Friday, June 09, 2006

Horsemen and Their Horses

Over time I have noticed certain breeds and dsciplines of horse are ridden by a specific type of horseman:

Saddlebred : Well heeled, perfectionist, generational participation, refined horseman.

Tennessee Walker : Cheap bastards. $50,000 truck - $30,000 trailer - $25.00 shoe job.

Hunter Jumper : Soroity chicks.

Dressage : Grown up soroity chicks.

more later...

Quarter Horse : There are some really competent horseman involved with QH's, but most are clueless and highly suseptable to horsecare fads. These are the ones who will buy anything with the word "Natural" stamped on it.

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Pardon Me

I was out today shoeing a womans horse. The farm manager was holding the horse and not doing a bad job of it, administering discipline as needed. The owner was nowhere to be found until the task was nearly completed. When she showed up she was beside herself that she had forgotten the appointment and apologized profusely. I graciously accepted her apology and "aw shucks"'ed it as there really was no inconvenience since the manager was willing and able.
She would have none of it and said, "There just aren't enough men who are willing to do what you do. Blacksmiths and bullriders are a special breed.... I don't know if you're crazy or just really brave, but I sure appreciate it."
Being the humble soul I am I replied, "It might just be we're stupid." That got a laugh and a cold beer.

Blacksmiths and Bullriders.

Pardon me. While I crow....

I'm gonna be hard to live with for awhile.

Monday, June 05, 2006