I remember in 1998, Mikee sent her horse Luisita on a KLM flight to Malaysia with Toni Levistes. The care was superb. A groom came all the way from Amsterdam to handle and feed the precious cargo. We saw Luisita put inside her stall gently and off to the airplane. When horses werent required for competitions like in Mongolia, India and Indonesia the girls drew their horses name or number. Whatever they picked became their horse for the competition. Hard, right? And thats just a few days before with not enough time to practice on them. Thats the first obstacle the rider has to hurdle.
Mikee is finally hugging and kissing her children, and her son Rafael is pulling her hair. Last Wednesday upon her arrival moving away from friendly reporters, she whispered, "Mommy, I have something for you. I brought home the flowers I received in Korea after I got the gold medal. Its for you, Mom. You might want to preserve them inside a glass frame." Its the sentimental mementos that count for the two of us.
As I survey my study room this early morning, I notice my slim Buddha with her elbows almost resting on her waist, her hands raised outward, her palms up as though stopping incoming waves of bad fortune. On that cocked wrist hang four medals on their two-inch-wide and 34-inch-long grosgrain red, yellow, blue, white ribbons. Three were won on one day from the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) World Jumping Challenge in 1997. The fourth was for FEI Childrens International Jumping Competition in 1994 PEF National Rider of the Year Show Jumping Class A, third place. Third! It sent Mikee home dragging her boots. "Saan ang mommy ko?" with that disgusted tone, angry at herself. Her fists closed, she was gesticulating with her arms in frustration. That tiny medal still has some dirt on it today! Dried-up earth on the back. Ah, must have been because she leaned down to examine her horses hooves. These four are my treasured medals from Mikee. Special because when she arrived home from those competitions (and she hasnt changed) she called yaya Grace, "Saan ang mommy ko?" "Mom, I won these for you," and she put them around my neck.
Just three weeks ago I put her numerous ribbons inside boxes and displayed them inside her glass case. My secretary, Lulu Tanalgo, in the meantime in our Baguio home, arranged many of them inside frames. Seeing them I remember the effort Mikee put into winning them. Sweat, tears, time, cost, a broken knee twice, a broken arm, a broken shoulder. My eldest daughter Liaa would call her dad Peping and me. "Were in Makati Medical again! Now Mikee is having a brain scan." "What?" "Its ok, ok. Shes all right," Liaa would calm us down.
Little by little, year by year, the value of patience became hers. "Mikee, dont cry," Peping would tell her, "Just try harder and concentrate." Vicky Roycroft, her Australian trainer since she was 14 years old, would say, "Face the direction you want your horse to go." Later shed say, "Ping, buy her a better horse. Luisita is too old." Well, guess what something great happened! Tita Virgie Ramos bought her Silky Oak (now in retirement). Both Luisita and Silky Oak garnered 85 ribbons and 12 medals from competitions such as the Philippine Equestrian Competitions, Benny Cabral Memorial (1986), Samsung Dressage Competition (1988), Equestrian Promotion Ayala Alabang (1989), Fil-Am Horse Show, Clark (1990), Paris (1991), Fil-Am Horse Show (1991), Anni Cup International Show Jumping (1991), Yabut Memorial Cup. All these wins, over tears and a rosary she held on to through the night. All my children do that. So do I, so we dont get bad dreams.
Every trip to America brought Peping home overweight with horsey medicines, massage balms, horse vitamins that my daughter Pin, friends Aldrin Roxas and Reggie Peña would order from Millers. Her boots came from Australia care of A.O., horse dress sheets, horse collars, helmets from Dovers, whips, stirrups, saddles, horsing clothes like jodhpurs, blouses, socks again at Millers. Riding attires look great on her. If you see Mikee walk, youll find her a little stooped but once on a horse, her posture is erect, weightless on her horses back, knees locked on her sides, heels down by the horses tummy. In Indonesia a teacher told her pupils, "Watch that rider. Thats the form you all should have."
So there was born a partnership between Rustic Rouge and Mikee. Rustic Rouge is a tiny horse with an enormous heart and a fighting spirit like her rider. Vicky chose her in Australia. Rouge fell for Mikee the way Mikee learned to love her and burden her with so much hope. Their thoughts and plans and ambition went towards one direction for victory! So sentimental but loaded with responsibility to share. Thats how Mikee is with her horses because when Mikees not doing well her partner reminds her with gestures to use better judgment on what she can do. In fact, Mikee was the only rider who communicated with Rustic Rouge through sounds Rustic is accustomed to. Talking to her during the jump off through "Tsk, tsk," meaning "Lets go," to "Ho," meaning "Hold it," as in Rustic, youre going too fast, getting frisky and too excited. Rustic understood. These sounds could be heard breaking the silence in the bull ring where one could hear even a pin drop.
For sure the horse, like its master, must be adjust to each other and both need each others touch and encouragement. Both also must be focused and connected and concentrated. A pair, now one. Both Mikee and Rustic are therapeutic for each other. Where one lacks, the other compensates. Another observation when Mikees partner performs with great precision she gets kissed and kissed. When shes naughty and disobedient, Mikee whispers in her ears words of admonition.
I know horses have provided Mikee an avenue to know human beings. The understanding adds to spirituality derived from kindness and patience. Peping says horses are like human beings in fact "some are like me or me like them." He said, "Tingting is like a horse. You cant pull the reins too tight, she rebels. You cant go too loose, she gallops away." Mikee galloped and cantered away but shes always been back home to "Mommy, come with me."
Everytime she jumps a hurdle, I peep through my fingers covering my eyes. Mr. Rubiyanto of Brunei or Jadji Fatil and his wife Zurina of Malaysia or Rafiq of Indonesia say, "Its ok. Its over," when Mikees done the course. Wow, how Mikee likes to chat at night. She did it too in Busan with her roommates, her niece Michelle Cojuangco Barrera and Toni Leviste.
Children should be raised caring for pets. They learn to be responsible and kind. Every caring rider runs to her horse after practice rounds or competitions to check on her horses condition like Tata Locsin, daughter of Teddy Boy Locsin, Janina Santos and Becka Dosch did. Paola Cojuangco, Michelle Cojuangco Barrera, Toni Leviste, Danielle Cojuangco do that too to know what pain their horse may be suffering or even to clean their hooves and give them water or walk their horses to loosen up their muscles. They dont let their staff do it. They do many chores themselves. Horses make humans work harder that humans became unspoiled.
Mikee while training and competing in Malaysia before Busan telephoned her dad crying, "You mean I cant ride in Korea?" "Mikee, wait till tomorrow, everything can be sorted out." Well, Dodot settled one problem and became Mikees biggest sponsor. The equestrian federation realized she had the qualification to compete in Korea.
"Ah, thank you, God." Words she couldnt stop saying, like Lito who was crying longer than Mikee. If you noticed on TV when she got off the horse she kissed Rustic Rouge first and hugged Lito second. On her victory parade around the ring, she reached for the Philippine flag Lito was hoisting and speedily handed to her. Cantering around the ring she waved that heavy big flag which made everyone so proud of being a Filipino.
Theres my most nationalistic daughter. And why not? A rally participant after Ninoy died, in her veins flows the blood of General Adriano Hernandez, her great- great-great lolo from Iloilo. In her life the spirit of 1896 revolutionary Crisanto de los Reyes, who partly financed the Cavite Mutiny, lives on. She carries on the line of legislators Melecio Cojuangco and Lorenzo Sumulong. And its just like Mikee to work very, very hard para sa Kataastaasan, Kagalanggalangan, Ating Filipinas.