Crazy Horse Races

Can we learn something from a dead Native American warrior?

If you have ever been to Nebraska you know there are stretches of prairie that are endlessly flat. But there are also large stretches of prairie that are undulating. The prairie will slowly rise up in a hill and then descend into a little valley and then rise up again in a hill. This undulation continues for many miles in some places. It is like the land is an ocean with large waves flowing through it.

The Lakota warrior Crazy Horse had developed his own unique way of riding his horse over these undulating prairies. He would ride his horse halfway up one of these hills and then get off, walking his horse the rest of the way to the top. Once at the top of the hill, he would remount his horse and go flying down the hill with incredible speed. The momentum of going down the hill would get him halfway up the next hill. At this point the strain of going uphill would start hitting his horse, so he would, once again, get off the horse and walk it up the rest of the hill. Once at the top of the hill, he would once again mount the horse and go flying at top speed down the hill. Once again, the momentum would take him halfway up the next hill, at which point he would get off the horse and walk it to the top of the hill.