Posted on May 1, 2009 - by Hubba

Big Dan; Let’s Call Her a Day

We walked clear across the pasture without anybody saying anything.  Actually, Cessna and Pepper walked and I jog trotted nervously along.  This kid had me keyed up.  I could hear him whimpering up there in the saddle, and he had a death grip on the horn.  When we got to the other end of the pasture, Joe pulled up to a stop.  “Well,” he said, “we were gonna sort the bulls off this afternoon, but I think that’s a tall order for this bunch.”  He had calmed down quite a bit, but it looked to me like it was taking some effort.  He sat there quietly for a minute, and Pepper decided to poop again.  He really was the poopingest horse I had ever seen.

Joe let out a long breath and turned in his saddle.  “I tell you boys what, there’s a lame one in here, maybe we’ll just run him in and call her a day, whatdya think?”  He got no real response.  “Allright,” he said to himself, “let’s go.”

We started off at a walk again.  The bull we were after was at the water tank.  Joe pulled Cessna up.  “Will, why don’t you ride over there and bring that bull here.”  Will froze in the saddle.  “Come on Will, ride over to the tank and get that bull.”  I felt Will’s heels kicking me way up high, and the bit tighten in my mouth at the same time.

Joe climbed off of Cessna and walked over to Will and I.  “Pull your foot out of the stirrup” he ordered, and Will moved his foot.  Joe, a little behind me pulled the cinch up a notch or two and replaced the latigo.  I could feel his hand on the swells.  “Will, if you don’t relax, Big Dan and you ain’t gonna get along.  You have to let the reins out and quit fidgeting.  Do you want to do this?”

Will was whimpering and blubbering.  “Yeah,” he finally blurted.  “OK” Joe said, “then let those reins out and walk him down to the tank.”  Will let the reins out ever so slightly.  “A little more, that’s it” Joe said sort of encouragingly.

Joe was trying hard not to be mad.  It was the first time I had experienced this sort of interaction between people.  The words came almost haltingly for Joe, but slowly they were working.  Will was loosening up a little.  I took a few slow steps forward, and Joe walked alongside.  “Allright, ride on up and get that bull.  You’ll do fine.”  And then Joe stopped walking alongside of me.

And I got to experience another first.  Will was forcing himself to keep the reins out, but I could tell that he really wanted to pull them in.  I could actually feel the argument in my mouth.

We walked down and got the bull, and we did fine.  This particular bull didn’t give us any trouble at all, but shuffled away from the tank, up to and past Joe.

“Good job” Joe said, and fell in beside us.

We all just rode along in silence, with the bull leading the way.  Will and I had both settled down.  It helped me to have a bull in front of us.  We got near the gate, and Joe stopped.  “Will, me and Joey will run around and open that gate and you just sit here behind the bull.”  Cessna and Pepper took off, and I started after them.  And Will started jerking on the reins again.  Joe stopped and turned his horse around.  “Will” he said rather loudly.  “Relax.  Just hold him up nice and gentle and he’ll stay.”

Cessna and Pepper took off again, more slowly this time, with Joe looking over his shoulder.  Will tried to hold me up “nice and gentle” and I tried to stay.  I knew what I was supposed to do, but they were taking off toward the place, and I wanted to go.

But I settled down again, Joe got the gate open and returned, and we started off.  The six of us shambled into the yard behind the bull, and when he was in the corral Will seemed to want me to go to the barn and I took off at a trot.  “Will” Joe yelled from behind us.  “Get your- come here.”

Will turned me around and Joe held the corral gate open for us.  “I’ll set the gates up, and you run him up the chute.”  We sat in the corner of the corral while Joe set the gates up, and followed the bull through the corral, into the alley and halfway up the chute.

Joe walked back into the corral.  “OK Will, ride Big Dan around that bale feeder and come back to me.”  In the corral Will seemed a lot more comfortable.  We walked around the bale feeder and back to Joe.  “Now trot him around the corral.”  Will kicked me into a trot and we went around the corral three times.  “Allright, turn him around the other way and kick him into a lope.”  Will kicked me into a slow lope and we went around and around the corral, until Will seemed perfectly at ease.  “Allright, pull him up” Joe said, and Will pulled me to a stop almost without sawing on the reins.  I just stood there, and I felt a little hand haltingly pat me on the neck and then rub my shoulder.

“OK, let’s put em away” Joe said.  Will walked me over to the barn and slid off.  I spooked a little at the way he slid off.  Joe flipped the stirrup over the saddle and Will began to unsaddle me.  It apparently was a hell of a job for the kid, and when he pulled the saddle off it almost knocked him over.  Joe took the saddle into the barn and unbridled me.  Cessna and Pepper were already rolling in the middle of the corral.  I walked over to the water tank and got a drink before rolling myself.

When I got up, the three of them were just standing there looking at me.  “Dad?” said Will.  “What?” Joe asked.  “Um, Big Dan’s quite a horse ain’t he?”

Joe looked down at Will and chuckled.  “Yep, he’s quite a horse.”