Over the years I’ve been blessed with some pretty exceptional horses. I made my living with horses most of my life, so they had a chance to prove themselves to me on many levels. My Lily mare was a standout using horse in her long career, with many stellar qualities. Never an assertive horse around other horses, even the young horses could bully her as she just wouldn’t fight. She preferred to walk away. There was one thing, though, that she would stand her ground and even be aggressive over, and that was my son when he was little. She loved baby things, from kittens to calves, but the baby thing she was most gaga over was my small boy. For him she’d stand between him and any other horse and never give ground until he was out of harm’s way. Mind you, I tried to keep him out of the horse corrals and pasture, but he was magnetically attracted to them from the start. His first word was “horse”. So, if he disappeared he was most likely out with the horses, which individually wouldn’t have been too concerning, but in a herd situation, dangerous, as with the horse bickering, someone can get run over. But, if Lily was there, she was standing over him and keeping between him and the others, even at risk of getting bit herself. Believe me, I thought a lot of that fine mare, but that willingness to watch out for my boy absolutely melted my heart. One of the colts that Lily raised for me is my good gelding Rush. Rush was my last real top horse and if I couldn’t do it on Rush, there was no point in going back for a different horse. About six years ago he was “stolen” by a darling six year old boy who calls me Grandma, so I haven’t ridden him much since. He’s taken great care of that grandson and also of the other two, and patiently does what needs done even if they might give the wrong signals. He’s taught them so much and I’ve enjoyed watching them learn on him. At 23, he’s earned his easy life. A few weeks ago I was at my son’s place, watching my baby granddaughter so her Mom could get some outside chores done. Little Haizley is not quite a year old, and, like her Daddy, is absolutely crazy about horses. It won’t surprise me if her first word is “horse”. Since she’s getting a bit heavy for me to carry for long spells, I had her in her stroller to go exploring outside. We’d visited the dogs and watched Mommy on the mower, and the next order of business was to go check on the kittens in the barn. To get there, we needed to go through the corrals where the horses were. One of them was Rush. He was in against his wishes, and was watching the outside horses over a gate when we got to him. He was very interested in Haizley and put his head down so she could touch his face. He stayed like that and she was really liking feeling of his face and muzzle. I looked over and saw the other two horses approaching from the another corral. They were curious about the stroller and wanted to approach, but apparently Rush thought that wasn’t safe. He started walking circles around the stroller and me, giving dirty looks at the other two horses. He wouldn’t let them come up until I had placed myself between them and Haizley. Then he kept his head right there to let them know he was keeping an eye on them. His protection of Haizley sure reminded me of his old Mama, and just as when she did it, it made a melty spot in my heart. I hope he is the one who gives Haizley her first solo rides. I know he’ll take good care of her. Just like his Mama did her Daddy.
Jan was raised on a ranch in far western South Dakota. She grew up horseback working all descriptions of cattle, plus sheep and horses. After leaving home she pursued a post-graduate study of cowboying and dayworking in Nebraska, New Mexico, Montana, Wyoming and South Dakota....
