Horse Experiences

Buck

While I was still enjoying Dot, Buck came into my life. Quite a contrast. No one ever shared Buck’s history with me, but he must have been a rodeo horse, probably used for roping. I’m sure his former owner rode him in parades. He had the prance for it. He was a lean, nervous buckskin, wind-broken by the time I got him, but he still had the heart to run. All the times I rode him, not once did he slow down of his own accord. When he got to wheezing, I’d pull him down to a walk, but if I lifted the reins, he was ready to take off again.

I was around 20 at the time, just starting my first year of teaching. I’d spent the summer in the saddle riding range for my uncle. When my uncle’s family went to the County Fair and Rodeo, it seemed the natural thing for me to wear my jeans, boots and cowboy hat. My cousin, who was in high school at the time, challenged me to buy a raffle ticket on the horse that was to be raffled off that evening. We each bought a one dollar ticket and joined the family about midway up in the bleachers.

When it came time for the raffle, someone drew a number out of the hat and handed it to the announcer. I couldn’t believe my ears. My number came booming over the loud speaker. I clambered down off the bleachers, climbed over the fence and walked the thousand miles across the arena to the announcer’s stand.

“Do you want to ride him out of the arena?” a man asked as he handed me the reins.

“Sure.” I can’t believe I was once that cocky. He held this nervous horse while I got settled in the saddle.

“Ride him around the ring once and out the gate.”

Was I in for a surprise. This horse had a different starter button from any horse I’d ever ridden. I lifted the reins and he took off. From the first jump, he was flying faster than I cared to go. His brakes were different, too. The slightest pull on the reins brought him to an abrupt stop. Before we got half way around the arena, I was sweating it out, scared to death I’d lose my seat. Not that I feared falling from a horse. I’d had that experience many times, but I didn’t want to be embarrassed in front of all that crowd. Maybe my uncle was being kind, but he said later that I looked great riding that buckskin around the arena.

You know how some folks are. One of my cousins heard someone say she was sure the raffle was rigged. Why, the girl was even dressed ready to ride the horse out of the ring. Believe me, no one was more surprised than I when the announcer called me down to receive that horse.

Eventually, I learned the controls on Buck and we got along fine.

60 years later

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