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My Wife's Barrel Horse
Author Unknown
My wife she has this barrel
horse with flowing mane and tail.
She swears it is the fastest thing and turns as if on rails.
She calls him Dashing Darling and if the truth I tell..
That fancy pampered barrel horse has made my life pure hell!
My wife she used to cook for me and serve it with a beer.
Now she'd rather fix his grain then oil all his gear.
She dresses him up smartly with matching wraps and ties.
My laundry's so neglected now that I attract the flies.
One day my wife went shopping, for what I can't recall,
And that fancy pampered Dashing was justa standing in his stall.
He looked so smug and sassy that I began to grin,
I'd saddle that fat sucker and take him for a spin.
I've wondered since what cues I gave he must have misconstrued.
For when I climbed aboard that horse, he rightly came unglued.
He bucked and spun and snorted fire then threw me through a fence.
And to this day there are 6 teeth that I ain't heard from since!
My wife came home and saw me justa lyin in the dirt.
She ran past me, straight to that horse and asked him "Sweetheart
are you hurt?"
She stroked his nose a little bit and the memory galls me yet..
She left me lyin in the mud and ran to call his vet!!
A Father's Explanation
Author Unknown
My daughter turned sixteen years old today;
which is a milestone for most people. Besides looking at baby photos
and childhood trinkets with her, I took time to reflect on the young
woman my daughter had become and the choices she would face in the
future. As I looked at her I could see the athlete she was,
and determined woman she would soon be.
I started thinking about some the girls we knew in
our town who were already pregnant, pierced in several
places, hair every color under the sun, drop outs, drug addicts and
on the fast track to no where, seeking surface identities because
they had no inner self esteem. The parents of these same girls
have asked me why I "waste" the money on horses so my daughter can
ride. I'm told she will grow out of it, lose interest, discover boys
and all kinds of things that try to pin the current generation's
"slacker" label on my child. I don't think it will happen, I think
she will love and have horses all her life.
Because my daughter grew up with horses she has compassion. She knows that
we must take special care of the very young and the very old. We
must make sure those without voices to speak of their pain are still
cared for.
Because my daughter grew up with horses she learned responsibility for
others than herself. She learned that regardless of the weather you
must still care for those you have the stewardship of. There are no
"days off" just because you don't feel like being a horse owner that
day. She learned that for every hour of fun you have there are days
of hard slogging work you must do first.
Because my daughter grew up with horses she learned not to be afraid of
getting dirty and that appearances don't matter to most of the
breathing things in the world we live in. Horses do not care about
designer clothes, jewelry, pretty hairdos or anything else we put on
our bodies to try to impress others. What a horse cares about are
your abilities to work within his natural world, he doesn't care if
you're wearing $80.00 jeans while you do it.
Because my daughter grew up with horses she learned about sex and how it
can both enrich and complicate lives. She learned that it only takes
one time to produce a baby, and the only way to ensure babies aren't
produced is not to breed. She learned how babies are planned, made,
born and, sadly, sometimes die before reaching their potential. She
learned how sleepless nights and trying to outsmart a crafty old
broodmare could result in getting to see, as non-horse owning people
rarely do, the birth of a true miracle.
Because my daughter grew up with horses she understands the value of
money. Every dollar can be translated into bales of hay, bags of
feed or farrier visits. Purchasing non-necessities during lean times
can mean the difference between feed and good care, or neglect and
starvation. She has learned to judge the level of her care against
the care she sees provided by others and to make sure her standards
never lower, and only increase as her knowledge grows.
Because my daughter grew up with horses she has learned to learn on her
own. She has had teachers that cannot speak, nor write, nor
communicate beyond body language and reactions. She has had to learn
to "read" her surroundings for both safe and unsafe objects, to look
for hazards where others might only see a pretty meadow. She has
learned to judge people as she judges horses. She looks beyond
appearances and trappings to see what is within.
Because my daughter grew up with horses she has learned sportsmanship to a
high degree. Everyone that competes fairly is a winner. Trophies and
ribbons may prove someone a winner, but they do not prove someone is
a horseman. She has also learned that some people will do anything
to win, regardless of who it hurts. She knows that those who will
cheat in the show ring will also cheat in every other aspect of
their life and are not to be trusted.
Because my daughter grew up with horses she has self-esteem and an
engaging personality. She can talk to anyone she meets with
confidence, because she has to express herself to her horse with
more than words. She knows the satisfaction of controlling and
teaching a 1000 pound animal that will yield willingly to her gentle
touch and ignore the more forceful and inept handling of those
stronger than she is. She holds herself with poise and
professionalism in the company of those far older than herself.
Because my daughter grew up with horses she has learned to plan ahead. She
knows that choices made today can effect what happens five years
down the road. She knows that you cannot care for and protect you
investments without savings to fall back on. She knows the value of
land and buildings. And that caring for your vehicle can mean the
difference between easy travel or being stranded on the side of the
road with a four horse trailer on a hot day.
When I look at what she has learned and what it will help her become, I
can honestly say that I haven't "wasted" a penny on providing her
with horses. I only wish that all children had the same
opportunities to learn these lessons from horses before setting out
on the road to adulthood.
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