Although I always wanted a horse, it took along time until I got one. At 6years of age, I was one of those hopeful kids that held her ticket tightly at the Calgary Stampede, hoping this year they would call my number and I would win the Pony! I figured it could live in our garage and that was as far as I got towards plans. But in later years I would meet a woman fifteen years my senior that actually cleaned out her garage ahead of time for the pony she never got. But I have to be grateful for all those years my Grandfather took me to the Stamped grounds to check my ticket. He allowed me to hope and dream.
In the meantime I wasn't totally horseless. Whenever we went to visit family friends in Ogden, my brother and I would go to the pony place that for 25 cents would rent us a pony to ride all day! My brother being five years older and an avid viewer of cowboy movies, would attempt to mount up Roy Rogers style by running at the horse and placing his hands on its bum and leapfrogging on. I was most impressed. But we did it so much that by the time we went to the house to show everyone, the pony had gotten wise and would no longer stand nicely but kick out when he saw Frank running towards him.
We didn't go to visit half enough as I would have liked so in between we would go to the place where the dog food companies held their live horses. I never thought much about what was going to happen to these animals. One company was called The Red Top, and the other was Dr.Ballards. The pens were both just over a couple of hills from our house near Nose Creek in Calgary. Sitting on a high fence, at my brother's dare, I would jump on whatever horse I had selected and hope for a nice ride lasting more than eight seconds. I soon learned the colts were the hardest to stay on. The bigger, older horses seemed more gentle, but not always? I mean who knew at that age about horses being “broke to ride”?
I would continue most of my young years seeking and riding whatever horse I could find the opportunity to do so, right up into my late teens.
One of the best deals was when someone put two horses in a pasture not far from the Calgary Zoo. My brother by that time had left home but before he did he showed me how to use a piece of rope as an Indian jaw-bridle. It was pretty easy to leave home with a piece of rope in my back pocket and “go for a walk” No one seemed to wonder why I didn't take my dog on these walks, but he would have been a bother. What I did do, that let the cat out of the bag, was wear my Siwash Sweater my Mom had knit me. It had distinguishing rabbits designed into it. My mom worked in the General Hospital and from the solarium could see someone with just such a sweater down there riding horses!(Surely they must have used binoculars) In any case when I was home that night I was questioned, and lied, and then got two lickings. One for riding and one for lying. But it didn't stop me.
The next horses I found, I was really fortunate, I think some angel must have been looking after me. I made friends with what I thought was a beautiful black. I aptly named him Fury and with my little piece of rope on him, talked him into standing close to the fence and I baled on him! He was pretty good about it and I think he was as young and bored as I was. The only trouble was, so were the other horses bored and when they took to running, Fury and I had no choice but to be a part of the herd. It made for some exciting rides at times, but we spent many an hour on out own travelling the pasture day after day.
I was always one to play games of pretend with myself and deep into an imaginary story one day I neglected to watch for anyone approaching that might own these horses and because I was trespassing, would kick my scrawny butt out of there. Instead I was so happy and relaxed when a fellow said to me “Don't you know that horse ain't broke?” I came back with a smart remark of “He is now” I guess the man could see a good thing when he saw one and he went home and got me a bridle! Now I was really proud of myself. I must have been hiding the bridle somewhere near because i know I couldn't have taken it home with me or I would get in trouble for riding horses again! But I rode all summer and into the fall, at which time the fellow approached me and said Fury was for sale and did I think I could buy him?
