My Horseback Riding

I always wanted a pony and my dad had arranged to rent some pasture when I was 9. We had a friend, Poste Gish, who was a livestock trucker and had the opportunity to see lots of ponies and horses at stock sales. He brought several different ponies to us to see and try out. I didn't know much about riding and after trying out several of the ponies, I heard him tell my dad, "I don't think she will ever learn to ride." I was really devistated by that thought. I remember thinking that yes, I could learn to ride. Then he brought a spotted mare pony to us one day. She was just my size and I COULD ride her. I named her Ruby Jewell. She was mostly back and brown with some white areas and she had a shered mane. It was cut short and stood up along her neck. She had some problems with her front feet, but Poste said he thought he could find a way to help her. When a horse eats too much grain or green hay, they can become, what we call, foundered. It affects their feet and hoofs. The hoofs, like fingernails, can grow rapidly and in a distored way. The quick, or bottom of their feet become sore and inflammed. Her front legs would also be sore. Poste and our vet fixed her up by trimming the hoofs and covering the bottom of the foot with leather pads and then putting on shoes. Another thing they did, which seemed weired, was to pump air underneath the skin of her front legs. They would make a small slit in the skin and insert a small tube in the slit. They they would put air in the area between her skin and the muscles and tendons of her leg. Anyway, this helped her a lot and I was able to ride her.

We began to ride in the Washington Township Rough Riders that year, 1951 when they moved to Tarkio. I was in the pony group, of course. Verl was 13 and in the older group who rode horses. We did lots of things on our horses and performed at horse shows and Rodoes all over the midwest. Some things we did were, square dancing; formation drills; Roman riding (standing on two horses); Cossack riding (standing on one horse); trick riding; a cowboy and indian show with a covered wagon, indians, and cowboys; chariot races; and trick roping. Our dads and moms were our leaders and footed most of the bills. Our group did get paid by the organization where we performed because it was really expensive to ship horses and equipment for the show to the show destination. We had white shirts and green pants, (it was orginally a 4-H group) and each of us carried a flag on a pole. The flag was white with the 4 leaf clover for the 4-H club. The pole fit into a little leather pouch attached to the right side of our stirrup so we could carry it while we rode. A few years later, I rode a horse owned by Joe Craven. Joe was in the military so his uncle Woodrow (Woody) Collins let me ride that horse for several years in the Rough Riders and rodeos. His name was Rex. I won lots of barrel racing and pole bending contests with him.

We bought a Palamino Quarter Horse mare, named Susie. She had several colts along the way. I showed her a few times in the breeding mare classes. She was a good mare. Her colts were Misty, Dandy and Tammy. Maybe be others I don't remember. Dad bought me Arabian colt whose name was Zartai but had had been nicknamed Hoppy by his breeder owner because he was always hopping aroung and over water puddles. He did that forever after. We had him trained by a professional trainer and I rode him in horse shows all over. Dad got me a new saddle, black with a white seat and a white M on the stirrup leather. He had Judy on the breast collar in white. I also had a black shirt and slacks with white leather trim fringe on them.

In 1955, the Mo High School Rodeo came to town and stayed for many years. My Dad and Verl's Dad were very active in the organization. In 1958 I won the All-Around Cowgirl award. I won second in the barrels, second in the pole bending and third in the cutting horse contest. That was enough points to beat everyone else. I think I won, because my friend, Betty Johnson, had knocked down a barrel and didn't place in that contest. She had won that award the year previously. She won the Queen Contest and went on to be the National H S Rodeo Queen. I won a padded seat, cutting horse type saddle with engraving of the MO. State High School Rodeo on the back and 1958 on the stirrups. Recently I clean that saddle and said to myself, "Wow, that was 50 years ago."

When Verl and I moved to DeWitt Ne in 1966, we took Tammy with us. We had a colt while we had her there. Then when we lived in Tabor, IA in 1970, we had Tammy and a pony at our place. That was the last time we had a horse. My dad was ill with Parkinson's and we sold all the horses left in Tarkio. Dad was president of the National HS Rodeo in 1962 or 63. The National was held in Tarkio that year.