School Yard Bronc Ride
- June 9, 2025
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- Jan Swan Wood
Posted in: Featured, Horse Training, Ranch Life
My Dad told me a “last day of school” story that I sure got a kick out of. Being a ranch boy, he usually
had riding to do either on the way to or on the way home from school, so a saddle horse was his usual
mode of transportation. On this fine May day, he had ridden a really snorty horse he was breaking to
school. As per usual, he tied this horse to a big, gentle tree near the school, where he hoped he would at least learn patience while tied there.
When classes let out for the last day, the high school kids were hanging around visiting it up before heading home for the summer off. Dad was a junior in high school, so this would have been in 1942. Mom was a senior and they had been dating since the winter before. Mom’s best friend was a fun, sweet
ranch girl named Belle. She came from a big family of boys so had grown to young womanhood as a bit
of a tomboy. Mom and Belle were visiting in front of the school when my Dad came around the school
yard on his horse. He thought the exposure to all the people would be beneficial to his bronc’s education, plus he probably wanted to remind Mom what a dashing figure he made on his horse.
His horse was scared enough of all the people that he was trying to be civilized, so when Belle
suggested she get on the horse behind Dad and take a ride, he thought that would work okay. She’d pulled trousers on after school, so she could get astride, and she adeptly placed her foot in the left stirrup and with a hand up from Dad, was smoothly placed behind him on his horse. The horse, according to Dad, wasn’t too sure about this deal, but was taking it well as they rode down the road a ways and back. Just as they got back in front of the school, though, Belle’s wild streak cropped up!
Until then she’d been keeping her heels out of the horse’s sides and flanks, so when she gigged him
hard at the flank, the horse was startled, to say the least. She did it again and he started bucking. Dad
could sure enough ride him when he bucked as they’d practiced quite a bit, hence the 15 mile ride to
school and home again daily, to try to get it out of his system, but with Belle gigging him with her heels
and laughing like crazy, the horse really went to it loudly. Of course Belle had a death grip on Dad’s waist, so when she got loosened up, it sure didn’t help Dad stay on.
Between the bucking and the laughing, pretty quick the horse bucked both of them off right in front
of Mom, who was also laughing. Dad kept ahold of a rein so he didn’t end up left afoot, but his horse sure was insulted by the escapade. Dad said that it took quite a bit of sweet talking to keep from getting
bucked off again when he remounted, even without Belle helping.
It sure was a simpler time. No one got in trouble for holding a bronc riding on the school’s lawn, and no one’s parents were called due to such dangerous behavior. Good clean fun, with maybe a little sand and a sand burr involved.
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Posted in: Featured, Horse Training, Ranch Life
About Jan Swan Wood
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....