The Black Aunties

Twin Bridges Riding Academy, also owned a team or Workhorses.  They were black Percheron Mares, and had been christened with the illustrious name of "The Black Aunties".  There was not a huge call for their use and for most of their days they loafed about in the pasture with the mares and foals.  They took to caring for the foals almost like "babysitters" or pseudo-"Aunties."  Mary did not care for the heavy hoofed beasts, having had to spend an entire winter hauling water by hand to them. They would she said "Just as soon put a great bloody foot in the pail of water as drink it!"
 The Aunties paid for their keep by pulling the sleigh or the wagon for Hay Rides, which were popular with party-goers from Calgary.  Pops had picked up the team at one of the many horse sales and I think he quite enjoyed this bit of the past.  Only Pops or the two men helpers (Ken and Doug) drove the team for the hayrides.

 Being a city kid I knew nothing of teams and driving or harnessing up for that matter.  Still, if it had to do with horses I was interested for sure.  I received a lot of teasing when I first attempted to help with the harnessing.  I just plopped the "collar" over the horses' head and it was upside down!  Next the Aunties took off while I was supposedly in charge of the reins.  Luckily Ken was there to come to the rescue as I was pulling as hard as I could and they were just pulling harder!
On Halloween night in the fall, if we had a Hayride going out,  it would be necessary for us to patrol the farm and make sure no one accidentally threw a lit cigarette in the stack of Greenfeed we had painstakingly put up for winter  for the dude string.  On one of these nights, the men said they were hungry, so I went to the house to see what I could findin the fridge.  Pops had recently been hunting and Mary had cooked up half a dozen ducks.  I took one and made my way to the small bunkhouse where the guys were waiting.  We demolished the whole thing in record time and threw the bones in the burning barrel.  The next morning at breakfast, Pops (ever a big tease) commented  "Joyce must have gotten hungry last night.  She ate a whole duck-Bones and all!"

The two teens I hired to work with me for the summer, took a great liking to the Aunties and would often just put a rope on one of them and get on.  The aunties never protested and I think probably enjoyed the attention.  In good spirits, most of us would at different times "pose" for photos or ham it up.   Sometimes some of the customers did too. (And on one occasion with Trouble-so did I!)
My "farm" family had been extended with the addition of Marilyn and Jay and including Ken and Doug.  We really did seem to be like one big, happy family most of the time and I loved my life there.