Photo credit: jmperformancehorses.webs.com
I’ve rode good
horses
For most all my life
Showing ponies in
all-around
And reiners nation-wide
I’ve showed ‘em
near
And I’ve showed ‘em far
On fine reining
horses
Yeah, I’ve been a star
But as far as good
cowhorses
None can ever compare
To the first cutter
I rode
An ugly old crowbait mare
She was fat, she
was old
Sway-backed and long-haired
Her mane was sparse
and patchy
Her tail didn’t better fair
Liver brown with no
markings
And a surly look in her eye
Like a crabby old
widow woman
Scared me outta my hide
The guy brought her
on out
Handed
me the reins with a smile
Then said “get on
and go lope her
She ain’t been rode in quite a while
I swung into the
saddle
The stirrups way too short
Then loped her a
few circles
I felt all out-of-sorts
She had the
choppiest stride
Her ears were perpetually pinned
I bounced all over
the place
Too fast for my liking then
Couldn’t keep my
seat in a stop
Stirrups throwing my balance off
Wondered what I got
myself into
When in a rollback I was almost lost
Then the guy had me
stop
And turn her towards the cattle
Together we cut out
a cow
Me trying to sit deep in the saddle
“Put your rein hand
down on her neck
And hold on for dear life”
The mare went right
to work
And boy was she a sight!
Every sense in her
old body
Was locked onto that cow
Slinking down fast
and low
Like a tomcat on the prowl
She leapt back and
to the side
In a move of pure athleticism
Stopping that wild
cow short
I took back all my criticism
Always one step
ahead of the cow
She danced a jig back and forth
She sure knew what
she was doing
I just held on for all I was worth
It was over at the
lift of my hand
She stopped and backed away
And I knew for sure
by then
She’d been a champion in her day
I slid down and
handed off the reins
Feeling thrilled but a little bit sad
Because even to
this day she was
The best dance partner I’d ever had
