Horses on Trial

We took in a couple of abandoned horses last week. As the kids and I "oohed" and "awed" on their arrival, and began discussing name possibilities, Mr. Weston encouraged us not to get attached, and perhaps even not to name them - yet. For they are to have a trial period to prove if they will be good, ride-able, workable, tame-able horses. This said trial period is to last 30 days; it will end Saturday, October 11th. Let's hope it goes well.

This is the mare, or "girl horse" as the kids call her.

And the gelding, or "boy horse".

Weston and I are not what you would call "horse people". I am an admirer of them - I think that they are beautiful - and way back when, I would ride with my best friend Edie on her sweet horses all over our back woods. But that was a long time ago. Weston would like a good horse to get cows - horses are so much more practical than 4-wheelers on those steep mountain trails and in the thick brush.

Alan, the ranch hand, on the other hand, used to train race horses, exercise polo horses, drive a team with a wagon on some Bar-T 5 thing in Jackson, Wyoming, among other impressive horse related things. He is not in the least bit scared of them and handles them extremely well.

So now that you have assesed the credentials, can you guess who is training the horses? Yes, very good, it's me.

Okay, joking. Admiring them would not get me very far, now would it? It's only Alan. And he got right to it too - the next day. He started with the mare. Kate watched the mare as Alan walked her around.

And so did the boys.

Weston tried to bond with his potential pet.

After a while Alan got on her. She did fairly well, even at the beginning; except for the freak-out when he first tried to mount her and she bolted forward leaving him to land on the ground behind her(on his feet though..he was half expecting it).

If you are thinking that he looks a bit big for her, you're right, he is. He's big and she's small.

So can these wild abandoned animals be tamed, and trusted to carry our children even? Will they show enough promise and improvement to be "let on" at the ranch?

"Can do!" says the ranch hand.

"They're cute!" says the daughter friend.

"Doubt it." says the boss man.


We'll see. I guess by October 11th.