑的強烈愿望。信號一發出，我還沒來得及反應，查比如弩箭離弦向前奔去，我所作的只有握緊韁繩，任它奔馳。瞬息間，我們繞過一個個木桶，回到終點線。待我下馬后被歡呼的家人團團圍住時，我還沉浸在高度興奮中。我以很大優勢贏得了藍飄帶。

　　那天晚上，沉醉于摘取桂冠帶來的榮譽，我激動不已，但睡在床上時，我卻感到內心不安。我自己究竟做了什么獲取第一名的呢？我所做到的只是沒從馬上掉下來給自己或查比帶來恥辱。藍飄帶是馬贏得的，不是我。我看著別在燈罩上的藍飄帶，頓時感到羞愧。

　　第二天，早早地我就醒了。我下了床，很快穿上衣服，躡手躡腳走出房子來到谷倉。我把藍飄帶別在查比的欄圈上，然后站在旁邊揉摸它的脖子，我感到它在舔我的衣服口袋，找它特別愛吃的方糖塊。我忽然領悟到這匹馬并不在乎飄帶，不管是藍的還是別的什么顏色。它更愿得到它能吃的東西。昨天查比跑得那么帶勁，不是為了輸贏，而只是因為它喜歡跑，它的確喜歡挑戰和比賽帶來的樂趣。

　　對查比有了一層新的理解，我給了它一桶它愛吃的壓過的燕麥；它邊吃著，我邊用馬櫛好好地刷了它一遍。這匹馬為我贏得了藍飄帶，但更重要的是，查比使我懂得了全身心投入的真正含義。

　　我的心情又好了，我立誓在查比的余生，確保它將以馬的貨幣形式――谷物、白糖、刷身、奔跑機會――獲得它的獎賞，還有許多的愛。

　　注釋：

　　1.asthma n.氣喘，哮喘

　　2.bobcat n.紅貓，短尾貓（一種北美野貓）

　　3.elusive adj.逃避的，躲避的

　　4.elk n.麋

　　5.gelding n.騸馬，去勢的馬

　　6.charcoal-grey n.深灰色

　　7.tri-state adj.三州的

　　8.rodeo n.牧馬騎術表演

　　9.bulldog vt.抓住牛角摔倒（小公牛）

　　10.gymkhana n.賽馬

　　11.barrel n.桶

　　12.plodding adj.行動沉重緩慢的

　　13.chore n.困難的工作，令人討厭的工作

　　14.prance vi.（馬）騰躍，騰跳

　　15.alert adj.留神的，敏捷的

　　16.adrenaline n.一陣興奮

　　17.wear out 經受住

　　18.come up with 提供，想出

　　19.barn n.谷倉，糧倉

　　20.stall n.馬廄

　　21.currency n.交換媒介

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