VOTE - Past Animal Friends

[Chickshunt2]

1.JD Balerman

2.jodywy

3.Haymaker

4.caljane

5.chickshunt2

6. faster horses

 

[katrina]

If only I could be as good a person as my dog thinks I am.... Love the first one..

 

[Faster horses]

If only I could be as good a person as my dog thinks I am.... Love the first one..

Isn't your quote just the truth!!!

I love the expression on the dogs face in the first one, and ohhhh,
I do have a soft spot for the Blue Heelers.

Thanks for the entries. Choosing one isn't going to be easy!

 

[JF Ranch]

I like this category. Knowing that each animal represented was "special" in the eyes of it's owner, makes each photograph more meaningful.

 

[Faster horses]

I like this category. Knowing that each animal represented was "special" in the eyes of it's owner, makes each photograph more meaningful.

I fully agree, JF Ranch.
Perhaps we should have made a requirement of those who entered to tell a bit about why they chose this particular animal. I hope each person who entered will do that anyway!

 

[MsSage]

dang I missed it.....been having too many incidents at work ....

 

[gcreekrch]

I like this category. Knowing that each animal represented was "special" in the eyes of it's owner, makes each photograph more meaningful.

I fully agree, JF Ranch.
Perhaps we should have made a requirement of those who entered to tell a bit about why they chose this particular animal. I hope each person who entered will do that anyway!

You start, I voted for the old sorrel. Looks like an honest old campainer.

 

[Faster horses]

I like this category. Knowing that each animal represented was "special" in the eyes of it's owner, makes each photograph more meaningful.

I fully agree, JF Ranch.
Perhaps we should have made a requirement of those who entered to tell a bit about why they chose this particular animal. I hope each person who entered will do that anyway!

You start, I voted for the old sorrel. Looks like an honest old campainer.

grceek, that is Mr. FH horse 'Flinch'. We bought him when he was four and
he was a bit touchy to even get in the stall with, hence his name.
When we bought him his mane was long, thick, and ropey and it went between his ears and
clear down to the end of his nose. He truly looked like a bronc. :shock:
We got him from our
neighbor who didn't think we would really want him but
he let us try him for a couple of weeks. We rode up and got him
and led him home, and all the way home I tried to get Mr. FH to take him
back. (I didn't convince him.) Anyway, Mr. FH started working with him and riding him and
after about 10 days-2 weeks he came to the house and he
said, "I think I got myself a horse." Then he proceeded to tell me that after being 'flinchy' all this time, he
was leading him across the barn and the horse tried to take one of the
gloves out of his hip pocket. From then on, he was Mr. FH's horse.

He matured to 16-1 hands (measured, not guessed) and he weighed
1435 almost all his life. He was an athletic bugger and smooth as glass to ride.
He wasn't a wide horse, just long muscled and tall. Anyone
that rode him said he was a 'cadillac ride.' He never got totally over being
spooky, but when he was on a hunt for a cow, that all went away. He was
so cowy and a wonderful horse for us. Mr. FH team roped on him and won
several buckles and he used him in the Rancher class at some of the
Cow Horse local shows. Except for roping, he rode him in a snaffle bit most of the time.
He was really broke and had a lot of bend in the middle. He always used
his back end, never slammed you on his front-end. Never.
Flinch never needed a tie-down in or out of the arena and he never, ever
got his nose in the air. I don't know why, he just had a wonderful head
set. The way he carried himself, and as athletic as he was,
he was a very attractive horse along with
being a good partner. In this picture he was 30 years old. We had two
really good horses at the same time, the other horse is on the other side
of Flinch. We had to have Flinch's buddy put down
because his heart was failing and that was tough.
With Flinch, he was in the corral and we fed him that morning,
left to go to Miles City and when we got home,
he was laying dead in the corrral. That was actually easier
than making the call to have the vet come do it at some point.

So you are right, gcreek, he was a good old
campaigner. He was always 'all horse' and tended to be spooky, but he
never, ever got hot. He was a thinker and the tighter spot you got in with
him, the better he was. We were so fortunate to have him for those
26 years.

 

[caljane]

Love the story of your sorrel, Faster Horses!

I thought some of the guys here would appreciate this picture of my old gelding "Foxy":

This was the only day as long as I had him that anybody called him "pretty", at the ranch he was known as "CalJane's ugly paint", to me
he was known as the life insurance horse that could do about anything I asked of him - chase down cattle with me, give kids a ride around the
corrals, or teach my old mom, who never sat on a horse before in her life, how to work cattle.
By the way: the girls are professional models, I only supplied the horse :lol:
I bought him because I was sick and tired of the 2year olds at the ranch bucking me off - he was skinny, lifeless and cheap at an auction. He
bucked on his first ride with me - go figure. A couple of month later I got a call from a lady in Kansas - she owned two foals out of him and needed
his DNA. My scrawny gelding had been, unknown to me, a breeding stud before I got him. A grandson of Painted Robin - not that I knew anything
about Paint bloodlines at that time.
He went on a lot of adventures with me during the 8 years I had him, he passed away due to colic complications. He was always indifferent to
people - but when he was sick he showed all the trust a horse can have in "his" person to help him.

What's the story of the beautiful gray, chickshunt? And the dog with the big eyes?

 

[Soapweed]

I managed to miss putting a picture in the photo contest, but would like to pay tribute to the finest horse I have ever owned. This was written in 2005.

My "perfect" horse is now 23 years old, as of this spring. I am continually looking for a good young gelding to take his place, and have bought and traded quite a few in recent years in my search, but none have all the qualifications that he does.

I purchased Tom Cat when he was a two-year-old and broke him myself. He is a grade horse, and shows a bit of Percheron. When he was young, he was almost a grulla color, but turned grey and is now almost white. He has feathers on his legs, but is a pretty good looking horse if these feathers are trimmed off each spring. All four hooves are well-shaped and his legs are sound with adequate bone. He stays in good flesh, and has a tough enough hide that he has never been cinch sore. His withers are just right to hold a saddle in place, and he travels true and is steady on his feet.

Tom Cat stands 15 hands plus two inches, and weighs 1200 pounds. On his nose is a "mustache", and this is a characteristic shared by the best three horses I have owned through the years. Even though the intelligence of a horse is said to be related to how high the cowlick is on their head, Tom Cat's cowlick is below the level of his eyes. It doesn't seem to matter in his case.

This good grey horse has speed, endurance, cow sense, and a good traveling running walk. He is a bit rough, and when he is after a cow you'd better hang on tight or he'll get out from under you. He is fun to rope calves on in a branding corral, as he does his best to help you get into position. If you miss, he gets mad.

When doctoring cattle out in the pasture, Tom Cat works real well. He can sneak around in the herd, while they are gathered at a windmill or in a fence corner. He tries hard to put you in the right position to slip on a loop without disturbing the herd. If you miss a couple times, and your quarry gets wary, he will ease them to the edge of the herd and give you all the speed needed to catch the critter. After that bovine has been doctored, he calms right down so you can try to sneak a loop on the next victim.

Tom Cat is gentle for anyone to ride, but he still has spirit to carry a person all day without tiring. You can open barbed wire gates from his back, carry a calf over the saddle horn, or drag a calf sled. Nothing bothers him except getting wormed twice a year. He absolutely hates the mere thought of the slippery paste sliding down his throat.

He is a friendly cuss, and can be caught out in the pasture if you have a piece of "cake" in your pocket. Ride him bareback until you get to the barn, and then slide off and brush the white hairs off your britches.

All in all, ol' Tom Cat is just a member of the family. He has turned into such a perfect horse, that he is the yardstick by which I measure all others. I haven't yet found one that can walk in his shadow. Though he is 23 years old, by looking at him and watching him in action you would think he was an eight-year-old. He truly enjoys being a full-fledged partner in the operation of this ranch.

***Since this was written in April of 2005, I have sold the horse to Ranch Mom and her husband, K_Ranch, for their kids to ride. Last I knew, the kids really liked him and it seemed to be a perfect match.

Tom Cat on Leander Creek

Photo taken later in the day

Tom Cat, Sunflower, Soapweed, and Sparky

Homecoming parade at Cody, Nebraska. The Cody Cowboys played the Arthur Wolves that day.

Tom Cat with Sunflower on board

Dragging a calf

Going after another one

Soapweed and the Kosmo Kid on Tom Cat

 

[JDBalerman]

ROCKY was actually our neighbours dog. He came from places unknown and he never revealed his secrets. Rocky wormed his way into their, and our, hearts. He babysat our puppy till she grew up and then he was a constant companion for her. Rockys' heart was a pure as gold and as large as a truck. His favorite toys were a ball inside the house and a rock (of course) outside. He would guard them for hours from everyone except our Annie. The only time Rocky almost got into trouble was the day he tried to steal a "hot from the oven" freshly baked loaf of bread. it was still so hot that he cried every time he tried to pick it up, but he wanted it so bad that he kept trying. It looked so funny that we couldn't reprimand him.
May ROCKY rest in peace.

 

[Chickshunt2]

The gray in this weeks contest is my past love. Semper Fi was a TB who lived up to his name more than once over the years, even if he did think his mom was crazy for moving him from his big city cushy boarding barn to some pasture in ND...he never really did get over being a spoiled show horses. He would grow a wooly as all get out winter coat and still expect you to put his snuggy body suit and winter blanket with full hood on him. If you didnt he would just mope in the run in area of the barn. It was sort of funny. I mean nothing was wrong with him at all but he just thought snow meant end of the world without his blankey on. He carried me to many blue ribbons, taught me a lot about riding and saved my tush on a jump or water bank more than twice. If I did happen to come off he always worked very hard not to hurt me/step on me and once even did a mid air half twist and then threw himself to the ground to not hit/crush me. Tho we got DQ'd that day because I came off him the judges called us back in during the placing and gave him a 1st for rider loyalty. It was the most talked about "issue" that weekend at the show, how my horse didnt kill me....yea the good ones are really hard to say good bye to.

I should add that after we moved " out west " This horse also learned what a cow was and he loved playing with them. He wasnt the skinny TB type and many folks would remark that they hadnt seen many cow horses that were his height. He was every inch of his 17.2 hands. If you look closely in the pic I have posted you can see a pair of boots by his front hooves. The person that is standing behind this horse is 6'1 and not a small guy yet Semper blocks all but his boots out. God I loved that horse. If I ever hit the lotto for big big money I would have to check into just would be needed to clone him.