Rawhide, I Still Watch

[CowboyRam]

Oh gosh, I know running over Hap really hurt your Dad. That made me want to cry just reading about it. Thinking of that is hard. What a dog he had, but Hap will be waiting for your Dad when he goes up. All creation will be there.

That dog was full Australian Shepherd. Dad always said he could go down the worst street in Denver at night and no one would touch him, he was that protective. When dad would park somewhere in Cheyenne that dog would not let anyone touch that truck, it was his, and he protected it. I was probably 4 or 5 at the time. Dad often said when he started getting rough the dog would do the same, Ole Hap would make them cows pay, he would bite them in the flank as they went by.

 

[Chuckie]

That dog was full Australian Shepherd. Dad always said he could go down the worst street in Denver at night and no one would touch him, he was that protective. When dad would park somewhere in Cheyenne that dog would not let anyone touch that truck, it was his, and he protected it. I was probably 4 or 5 at the time. Dad often said when he started getting rough the dog would do the same, Ole Hap would make them cows pay, he would bite them in the flank as they went by.

Sounds like Hap was a gutsy ole dog. You have to respect a dog that handles rough cattle, and they do love to bite. Yes, Hap may be gone, but he is still alive. He is just looking down and waiting. Is your Dad still around? Sounds like your Dad would be fun to sit with and talk to. I love the stories they tell. Gosh, I bond hard to a dog and they are my family. And Hap was a great guard and protector of "His" things as he saw it that way. I am sure that he felt ya'll belonged to him as well. Such a great trait of a dog!!!

 

[CowboyRam]

Sounds like Hap was a gutsy ole dog. You have to respect a dog that handles rough cattle, and they do love to bite. Yes, Hap may be gone, but he is still alive. He is just looking down and waiting. Is your Dad still around? Sounds like your Dad would be fun to sit with and talk to. I love the stories they tell. Gosh, I bond hard to a dog and they are my family. And Hap was a great guard and protector of "His" things as he saw it that way. I am sure that he felt ya'll belonged to him as well. Such a great trait of a dog!!!

Yes, dad turns 88 on Saturday. He has lots of good stories. From when he was growing up on the farm in Illinois, working cow, sheep and rodeo. He was to the worlds Fair in 58 with the rodeo, The promoter ran off with the money, and nobody got paid. Dad and his two brothers that was there with him were lucky to get back to the US.

 

[Stonewall Joe]

Yes, Fury, My Friend Flicka, and then Superman came on after that. Ha-ha!! I did love Superman as well. I wish I could go back and do it again.

when I watched Fury I was always amazed at the fact that Joey would ride Fury with no saddle and never appear have a wet ass. I could never do that as a kid when we rode bareback

 

[Chuckie]

when I watched Fury I was always amazed at the fact that Joey would ride Fury with no saddle and never appear have a wet ass. I could never do that as a kid when we rode bareback

Yes, those horses were so slicked up and beautiful. I was so glued to that program. I remember one morning Fury was coming on and my brother threw a fit because I always watched it and he wanted to turn the channel. So he went to Mom and said I always got to watch that program and he wanted to watch something else. HEY! That was my show! So he continued to go off, and Mom made me turn the channel. I can still remember the hurt and anger I felt that the one show I thought about, was over my brother doing it out of sibling rivalry. I think that was the first time I felt intense anger toward him. When you are very small, that disappointment even over waiting all week to watch it, as I loved that horse, has remained in my thoughts. When the show was over, I would go to the barn and brush my horse as he was my best friend. That horse would stand for how ever long I ran that brush over him and I brushed him for an hour. He would shut his eyes with his eyes half closed and drop his head a little. He would let his lower lip hang down too as he got great please from that and so did I.

 

[Chuckie]

For you that are into the horses, I keep up with the horses they have on the Westerns. Laramie jut came on a minute ago, and remember the big bay horse that Judge Garth rode on "The Virginian?" He was a really big heavy horse, and his star ran to the left side of his forehead, over his eye. It was not in the center of his face. That was a big horse.
Well, on Laramie, I just saw the same horse when he was much younger and thinner. He was a good looking colt but was in good shape, just not completely grown. Gosh, he looked small.
Then on Gunsmoke, I always loved watching Chester ride that huge wide blazed face horse. The blaze had a circle in that blaze of color, to the left of his face. When Chester rode him, he was big, but I did not realize Chester was as tall as he was. Chester made the horse look a bit smaller, but still huge. When someone else used the horse on the show or another program, they looked like an ant on ducks back. I call that horse "Dot." I loved Chester!!!!
I named all the horses. There is one on the "Virginian," that I named "Wrench Head." He has a blaze that forms a wrench at his forehead. I see them using this horse on Laramie and other series. This was not as thick of a horse as some of the others. Then one called "Butter knife" as his blaze goes down to the bottom and looks like a butter knife at the bottom. Trampus had a beautiful buckskin. I always felt that the little Appaloosa that the Virginian rode, might have hit the ground harder than that smooth floating trot that I love.

Cheyenne always carried his horse with him in any show he was on. I noticed that his horse had a bit of floppy ears. Not real erect, but Clint Walker was a big man and could dwarf a horse real easy. That horse looked like he was a good riding horse.

Lucas McCain is probably the tallest of all the Western men. I remember seeing him on Gunsmoke and he was almost looking at the top of Matt Dillions head. Ha-ha!! But he rode that black horse and he stood tall beside the horse, much over his back, but when he got on the horse, he was in good proportion. He had very long legs. That was a slimmer more athletic horse.

I love the fat horses. They are glorious. Those on Gunsmoke are great. I always look at Matt Dillion's horse as it is not a Quarter Horse, yet, I have seen that horse hit a lick.....a running walk and he picks his legs up high in the front end. Yet, I have seen that same horse trot. Is this a Morgan or can someone tell me what that horse was?
I read at the beginning of the series, that Matt Dillion and Ben Cartwright shared the same horse. But I don't remember seeing Ben's horse picking his feet up so high.

I read where Trigger was a Walking horse, and I never remember seeing him trot. Trigger pranced and ran. He had that build, and he was beautiful as well, but never owned a gaited horse before.

One horse I love is the one on "Wells Fargo" that Jim Hardie rides. "Jubilee" I tell you, that Mr. Roberson is one of the best riders on TV. That horse on the show with the four white feet and blaze, was his horse. When I see him ride, I see him doing things I used to do when I was younger. Like when he is getting his horse to turn, and the horse needs direction, he reaches down towards his face, and puts his hand there to show the horse that he needs to go ahead and respond now opposite of his touch. Not in a mean manner, but it is a training tool that he is used to doing. It is a oneness communication with a horse that I remember so well. Mr. Roberson is so in tune with his horse that he touches him. I know the show is action packed and he wants action from the horse. I think he was a bit more in his mouth on the show than he really wanted to be. And I never liked riding with a tie down. I tried to keep my hands low and soft. If someone got on a horse of mine and I saw they had those reins tight, and that horse had his mouth open, that was the end of their ride. Not screwing up something I worked so hard to develop on my horse.

One more good rider on the movies. Glenn Ford. He had that chicken wing arm action, but I see a lot of cowboys that do that now as it is just a feel they have when they ride. But Glenn was good on a horse.
So is Tom Selleck. He sits a horse real nice.

When I get my whip lash fixed, I am getting on Joe my horse now. I think about it all the time and had trouble getting a saddle for him. His back is so freaking wide that I had to order a flat saddle for him. If I can get on the other side of this I will have a glorious time.

How many of you ride now? What is the oldest person you know riding? I have much strength, just a bad knee and neck right now, but I will prevail.....

 

[alacowman1]

I like Jim's horse too.. Dale was a horseman from the start,use to break and train em..and of course Ben Johnson Sheb Wooley

 

[greybeard]

I like Jim's horse too.. Dale was a horseman from the start,use to break and train em..and of course Ben Johnson Sheb Wooley

That's dale robertson of course. I met him on at least 2 maybe 3 different occasions. Once at my bosses ranch out near Yukon Ok where Robertson lived and twice that I remember at my boss's thoroughbred ranch in Sunset La where he raced horses at Evangeline Downs and over at the track near the Tx/La border. My boss and Robertson were friends but he wasn't nearly the smiling friendly guy he portrayed on TV and had a burr against the American Indians that worked for him in Oklahoma and he really had a disdain for the black truck driver that went up there with the rest of boss's oilfield company for a big shindig of BBQ and beer. Dale had a few drinks in him one evening and called him something like 'a no good N****r' right to his face, for no reason at all.

 

[Chuckie]

Dale sure seems likeable on the show. I remember reading one time that there were two men in Hollywood that were the most difficult to be around and that was Frank Sinatra and Dale Robertson.

If a person wants to be in the public eye, and earn money from wanting us to watch them and tune in to their programs and movie, they are going to have to have a better attitude. It comes wtih the job. Those same men that were in awe of people they watched on the movies, got in the business for the fame and fortune, and then they show their azz. Now I could have an argument with an Indian or a black person and us not get along. But to generalize that all Indians and black people are beneath you is the beginning of exposing your lack of an upbringing, and also stupidity. I hate to hear Dale was so nasty, to people he hired. They should have scalped him. He had the hair for it.

 

[greybeard]

Strange too, as I read somewhere Dale Robertson claimed Cherokee heritage in his pedigree.....

 

[Stonewall Joe]

For you that are into the horses, I keep up with the horses they have on the Westerns. Laramie jut came on a minute ago, and remember the big bay horse that Judge Garth rode on "The Virginian?" He was a really big heavy horse, and his star ran to the left side of his forehead, over his eye. It was not in the center of his face. That was a big horse.
Well, on Laramie, I just saw the same horse when he was much younger and thinner. He was a good looking colt but was in good shape, just not completely grown. Gosh, he looked small.
Then on Gunsmoke, I always loved watching Chester ride that huge wide blazed face horse. The blaze had a circle in that blaze of color, to the left of his face. When Chester rode him, he was big, but I did not realize Chester was as tall as he was. Chester made the horse look a bit smaller, but still huge. When someone else used the horse on the show or another program, they looked like an ant on ducks back. I call that horse "Dot." I loved Chester!!!!
I named all the horses. There is one on the "Virginian," that I named "Wrench Head." He has a blaze that forms a wrench at his forehead. I see them using this horse on Laramie and other series. This was not as thick of a horse as some of the others. Then one called "Butter knife" as his blaze goes down to the bottom and looks like a butter knife at the bottom. Trampus had a beautiful buckskin. I always felt that the little Appaloosa that the Virginian rode, might have hit the ground harder than that smooth floating trot that I love.

Cheyenne always carried his horse with him in any show he was on. I noticed that his horse had a bit of floppy ears. Not real erect, but Clint Walker was a big man and could dwarf a horse real easy. That horse looked like he was a good riding horse.

Lucas McCain is probably the tallest of all the Western men. I remember seeing him on Gunsmoke and he was almost looking at the top of Matt Dillions head. Ha-ha!! But he rode that black horse and he stood tall beside the horse, much over his back, but when he got on the horse, he was in good proportion. He had very long legs. That was a slimmer more athletic horse.

I love the fat horses. They are glorious. Those on Gunsmoke are great. I always look at Matt Dillion's horse as it is not a Quarter Horse, yet, I have seen that horse hit a lick.....a running walk and he picks his legs up high in the front end. Yet, I have seen that same horse trot. Is this a Morgan or can someone tell me what that horse was?
I read at the beginning of the series, that Matt Dillion and Ben Cartwright shared the same horse. But I don't remember seeing Ben's horse picking his feet up so high.

I read where Trigger was a Walking horse, and I never remember seeing him trot. Trigger pranced and ran. He had that build, and he was beautiful as well, but never owned a gaited horse before.

One horse I love is the one on "Wells Fargo" that Jim Hardie rides. "Jubilee" I tell you, that Mr. Roberson is one of the best riders on TV. That horse on the show with the four white feet and blaze, was his horse. When I see him ride, I see him doing things I used to do when I was younger. Like when he is getting his horse to turn, and the horse needs direction, he reaches down towards his face, and puts his hand there to show the horse that he needs to go ahead and respond now opposite of his touch. Not in a mean manner, but it is a training tool that he is used to doing. It is a oneness communication with a horse that I remember so well. Mr. Roberson is so in tune with his horse that he touches him. I know the show is action packed and he wants action from the horse. I think he was a bit more in his mouth on the show than he really wanted to be. And I never liked riding with a tie down. I tried to keep my hands low and soft. If someone got on a horse of mine and I saw they had those reins tight, and that horse had his mouth open, that was the end of their ride. Not screwing up something I worked so hard to develop on my horse.

One more good rider on the movies. Glenn Ford. He had that chicken wing arm action, but I see a lot of cowboys that do that now as it is just a feel they have when they ride. But Glenn was good on a horse.
So is Tom Selleck. He sits a horse real nice.

When I get my whip lash fixed, I am getting on Joe my horse now. I think about it all the time and had trouble getting a saddle for him. His back is so freaking wide that I had to order a flat saddle for him. If I can get on the other side of this I will have a glorious time.

How many of you ride now? What is the oldest person you know riding? I have much strength, just a bad knee and neck right now, but I will prevail.....

I still ride, a couple of years back I hurt my back again and it led to a loss in balance and my right leg not being able to support me very well, so I have been unable to show cow horses, last time I went down the fence my right knee collapsed and I just rolled off on a big fence turn on a fast running cow. The balance is coming back and I hope I can go down the fence again but I may have to show in the boxing classes where I don't have to do a fence run. Can still get cattle up on horseback at the house. I'll be 72 this year. My friend Matlock Rose trained horses till he was 78 or 79 and could till sit a horse pretty darn well

 

[Bob Kinford]

Bob, I think I am jealous!! Of course in a great way. Wow, that must have put a lot of memories in your brain. So many people here that experienced the real deal, then some of us like me, just have small farms where land comes in patches, not the wide open plains like you speak of. So, it seems magical to me to hear the stories and see the films, and such. Just lots of dreams for people like me.

That's understandable. Nothing better (for me) than big country, but it can be intimidating for people coming from the land of small pastures. Was a guy here raising correintes for roping steers on 60 sections. Basically divided into two big pastures with shipping traps. He'd gather one half in the spring, the other half in the fall and ship everything that was big enough to rope. He used two of us locally and brought three or four guys from east Texas. They thought their world had come to an end because they had so much country to cover.

 

[Bob Kinford]

Did you meet Wishbone? He was from Tucumcari.

(Tucumcari was also the name of one of American Navy's 1st successful hydrofoil ships and among the 1st to use a gas turbine (jet) engine. An extremely fast and maneuverable vessel, all weather/high sea state capability was "over 40 kts/hr". I was familiar with it as it was part of course study for the new Spruance class destroyers in the late 70s and one of my classmates had served on Tucumcari off the coast of Vietnam in the early 70s.)

Never met anyone in town as all we did was get groceries and head back to the ranch. Hell, I barely got to meet the boss. Other than when we gathered to worm or ship, the only time I saw him was when he flew in to give me my check.

 

[Chuckie]

I still ride, a couple of years back I hurt my back again and it led to a loss in balance and my right leg not being able to support me very well, so I have been unable to show cow horses, last time I went down the fence my right knee collapsed and I just rolled off on a big fence turn on a fast running cow. The balance is coming back and I hope I can go down the fence again but I may have to show in the boxing classes where I don't have to do a fence run. Can still get cattle up on horseback at the house. I'll be 72 this year. My friend Matlock Rose trained horses till he was 78 or 79 and could till sit a horse pretty darn well

Stonewall Joe, I surely hope that your back and right leg continue to improve. I just am not happy wtih our slower rate of healing as we age. I do love that avatar of that reining horse I think you are probably on. He looks like a Dandy!! Is that you and who is the horse? He looks big and thick. I always loved reining horses and trained mine in that line. But I never showed one. I am going to be 67 this year, and I am going to get on my Joe. I thought if I bought a big boned muscled horse he would be lazy and laid back. He is not nervous but does not mind kicking it into gear. I am at the age now that I want the horse to think, "Did she just ask me to trot?" Ha-ha!! I won't mind me having to ask twice, but not all the time.

Keep on Riding Stonewall Joe, as it does not seem like it, but it is an inner core exercise that keeps your back and body toned for balance. You know that. And great for our minds to stay youthful.

I hope you can tell us you are still riding at 102.

 

[Bob Kinford]

I still ride, a couple of years back I hurt my back again and it led to a loss in balance and my right leg not being able to support me very well, so I have been unable to show cow horses, last time I went down the fence my right knee collapsed and I just rolled off on a big fence turn on a fast running cow. The balance is coming back and I hope I can go down the fence again but I may have to show in the boxing classes where I don't have to do a fence run. Can still get cattle up on horseback at the house. I'll be 72 this year. My friend Matlock Rose trained horses till he was 78 or 79 and could till sit a horse pretty darn well

Age does affect how you ride. At 69 I tend to use the trailer to swing a leg over in the morning. Cold weather can hurt like hell, but I'm still able to put in 10 or 12 hour days in the saddle when I need to.

 

[Chuckie]

Strange too, as I read somewhere Dale Robertson claimed Cherokee heritage in his pedigree.....

Don't that beat all? Seems if he claims that, there is something not right with him. To be down on what you claim to be part of your heritage seems off balance.
Did you know that if you claim to be Cherokee, and write to find your heritage, that if the Cherokee people in your history did not take government money and sign up for that government money, they say you are not Cherokee. Even if a woman from the Cherokee tribe married a white man, or if the Cherokee couple stayed on the land and did not move to the reservation with the tribe, they will tell you that you have no Cherokee in your heritage and all if fake. Even if you have had DNA tested that shows Native American, and have a picture of your Great Grandaddy and have it on all three sides of you tree, you are not Cherokee.
I am sure that people that go searching for this often think they will get money from the Cherokee nation. And I can see why they try to protect it. But sending in the information still, they say NO. But if you have Cherokee in your ancestry, you do not need to be linked with government hand outs to prove it.
I told them it was in my DNA and sent the picture of my Great Great Grandfather, and they said, "Well, we are not saying that it is not in there and you can be a cousin.... blah blah.... " I also found where my Grandparents were on a Cherokee roll, but I do not need to be recognized by them. I was just trying to figure out the part of my tree that is blank when it gets to certain people and they list no Mother or Father....... Not looking for anything else.

So so many of us do have Indian ancestry. It is part of our nation......

Wanted to add that I was proud that all my ancestors did not sign up for government money and took on doing for themselves. They did not like that at all. I am sure that many needed that, but glad the Redmond side saw greater things in living away from that kind of life. I know that their life was hard back then.

 

[CowboyRam]

Stonewall Joe, I surely hope that your back and right leg continue to improve. I just am not happy wtih our slower rate of healing as we age. I do love that avatar of that reining horse I think you are probably on. He looks like a Dandy!! Is that you and who is the horse? He looks big and thick. I always loved reining horses and trained mine in that line. But I never showed one. I am going to be 67 this year, and I am going to get on my Joe. I thought if I bought a big boned muscled horse he would be lazy and laid back. He is not nervous but does not mind kicking it into gear. I am at the age now that I want the horse to think, "Did she just ask me to trot?" Ha-ha!! I won't mind me having to ask twice, but not all the time.

Keep on Riding Stonewall Joe, as it does not seem like it, but it is an inner core exercise that keeps your back and body toned for balance. You know that. And great for our minds to stay youthful.

I hope you can tell us you are still riding at 102.

You don't want a horse that is lazy either. Those horses that you have to keep feeding iron to can wear you out after a long ride. If I'm lucky I get to ride maybe three times a year. Last year only once. The horse I ride is as lazy as can be, and after a long ride of moving cows he is done, I just about can't do anything with him. He is a good safe horse for someone like me, as I'm not that good of a rider. He belongs to my uncle and that horse is even to lazy to buck. Oh you might get a couple of hops out of him and that is it.

 

[alacowman1]

Strange too, as I read somewhere Dale Robertson claimed Cherokee heritage in his

He was an advocate for Native American rights.

Dale Robertson was passionate about bringing attention to the rights and issues facing Native American communities and actively supported their cause…..seen this little snippet on a another page..but it ain't like being around someone..

 

[Chuckie]

@CowboyRam, right now I can do with a nice easy jog trot. I think of my childhood horse that was out of a Mustang mare and a Quarter Horse stud, and he was a jewel. Jigger was his name. He took care of me from the age of 11 and he lived to be 36 years old. I had a Shetland pony up until that age and this horse was so smart. When I got on him, he knew I was a bit fearful of his size. So he would put his head down to graze and I would pull his head up and kick him to move on, and he would come off the ground in one leap with a lunge and a kick, and hit the ground hard, and then put that head back down to eat. I cannot tell you how scared I was of that. He did this to me for about two weeks, and my Dad came to me and said, "If you don't put a stop to that, I am selling him" I panicked as I was between a rock and a hard place. My Dad took his saw and made me a wooden paddle and drilled a hole in the handle and ran a piece of leather to hang it on the saddle horn. The paddle was long enough to reach out and touch him. It was about 16-18" long. Dad smoothed out the handle for me.

Dad said when I felt the horse tensing up to slam me, take that paddle and hit him as hard as I could in the azz. And the first time he started drawing up to slam me, I nailed him. I do believe the horse went into shock. And all of a sudden I had all the power. I could ride and stay with the horse, but for some reason I became fearful for those two weeks. But after that, I was in control. I did not have to carry that paddle long as I overcame my fear. Found out later on that the guy that had Jigger was afraid of him and this other man that worked with Dad, wanted the horse, but had heard how he played riders and tested each one that got on him. This man was anxious to see what happened to me. Later the man came to me and said he had really wanted him but was reluctant because of the stories the man told him that owned him.

I trained Jigger and rode him in shows in the 60's and early 70's and did well in Western Pleasure classes. One time he placed 1st in a class of 32 riders where they had to split the class up and half ride and the other half line up in the center of the arena.
Sometimes some of the older men would ask to ride Jigger because he was such a smooth slow riding horse. I told them up front, that each time a new person gets on him, he will try you. So, tell him up front that you mean business, and he won't try you. He never failed to shy of something when I rode him in the middle of a smooth dirt field road and nothing was there. I know he was trying to see I was holding on, and he never did dump me. I would laugh when he would do it, but he had to do it one time on each ride.

I had to love a horse that smart and who was always thinking. Gosh he opened all doors in the barn and a wire gap by taking his foot and pushing down the wire loop on the bottom and flipping it out. I always thought my younger brother was too lazy to fix the gap back. Then I saw Jigger standing at that gap and how he worked it loose. After that, I had to take an old thick belt and put it in the center of the post, and buckle it. WHAT A HORSE!!
Here is Jigger in his 20's with his woman, Gal. He is the bay. He loved her and I always kept them together.

 

[CowboyRam]

@CowboyRam, right now I can do with a nice easy jog trot. I think of my childhood horse that was out of a Mustang mare and a Quarter Horse stud, and he was a jewel. Jigger was his name. He took care of me from the age of 11 and he lived to be 36 years old. I had a Shetland pony up until that age and this horse was so smart. When I got on him, he knew I was a bit fearful of his size. So he would put his head down to graze and I would pull his head up and kick him to move on, and he would come off the ground in one leap with a lunge and a kick, and hit the ground hard, and then put that head back down to eat. I cannot tell you how scared I was of that. He did this to me for about two weeks, and my Dad came to me and said, "If you don't put a stop to that, I am selling him" I panicked as I was between a rock and a hard place. My Dad took his saw and made me a wooden paddle and drilled a hole in the handle and ran a piece of leather to hang it on the saddle horn. The paddle was long enough to reach out and touch him. It was about 16-18" long. Dad smoothed out the handle for me.

Dad said when I felt the horse tensing up to slam me, take that paddle and hit him as hard as I could in the azz. And the first time he started drawing up to slam me, I nailed him. I do believe the horse went into shock. And all of a sudden I had all the power. I could ride and stay with the horse, but for some reason I became fearful for those two weeks. But after that, I was in control. I did not have to carry that paddle long as I overcame my fear. Found out later on that the guy that had Jigger was afraid of him and this other man that worked with Dad, wanted the horse, but had heard how he played riders and tested each one that got on him. This man was anxious to see what happened to me. Later the man came to me and said he had really wanted him but was reluctant because of the stories the man told him that owned him.

I trained Jigger and rode him in shows in the 60's and early 70's and did well in Western Pleasure classes. One time he placed 1st in a class of 32 riders where they had to split the class up and half ride and the other half line up in the center of the arena.
Sometimes some of the older men would ask to ride Jigger because he was such a smooth slow riding horse. I told them up front, that each time a new person gets on him, he will try you. So, tell him up front that you mean business, and he won't try you. He never failed to shy of something when I rode him in the middle of a smooth dirt field road and nothing was there. I know he was trying to see I was holding on, and he never did dump me. I would laugh when he would do it, but he had to do it one time on each ride.

I had to love a horse that smart and who was always thinking. Gosh he opened all doors in the barn and a wire gap by taking his foot and pushing down the wire loop on the bottom and flipping it out. I always thought my younger brother was too lazy to fix the gap back. Then I saw Jigger standing at that gap and how he worked it loose. After that, I had to take an old thick belt and put it in the center of the post, and buckle it. WHAT A HORSE!!
Here is Jigger in his 20's with his woman, Gal. He is the bay. He loved her and I always kept them together.


View attachment 41021

I had a Shetland pony as when I was growing up. He really could not be trusted so I never rode him much. Besides by that time we had moved off the ranch and were living in Craig Colorado by that time, and dad was in the construction business. Dad was of the mindset if he didn't have a cow to chase he was not going to go ride just to ride. I never really got a chance to become a good rider. My uncle bought his ranch in the early 90's and I did help ride a little then, but I was also 20 years younger. Now I just don't seem to have the balance I used to have.