BTB: Bettina Eistel: Work what you got!

Posted: 07 Jan 2011 12:13 PM PST

Some time ago Bob and I were listening to the radio--a local women's music program--and a song came on we both loved. The title, and the theme of the song, was Work what you got! The singer seemed to be offering advice about dancing, and maybe life in general. The song was fun, and happy, and it made you feel like you really could get out there and shake your booty :-).

Bettina's story reminds me of this song. Bettina is a dressage rider who has no arms. She uses her feet to tack up her horse, but also to eat and drink, to grasp stuff, and yes, to smoke. There is a Youtube video of her smoking but I don't think she was aware of being videotaped (NOT COOL), so I'm not sharing it. The point is, she is such a cool character that she makes using her feet seem unbelievably sexy. She wrote a book, which I hope will be translated from German to English.

clipped from horseandman.com

The determined Bettina Eistel and her very special horse, Fabuleax 5.

I saw this photo today and it took a while for my brain to register what I was seeing… Take a look.

Look closely...

Yup. No arms. Her name is Bettina Eistel and her horse is Fabuleax 5.

What is even more compelling than the fact that she can brush her horse with her feet, is that she competes, very well, at the Paralympics in dressage.