WRANGLING ON THE RANGE #24
I planned on going out to the Ranch Thursday, as I was
leaving to visit my Dad in Kelowna, B.C. early Friday morning.
The weather was great and I was able to do as planned.
I talked with Frank for a while. He is the man Betty has
hired to finish building her new "office and tack shop" - which
has been on the go for a year now. Frank and his wife have their
own horse boarding stable just East of here. I pass it each
time I come out to the Ranch. And Frank is the guy who ran the
trail-riding barn before Dan, so Betty has known him for
many years, indeed so as she has been associated with the
Ranch for 35 years. She was part of the original boys/gals that
started the summer camp for the kids, along with the original
owner (he and his wife got the Ranch land in the early 1940s
I think it was).
Betty's neighbor Doris had last fall sold me her (still
used by her when I bought it) old truck, powerful enough to
pull a horse trailer, but for some reason one tire went flat over
the winter months. So today I decided to first of all take that
tire off and put on the spare, and then see if the old tire was
salvageable.
I just got finished that job when Paul came along and we
both looked at the old tire, after putting air in, to see if we
could see or hear any leaks. We could find no problem, so the
tire may be okay. I'll probably have it checked out by the
professionals.
It was time to saddle up Goldie and go for a nice slow trial
ride. Well I thought nice and slow, but after about half an hour,
Goldie was into her "not listen mode" of un-co-operative mind-
set. She being especially bad today, even after letting her gallop up
a slight hill, to let her energy out.
I headed back to barn "b" - there was no option this time,
Goldie was so into not listening and obeying, I had little choice
but to take my "jumpers crop" and give her two good smacks on the
rear-end. Some horses just get a dis-obedient streak, and they
will indeed take over the show, if they are allowed to, horses
are way bigger and stronger than we are. After two powerful
smacks (tough love it is called) smacks strong enough that a
horse knows you ain't fooling around any more ... well after that
I certainly got my horse's attention, and she decided I was the
boss after all, and she had better mind her p's and q's.
I mounted back up and Goldie performed her skill work right
on "q" as we moved about the indoor arena.
Some may think you should never spank a horse, but show-
jumping people often carry a crop with them, for they well know a
horse, like a mare and stallion (often used in the show jumping
ring) can be difficult at times, and can get in their head that
they want to be boss. A smack with the crop usually straightens
them out. Roy Rogers' "Little Trigger" (a stallion) would be
naughty at times and either refuse to do a trick or only do it
part way. Roy relates in his writings that sometimes he had to
take the crop and give him a smack to remind him to be a good boy
and obey the command.
So it was for Goldie today. I'll be away at my Dad's home in
British Columbia for a week, and we will see what attitude of
mind my horse is in when I get back out to the Ranch on July 3rd.
........................
To be continued
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