You might think that our back country travels are risk free. Over the years, my only injuries have been sore paws, and an occasional cactus spine or two. Following Dottie and Little Guy cross country can, also, really poop a sheep dog out.
Every once in awhile, we have an accident. I was just a pup when Ole Dangerous made a trip to Elko to try out a horse. He even took his wife to give her a January vacation. What a romantic! The horse was a massive Paint gelding that supposedly anyone could ride. Well, to make a long story short, Dangerous spent six weeks sleeping in the recliner after the horse unloaded him on the frozen ground. To top it off, Abbey and I got kennel cough, and he had to drive back to Utah in a blinding snow storm pulling an empty horse trailer. Needless to say, his wife hasn't forgotten her romantic January Nevada get away. I am surprised they are still married after 40 years.
For the life of me, I don't understand why Dangerous and his buddies ride those thousand pound kegs of dynamite. Don't get me wrong. I really enjoy tagging Dottie and Little Guy around, but I keep all four paws on the ground. I remember a few years back watching Dottie knock Dangerous out of the saddle on a tree. He landed face down in a pile of rocks. He left a perfect rowel track across his brand new saddle, and he was really upset about the saddle!
I wasn't there when Ole Dangerous' riding buddy Bill almost broke his leg. The first picture shows what an 1,200 pound horse can do without even trying. Just imagine what happens when they put their minds to it. Maybe Dangerous had something to do with it. It was Bill who sold Dangerous Dottie for an outrageous price, and Dangerous might have been trying to get even. Who knows?
Sometimes the tables are turned. I believe Dangerous was working out-of-town when Dottie got the cut on her neck. Utah Jack called and left a message that she was hurt then left town to visit some of his many grand children. Dangerous didn't think much of it at the time. All horses get cuts and abrasions, but when he got home, he wasn't sure if Dottie would keep her head. Utah Jack thought the cut was far enough from her heart that she might survive. You have to remember that Dangerous is the wrangler and Utah is the builder. Dangerous can't nail two boards together, and Utah would probably feed a pasture full of dead horses before he realized anything was wrong.
Well, I thought you might want to know that Riding the High Plateau isn't all fun, games, and laughs. Even though the fun never stops. For old guys, they still saddle up spring, summer, and fall. Winters are pretty tough on my aging buddies, so they usually sit by the fire reading or watching TV. It's always good to hear from you. Dangerous reads me your comments, and I really enjoy them.
1 comment:
Rosie. I’m doing a little lunch break reading again. Looks like you’re giving your readers a full range of the Grover Boys experience, from the great shots of the high country to the colorful bruises that are an occasional part of life with horses. However, if you really want to capture the full experience, you must consider posting something on DD and Jack’s cooking on these outings. While they both might, just might, be the subject of good-hearted banter about a lot of things, their cooking will make you knock your blind grandma off the bench. To that fact I can truly and honestly testify. Of course, based on the pictures you’ve chosen to post, both seem to provide their own testimony in that regard. I’m pretty sure they didn’t get those waistlines at a daily Pilates workout. I gained about ten pounds in the short time I was eating their cooking and must say it was worth every pound. No “lite” dressing and “fat-free” entrees for those ole boys, no-siree. You tell them both to hang in there. While the rest of us have been whipped into submission by well-meaning wives trying to save our hearts, they remain a beacon of what real he-men want at the dinner table – just don’t tell my wife I said so! She won’t let me come back…
--Max
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