In the summertime, my siblings and I gentled colts for our dad, put miles on them so Dad could sell them; he had five kids to feed. Dad knew we would stay out of trouble by saddling horses and doing barn chores. We climbed on ponies, horses, and colts and put time on them.
A couple of years later, my older brother timed it just right, to run to the barn (after I saddled a horse that I had been working) he would pull me out of the saddle, jump on, and gallop off to impress his girlfriend. Our parents didn’t get involved, because there was a corral filled with horses, the option was simple: quit whining and go saddle another horse. (And, yes, they all needed work.)
This pretty much was my childhood, I couldn’t take on my bigger and older brother, so I saddled another green horse and got it to working along. That’s how I got my horse smarts; oh, my butt hit the ground a few times, but that is a part of the learning process.
Then little sister came along, and wanted her turn to ride, so we put a bucking strap on this young horse and bucked him out, took the strap off, then, we let little “Wendy” get on and ride. Here’s to childhood horse adventures. Cheers and don’t let your saddle get cold.
