First One In A Long Time

[gcreekrch]

Ol' Red has never complained about anything I've hauled on it.

When we did use horses for exclusively I carried pretty much anything on them once they were well started. The only one that had an aversion to a load was my old Dollar horse. He would carry any load I put on him but a coyote. Every time I caught one when I was trapping it was a 5 star bronc ride. Sometimes he won but we always came home together with our catch of the day.
Wolves he carried without a fuss but when I had to load a coyote my coat came off for a blind and then I would tie one front foot up. He could still cow-kick with that rigging on if you didn't pay attention. By the rollers in his nostrils and the quiver in his whole body he gave the impression that it was the first time he had ever been saddled.
Once the load was tied down I would mount up, remove the blind and put it back on, take a deep seat and let his foot down again. At times he would step right out and try to catch me unaware but most times he would shake the kinks out of both of us immediately.
He was 17 when I loaded the last coyote on him and the performance was no less spectacular than any other.
Dollar was raised by Conrad Berg of Neidpath Sask. and I bought him from a fellow who had made trade with the Gang Ranch and then couldn't handle him. He was a 4 year old when he became mine and I shot the old boy for bear bait when he was 27. He performed his last job as well as he did the rest of the tasks he was given.

Congratulations on the successful calving NR, our LAST calf of 2011 was born Dec. 28 to a cow that we bought as a pair last May. Looks like one more to come early from that bunch and then we can sleep til' April.