To Heidi's Corral of Horse
Poetry and Quotes
The Horse Trainer
Cinch galls and rain scald, and thrush in the feet,
Mildew a growin' on your wet saddle seat.
Mud to the fetlocks, and caked on the back,
Another storm comin', and you don't get no slack.
Tangled up tails, and wet, matted manes,
Slickers a flappin' through the long winter rains.
Your leather gets wet, then cracks when it's dry,
So you soap it and oil it and ask yourself: "Why?"
Why would a man want to ride for his pay,
Through windstorms and cold, or rain everyday.
It's a labor of love, some call it devotion,
That takes a strong hold, like a mystical potion.
So you keep trainin' horses, and struggle each day,
Till the weather gets better 'bout the first part of May.
Your dull aching back, and battered up knees,
Are better endured with a warm summer breeze.
What keeps you a goin', each year after year,
When the wages you make barely pays for your gear?
You question your logic and ponder your sense,
Then the sun busts on through, raisin' steam off the fence.
You can see nature smilin', now that may sound odd,
But all of a sudden, you feel close to God.
Could that be the reason you ride those young broncs,
Instead of the barstools with wild honky-tonks?
Or is it the freedom of life in the saddle,
Workin' colts in the bullpen, or out cuttin' cattle.
You just can't explain it, and you'll never measure,
How a life of abuse could give you such pleasure.
So you'll keep on ridin', over canyon and rim,
Till the Great Master calls you, and you ride home with Him.
L.J. Schwiebert
This is one of my favorites.
The Baby Sitter
He ain't worth much to look at anymore,
He's just gettin' so darn old;
But the job he does now on the ranch
Makes him worth his weight in gold.
He's got a bad eye now and one bad wheel,
But don't you dare laugh at this critter,
'Cuz every day he earns his keep
As the world's best baby sitter.
'Sides, he paid his dues out long ago,
Draggin' plenty of calves to the fire;
You could work this big horse all day long,
And he'd never seem to tire.
He's a good ol' boy you could always catch,
And he'd jingle in all the rest.
They say in your lifetime you'll have one good horse,
And for us, this one's been the best.
We just keep him well shod with plenty of feed,
He always gets the best of care.
Daughter, Cowgirl, Lady
Our daughter's growing up to be a lady;
Her mother's working hard to make it show.
But baby girl is going to do it her way,
And it's sure fun to watch our daughter grow.
"She's just a little girl, she wouldn't like it."
Then why's she always wearing Daddy's hat?
And every piece of string's a lariat rope-
If she's not interested, now why is that?
She tries to wear his boots and put his spurs on,
And rides his saddle when it's on the rack.
She begs to go along when he goes riding,
She love's it when she's on a horse's back.
She hates to dress in frilly little dresses
And pretty shoes she looks at in disgust.
She likes her boots and old blue jeans much better,
The gals in high heeled shoes she doesn't trust.
Her tricycle must sport a lariat rope-
It's a pony, not a trike, now can't you see?
She thinks the other little kids are sissies
When their trikes go "Varoom"- HERS goes "Whinnee."
Her kindergarten teachers are desparing;
She plays cowboy, or she won't play at all.
She got in trouble with a little jump rope-
She heeled a janitor and made him fall.
The ladies club had scheduled its big meeting
And mother said her daughter had to go.
Mom hauled her off decked out in frills and fancy
With shiny hair brushed out and curled just so.
She got bored with the gossip session
And wandered out beside a little shed.
There were some little pigs just right to bulldog
From a stickhorse broom! She simply lost her head.
Oh she was having fun when Momma found her-
But more than joy was plastered on her face.
And Mother came home early from the meeting
With daughter in a state of high disgrace.
She's a friend with all the different barnyard critters
And wanders round them all with trust and love.
I know she has a private guardian angel
Who watches over her from up above.
One time she tried to ride her Grandma's pet sheep;
Got dumped off in a nasty patch of burs.
She didn't cry but Grandma heard her mutter
"I betcha next time I'll be wearing spurs!"
Her Granpa (old cowboy himself) adores her.
He thinks that everything she does is great.
(Including when she "helped" the dogs move cattle
And spooky yearlings busted down the gate.)
He said, "She's only learning how to do it-
She's working hard to learn to be a hand."
He saddled up a horse to go and gather,
And patched the gate up so that we could brand.
She really tries hard not to get in trouble-
It always seems to find her none the less.
She simply works so hard to be a cowgirl
That sometimes things just end up in a mess.
"She's just a baby," says her doting Grandpa,
"And she's a little cowgirl through and through;
But she is still a lady on the inside
It really COUNTS in there, and you know that's true."
Our daughter's growing up to be a lady
But cowgirl's can be ladys too, you know.
She's clean and pure and honest and good-hearted
And that's the way we wanted her to grow.
Jo Ellen Peterson
This is my very favorite ;-)
Far back, far back in our dark soul,
The horse prances....The horse, the horse!
The symbol of surging potency and power
of movement, of action, in man.
D.H. Lawrence
God Forbid that I should go to any heaven
in which there are no horses!
Robert Bontine Cunnungham-Graham
In the choice of a horse and a wife,
A man must please himself, ignoring
the opinion and advice of friends.
George John Whyte-Melville
Boot, saddle, to horse, and away!
Robert Browning
Oh! for a horse with wings!
William Shakespeare
But he, mighty man, Lay mightily in the
whirl of dust, forgetful of his horsemanship!
Homer
I hope you enjoyed these as much as I do,
And I hope you've had a good time!
This page will update as I find more things
to ad to it. Thanks for stopping by.
