Monday, July 19, 2010

Horses and Divorces (Tevis 2010)

Sacramento Bee - http://www.sacbee.com/2010/07/18/2893585/horses-and-divorces.html
Tevis Cup rider Robert 'Potato' Richardson has had plenty of both, plus lots of friends and foes who agree he's quite the character
By Sam McManis
smcmanis@sacbee.com
Published: Sunday, Jul. 18

A man named Potato needs a sense of humor. A thick skin, too.

He needs to do his name proud by being unconventional. Needs to abide the mockery, scorn, even jealousy spawned by his outsized behavior. Needs to thrive on the attention, live for the good times, good booze, good women, the unceasing quest for kicks.

And Potato must look the part: the leathery Old West sage, no buttoned-down Bob afraid to get his boots dirty. He must be part scoundrel, a lover of women and mares (not necessarily in that order), and know life in the saddle and in the hoosegow.

Robert Fordney "Potato" Richardson, 67 going on 13, is a throwback – "I could see him living in the 1800s," said friend Rho Bailey – yet too quirky to be a traditional Marlboro Man.

There's that world-class droopy mustache that makes him seem in a constant smirk. His wiry, 5-foot-7 frame may belie the stereotype of the tall, strapping cowboy, but it's a key to his horse-riding skill. A director casting the Potato biopic would choose the late Dennis Hopper – and give him Sam Elliott's 'stache.

Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2010/07/18/2893585/horses-and-divorces.html#ixzz0uA97Rmrf
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