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Show 2 The Salt Lake Tribune. Sunday. June 29. 19S0 Real storys as good as the movie By Mary Daniels Chicago Tribune Writer Shipwrecked on a barren island, a boy and a horse ; keep saving each others skins. Psychologically they give each other sustenance. The real-lif- e story of Francesca Cuello rivals the fiction of the The Black Stallion," for it was the same horse who helped bruig her back from the edge of death. Cass Ole, the Arabian horse who appears in "The Black Stallion, when was a frisky Francesca fell for him nine years ago. "When I was 11," Francesca explains, "my parents decided to buy me a good horse I could go to the top with. We saw Ole at a San Antonio horse show. Two minutes later we signed a check for him," for $12,000. "He just stole our hearts. W'e could see the intelligence there," she says. Ole went into training for the show ring at the New Braunfels, Texas farm of Walter Chapman. Francescas father, Leo, a surgeon, would drop Francesca off there mornings before he went to work. "I would spend the whole day there with Ole, she remembers, eyes shining The training paid off : Cass Ole became one of the top Arabian performance horses in the country. . .4Z- iiryniniwi ii - .. j. . v to seu)jour oidfr garrt color - coordinated iasfuon. rOardrobt in, onhf F snort -v 1 1 weecs. Am. Verson Method j Mini Series Won At Shows He and Francesca together won 40 championships, 20 reserve championships, and more than 400 ribbons in English, Western pleasure, sidesaddle, costume, halter and driving classes. Photographs of the two at the time show a small, dark girl with the taut, exquisite bloom of a ripe ; apricot that Latin beauties possess, and a black horse of flawless conformation and gazelle eyes, shimmerfire. ing with In 1977, Waller Farley, author of the Black Stallion books, visited the Chapman farm, saw Cass Ole, and recommended him .or the upcoming film. That April Ole was taken to the Calnorr'j panch of Glen and Corky Randall to be trained for the niuvic. When he left to learn the tricks of the movie trade, Francesca, then 17, was kept busy with almost 50 other horses on her parents farm, San Antonio Arabians. She looked forward to visiting him in three or four weeks time. Her father had purchased a mare named Sebastiant in Brenham, Texas, and in June Frances-- ; ca drove out alone to haul her home. On the way home, sheets of silvery rain whipped around the truck and trailer like thepasses of a bullfighter's cape. ; "I don't remember what happened," Francesca says. In fact, a year has been sliced from her life: She doesnt remember anything that happened six - months before that day and six months afterward. A Smoking Wreck No one is sure what happened. Somehow the truck and trailer became disconnected and flipped over. A driver following a few miles behind came upon the smoking wreck in the rain and found Francesca lying unconscious on the side of the road. The mare was standing nearby with no injury other than a sore back. Francesca was in a coma for 21 days. "The Cuellos really thought they were going to lose her, said Margo Smith, the young resident horse trainer at the family farm. "The first thing Frannie said when she came out of the coma was 'OK!' which was what she'd always say coming out of the show ring with Cass when shed won, Smith says, smiling. "Her dad went out and threw a big p$rty . They are a close family. As in most their daughter is extremely special Spanish familiiw, f to them." "Then when I came out of it," Francesca says, "the rest of the summer I was more or less in a daze, a twilight zone. I didnt really know what was going on. She went home to try to learn to walk and talk again. Speech Impediment She still has a speech impediment. She remains partly paralyzed on the right side, and walks with a cane. But her love for life and horses and her sense of humor remain intact. She jokes about forgetting what she ordered for lunch before it arrives. Francesca accompanied Cass Ole early in June to Chicagos Arlington Park, whose management hoped an exhibition by an equine movie star would lure bettors to the track. Francesca did get to visit Ole at the Randall ranch a few months after the accident. Theres a photograph of me sitting on his back while he's bowing. But 1 look at it and it seems real strange. I dont remember being there. Francesca finished her senior year in high school in a wheelchair, with a special nurse along. She is now studying at Trinity College in San Antonio. Smith says Francesca "had wanted to be a lawyer. But the speech impediment may alter that. She says, My brain is going as fast as it used to, but 1 can't get the words out. "But Ive never heard her say anything discouraging, like why me Smith helped Francesca get back on a horse again four months after the accident, putting her on her own gentle mare, bealns "The Black Stallion" (seen here In the movie version) and hls owner, Francesca "I was still in a wheelchair," Francesca remembers. "They had to lift me up onto the saddle." She wore a helmet, but was aware that "the slightest bump could be very dangerous. It could set me back into a coma. If bad enough, Id just have a straight line (on the brain wave machine), she says with a smile. "The riding was good for me," Francesca says. "It helped me find my balance." "She did a lot of showing at this angle," interjects Smith, leaning 45 degrees to the left. "I still have to lift her up to a standing position, Smith says. "Its token her 2)4 years to swing her leg over the saddle herself. Just a week or so ago she did it. It took her 20 minutes and she was exhausted, and got off after one turn around the ring. Eight months ago, Ole came home to stay, "and they're back doing it again, says Smith with a grin. "Two weeks ago, at a big Class A show, they won in Western pleasure." "We were champions again," Francesca says. That was nice. I guess for a while before I had the 7fcs.tJufj8 their own story. Hes helped her back from the edge of death. Cuello, have accident we had won so much, it wasnt such a big deal anymore. But now, I just beam! It was the hope of being once again a team with Ole that spurred her recovery, she says. "I think it gave me something to strive for, to be back in the show ring. It made me work much harder. "It was hard for a while. For a long time my right side was too weak to cue him to canter so I would use the rail to push my heel into his side. He had to keep his mind on my cues and really pay attention to me. At most, I would have to give a little cluck. Hes just that kind of horse." "Steady as a rock, Smith describes him. And he looks out for his young mistress. "Ive watched her ride film. Hell take her along more gently than me or her brother. At one show I was riding him sidesaddle and Frannie was on the sidelines. She said get him up a little when I went by, and he just plumed up. He tunes in to her. Francesca simply says, "I think he knows. He will try funny little things with Margo he doesnt even think about with me. STRETCH &SEW Fabrics Center Stretch U35 & Sew, Inc. 1980 HIGHLAND DR. SLCjUT 84121 279qil wantads a special film and a beautiful make-ove- r our guest the screening of the Princess Marcella Borghese film, Beautiful Expressions for your Eyes and afterwards enjoy a complimentary makeover, featuring the new Lumina Eyeshadow. Don't miss this unique Cinematic Event. Youll learn the trade secrets of some of the most glamorous women in the world... how to colour, contour, and highlight your eyes; easily, beautifully. 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