Fum and the Horses

   Young Fum, at two and half years of age. was a going concern, and I remember her following me around most mornings.  Upon waking she was only in the house long enough to eat and have her diaper changed and she was off to the horses.  She seemed to listen very well and so I didn't mind having her around. she was actually good company and could talk until the cows came home.
   I finally found out she had a perfectly normal name, Sarah. But somewhere along the line they had fed her too much apple juice and all eight of her front teeth were rotted and a little green looking.  I had never heard of or seen such a thing and when her mother called her Fumblina Greenteeth, it blew me away!  In any case, the nickname Fum stuck for many years.
   Although Fum was a little toughie and not quick to cry, one day she got stepped on pretty hard, so I took her up to the house for some attention and also it smelled like her diaper needed to be changed.

    Not twenty minutes later Fum was right back again. Now she wanted to ride.  "What horse" I asked her and she quickly replied," CHAH-LIE!"  And so I got Charlie out of the main corral and tightened the cinch on his saddle, threw Fum up and led them behind the tack sheds where they could go around and around in a circle and Fum would be content.  Once in awhile he would stop and as her kicking would be ineffectual,she would squawk and I would holler at Charlie to "Get-up" and he would!
   On a day when Charlie has already been duded out, we tried a different horse for Fum. Patches looked like a small workhorse and he wore an old highback saddle. It was high in the front and the back almost like a rocking chair. I thought she would be pretty secure.  Unfortunately Fum decided that day to go part way down the lane.  Patches started off well but somehow got turned around and headed for home faster than Fum usually rode.  Fum hung on hard for a time but then the rocking gait of the horse "rocked" her right out of the saddle!  When I saw her it looked like she was trick riding!  Here was this little kid, with the reins in one hand and the horn clutched tightly with the other while her body hung down his shoulder!  It couldn't last and it didn't.  As Patches came in the gate by the tack shed, Fums strength gave out and she plopped to the ground totally unhurt. Only a resilient kid could pull that off.  She was fine but declared she was going back to riding Charlie again and I agreed!
   Fum wasn't the only rider Patches brought home against their will.  We had quite a heavy woman come out every Saturday to ride.  She had once been given Little Goldie, who was the most willing to please horse in the string, and this woman asked for Goldie every time after that. However I felt Little Goldie was too light a mount to handle all that weight whereas Patches could certainly handle it.  So I talked her into taking Patches out. With the stirrups adjusted well in that highback saddle I felt for sure she would be up there to stay.  It mus t have been another Cranky day for Patches and less than an hour later I hears some shouting and here they came!! Thundering down the lane with everything flopping and flapping, the woman was still in the saddle but headed for home at a very good clip.  I really thought she was going to make it but,at the gate, she catapulted out of the saddle and landed on our metal oat pails waiting nearby to be filled.  I was at her side quickly and surely thought we would need an ambulance, but there was no blood and nothing broken.  The woman was only shook up and I imagine her adrenaline was pumping pretty good!
    It was an astounding phenomenon, that riders coming home out of control, would hang on hard as long as they were on their own and scared but upon reaching home and seeing me, they would give up and come off.  later in life I would explain to my students that what I was telling them could save their bacon but from the ground there was little I could do to physically "save" them.  It worked well and the kids knew to listen.
   Many dude Horses develop "tricks of the trade" so to speak and I think in the end it is a type of survival. Turning back and heading for home was an easy one for most of the horses and the Dudes themselves encouraged this by running the horses towards home.  The horses well knew when they got home they could rest and snooze and not pack these silly people around on their backs.