Spring in the Step

Ah! Starting to look like spring! Clayton & crew at an early branding.

This is one of my favorite days of the year. I finally got tax stuff done! Every year I intend to keep files up to date, and every year I end up entering everything in March of the following year. Time to get out and enjoy some early spring sunshine. And wind.

I'm not complaining. It's really not too bad here. At least in the house. In the last house my office was in the loft, and the whole house would shake. It was a constant roar that always made me think it was no wonder some pioneer women on the prairie went crazy with nothing but a constant roar of wind to listen to. Sometimes I would go down to the basement just to get away from it.

The baby calves and horses love it though. It's amazing how a spring wind stirs up the life in them. They run around bucking and jumping with their heads and tails up in the air, and bounding about a foot off the ground with each step. I've had 2 horses in the past that tended to bounce a little more than I was comfortable with, and really made me suck it up in the spring.



Kristy and Koko. High School rodeo.

Koko, who was a powerful, athletic, cowhorse; and Drifter, who we sold this summer. I was never good at getting a horse to give his nose anyway, and it wasn't too hard for them to take it completely away from me if they really had a mind to. Especially Koko. He was the first horse I actually broke. He was a lot more horse than I probably should have been messing with, but I was too naive to know it. Kind of like having babies. I always said if I was going to have twins, I'd want to have them first since I'd think that was normal.

I preferred to ride alone the first few times, since I didn't like them worrying about other horses. And I didn't want any witnesses. I had to go through a pasture one spring where there were some loose horses who had a bad case of spring fever. Koko's head went straight up in the hair, and his tail was raised in a big old plume I could see out of the corner of my eye. His back was dished like a moon sliver, and I could feel the power as he started prancing around like he was going to join them. It was like floating on top of a coiled spring, and he didn't even know I was there. I didn't waste any time getting off to open the gate. Even though we weren't to it yet.

Drifter was always like riding a pogo stick. On good days. In the spring he was like Tigger the tiger. Only he snorted. At everything. Big wide eyes, and even wider nostrils. You always had to be riding because he'd jump out from under you in a heartbeat if you weren't paying attention. He didn't miss a thing. He was never broncy though. In later years I'd get Clayton or Ray to take the edge off.

Maresy's a peach. She's ready to go. Ray's got the arena done and sand hauled in. In a couple of weeks we'll have some roping cattle. Ray made a roping dummy that can be pulled around the arena so we can get Flash (and me) trained for heeling. I roped a few times on her last summer, but she's a cutting horse and really wanted to run to the head. She's also very responsive to leg pressure, and just about the time I'd be getting ready to throw my rope, she'd make a big sashay to the left. I think that means I need to pay attention to what I'm doing, since she's probably doing exactly what my leg says.

And Ray? Well he's been roping at Rooster & Benny Reynolds all winter, and just won the 10-header grand finale Sunday afternoon.

That'll put a little spring in your step too!

Clayton & Peter Paint wrangling at cowcamp. Koko as a 3 yr old with his
typical headset.

Hast thou given the horse strength? hast thou clothed his neck with thunder? Canst thou make him afraid as a grasshopper? the glory of his nostrils is terrible. He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his strength: Job 39:19-21