I do not pretend to be an expert in the horse race industry in this country. As I have reported before, I have only been to two horse races in my life and they were, more than anything else, boring. Perhaps if I were a bettor, I would be a bit more interested. But I am not a bettor.
This is an essay about the English language. If my understanding is correct, when a race horse reaches the end of the line, people who know more than I do will assess whether or not he should be “put out to stud.” Being put out to stud must be an enjoyable retirement for those who are so designated. A horse that is put out to stud eats his grass and occasionally he has a filly to be serviced. He will retire and will enjoy intercourse with the fillies that are brought to him. He will not even have to go looking for the fillies but rather, they will be brought to him.
My interest here is that for the male horse, this retirement is called being “put out to stud.” For the female horse or filly, the term is called “servicing.” I have never seen these descriptions attached to any other facet of the English language. On occasion I have seen a person with a high opinion of himself being called a stud duck. That is an excessively laudatory term.
The conclusion of this very small essay is to determine why a race horse at the end of his career would be put out “to stud.” Of equal importance is why, when a filly is brought to him, he is asked to “service” her. I know almost nothing about horse racing. But leaving that aside, I am curious about why male horses are put out to stud and female horses require being serviced.
As I have said, I am not an expert on horse racing or the breeding operation that goes with horse racing. I assume that it is of crucial importance to both the males and the fillies as to what happens after their careers are over. I suspect that if they are not put out to stud or to be serviced, they may well be slaughtered. I am not a meat eater but I gather that there are people in this world who treasure horse meat. I find the implications of eating horse meat revolting. But that is because I am primarily a vegetarian.
That is all I have to say about being put out to stud and about a female horse being serviced. My efforts here are totally on behalf of the English language. I have no desire to meddle with or tamper with horse breeding. And as you can see, I do not eat horse meat. So we will come to rest on being put out to stud and the requirement of the male horse to service the female horses.
This all came about because I knew a fellow in the America Army named Gertner from Indiana who called those who sought positions of authority “stud ducks.” Well, if any of you know about studs and about servicing, I would like to hear from you. As my friend Sven Lernevall said, “English is a rich language.” My intent here is merely to add to the richness of our mother tongue.
E. E. CARR
October 11, 2012
Essay 703
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Kevin’s commentary: Yeah, I don’t know anything about horses either. I guess I could make some stuff up, and how “to stud” a horse comes from the Greek legend of a god/horse named “Stud” which just had sex with damn near everything, and then all his kids won bunches of races. That sort of thing. But basically I’m at a loss.
I also wonder why so many vegetarians call themselves vegetarians but still consume fish. Perhaps Pop believes fish are vegetables. Maybe since he is blind, Judy just tells him that they are vegetables and he is none the wiser. If this is the case I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news for my grandpa, when he reads this and realizes he’s been a carnivore all along.