Workin' horses

I wish I were a horseman! I bet those babies keep you young!

I ride mules at times on this job. They are smooth riding and surefooted. They think more than a horse does, they use more logic and less blind instinct.

As a young man I helped my First Cousin break horses, he did The I guess Indian thing, leaning over and letting the horse feel the weight, I was a gofher, he was a huge guy looked like Charles Atlas, had patience galore and never brutalized the horses. It was a treat for a 12 yr old to see. We helped him and my Grandmothers cousin round up cattle around Jefferson Island Salt mine for shots, dipping, I was the cup grease guy, Horns would spew blood when cut and I would dob them with grease to keep the flies off. First time  my Mom saw me she almost fainted, I was covered in blood. It was a great time for a kid.i love horses but you can’t beat a Truck. While rounding cattle up an alligator almost unseated my Grandmothers cousin, and rushed him again, Me and my cousin were in an old 6 cylinder Chevy , we ran over that booger with the Truck. You can’t beat a Truck.

Cool pic and very interesting. Florida is a big cattle state but I have never ridden apart from your standard dude ranch trail ride.

Wonderful photos. Grew up on a horse farm. All I remember is washing the dang things before shows for what seemed like hours. Worked with them for 15 years. I don't like them and they don't like me . So... not a fan. Love photos of them though!

Horsemanship is like a marriage, both parties have to be engaged for it to work right. Also like a marriage, none of us (man or horse...or woman) were automatically born with the knowledge or ability to make it work. That's why there are so many wrecks. But when you put the time and work into it, survive the crashes and keep trying until you finally get it right...it's magic. 

I do double duty on this place. I train horses, and sometimes I guide the dude ranch trail rides. Im training horses for the wranglers, and they have to get used to the noise, activity, chaos, dogs, kids, gates etc. It's also often not easy for a young horse to get out in front of a string and lead, they lack self confidence. I do enjoy guiding the guests...most of the time. I get a kick out of taking someone who has had bad experiences and may be are a little afraid and giving them a good, fun safe ride and changing their mind about horses. 

I can see them chatting it up..."Yo, George...you see that big one...gonna buck his a s s right into the weeds!"

I have some horse experiences. Spent a summer in Jr. high assisting/ herd control for cutting horse training in west Texas. I had a major connection with a horse named Hank that I rode the whole time and even got to do some cutting on. One other horse out there that hated turning left, he was fun! I’ve also ridden around the Redlands Fl on my old bosses horse, which she actually rehabilitated my back at one point, and a Paso fino in the sacred valley of Peru. Always loved being around them, and find myself missing the interactions and connections with the majestic creatures!

We have three horses.  Well, technically, they're ponies.  They are Dales Ponies which is a rare breed draft pony which averages 14.5 hands in height.  A couple pics and a video below.  Beauty is the brown one and is full blood Dales Pony.  Ty is the larger grey; he is half Dales Pony and half Anglo-Arab.  The smaller gray is Skye.  She is 3/4 Dales Pony and 1/4 Anglo-Arab.  Ty's sister was Skye's mother.  The pics are from a couple months ago.  The video is from several years ago. It was taken the first time that they got out onto some newly fenced pasture.

I grew up around horses and really enjoyed riding them..had a few instances with some high spirited horses that thought it was their lot in life to earn the title of widowmaker.

My dad was more of a mule man, he was in the mule pack hauling artillery for the Army until mechanization came along. I remember biting a mules ear on cold Colorado mornings so they would suck the gut in to get a decent cinch...seemed to work on them....when they sensed a saddle, they would release the bellows...biting the ear mitigated that...beware the hooves.

My dad was sad the day he was involved in this ceremony, (Retiring Hambone) he had stories about how rough the muleskinners were...time marches on.

I went in to the boss this week and reported the progress to the boss (he's about 80yo) on the 4 colts we are working. I told him the one colt just about broke in two (bucking) when we went to ride him, and he's no where ready for the trail. He'd been started by another rider stupidly rough and gaulded bad both side of the girth his first 2 rides, then just put up and left. Boss asked if I bucked him out. I said no. I don't buck 'em out anymore, I find what makes them buck and remove it. He wanted that colt shoved out on the trail immediately, but I refused. The days of "breaking" horses are long gone. I'm gonna have to start from scratch with this fella, and remove the bad before I can build the good.

Good man yourself.