Why did you buy an "Old" horse

                                                              Monty

Monty was headed for the slaughter house when I rescued him, cost me $1500.00 but he was worth the cost, he was twelve years old when I got him which really isn't that old as horses go.
One day as Cowboys are known to do I was bragging on him at work, it was shift change and the Loudmouth Know-It-All (every outfits got one and some are blessed with a plethora of them)
on Days asked me "Why you spend that kind of money on a horse that old?" well I told him "Glad you asked", and everybody knew there was a story coming " About eight years ago, during the fall I was asked by a friend to help gather in his cattle, He was grazing them up towards the Virgin river over into the Arizona strip, well it took the better part of a week to find all of them, see they were smart little doggies, they would brush up by day and if you aint ever seen that country Gene you wouldn't understand how tough it is" of course old Gene nodded his head and mumbled about knowing all about it, " Well we finally got all his cattle bunched up and started them towards the river" (which during the dry season is just a trickle) "Now on the sixth day we were still a day out from the pens and it was starting to get towards evening, none of us paid attention to the clouds building up towards the gorge, because this wasn't the rainy season for this part of the desert, we stopped at a nice sandy bend on the Virgin  and it seemed like a good place to bed them down for the night, we were lucky because there was a hill where we could camp and set up the chuck wagon, and as a bonus there was a nice wide draw leading down to the bend, easier on us and the horses when we stood watch. Right after chow first watch, sundown to midnight, was drawn by Stoney Greywolf, a full blood Cheyenne Indian, one of the best damned horsemen I ever met, and the rest of us hit the sack, well I had a new mountain sleeping bag and I was looking forward to being nice and toasty, my big mistake was to zip the thing all the way up, only my face was exposed to the night air, we were all sleeping hard  when around ten that night a storm rolled in, lightning was streaking across the dark clouds and thunder was rumbling, Old Bill and Red were sent down to help Stoney keep the herd calm and that just left Me, Big Jack and the cook at camp I dozed off again and next thing I knew Big Jack was screaming STAMPEDE!!! and I saw him running for his horse, I start struggling to unzip my bag and the damned thing was stuck and I can hear those steers pounding up the draw towards camp, there I was wiggling around like a grub worm trying to get out of the bag and possibly get out of the way of the cattle, but I just couldn't get the thing open and I said to myself This is one hell of a way to die but at least they'll find all the pieces in one spot, next thing I see is Monty pulling his pickett stake and cutting across the lead steers and he was heading right for me" now old Gene and every body else was on the edge of their seats and Gene said "What happened next? did you get out of the bag" 'No Old Monty he got to me before the herd did and you know he is a right smart horse..... as he passed me he reached down with his front hooves and tossed me over his shoulder and took off like a bat out of hell, and that's why I spent that kind of money on horse that old"
The collective groan from my work mates was said to be heard clear over to Glitter Gulch.
The moral of this story is Never Ever ask a Cowboy "Why did you do..."

"Captain Horse"

"Im the best Trainer and breaker of the Horse"
But we knew this was a lie, as a matter of course

"I train 'em to do it all and to "Respect Me"!!
 but if it saw him again, that Horse would flee!!

"After a lesson I tie 'em to a fence, so they can think"!!
From the Saddle sores he wore in 'em, they would just stink

And for the unlucky soul who gave him a task
Their stuff would turn up missing, dont even  ask

Here's to you Captain Horse,say you cant get a job anywhere ?
Honestly, to the Horses and people, that's only Fair !!



Dedicated to the Worst, most Dishonest S.O.B.
to ever sit a Saddle !!

Live Love Laugh
Mercury and the Herd

HOPE

                                                                        HOPE

Torn from a Mothers safety and unbounded Love
Alive by will alone of the Horse God above

Cold and wounded on the vast open range
Scared and confused, to Her it now looks so strange

Found by a Woman named Taylor
This Angel swore an oath not to fail Her

A plea was sent " A Wild One" is in trouble
And many who care arrived " at the double"

Rescued from those who would torture or kill Her
With gentle whispers by a Man, named Chris Miller

Safe and hungry no longer, Hope She is now named
For the remaining "Wild Ones", Pray for the same



Dedicated to Hope the Mustang foal, Taylor James of Reno Nevada and Chris Miller, Nevada Deptartment of Agriculture.

Live Love Laugh
Mercury and the Herd

keep them leashed

You let your dogs run loose off the leash thinking you had control
because of your actions they attacked my horse, I dont blame the dogs
Old Montys wounds will heal, both physical and mental, with time
but your dogs are paying with their lives for your negligence
you make excuses for this but the blame rests on your shoulders alone
YOU hurt my horse, not your dogs
YOU killed your dogs, not animal control
YOU are the one to blame
I've spent a couple sleepless night thinking about your dogs
and how they will die because of your negligence
SHAME ON YOU

The Great Bean Bush Massacre of '01

Way back in '01 I had been laid off from my job and to pass the time(read keep from driving my ex and kids goofy) and to be "Self Sufficient"( I had subscription to Mother Earth News) I decided to install a Vegetable Garden and since I sit on half an acre it was of epic proportions 40' x 40'(unless you have gardened before that's HUGE) I was also blessed with an abundance of manure from my 4 equines and forty odd chickens. The battle cry was do it "Old School",sooo I hand tilled the dry Las Vegas dust that passes as soil and amended the hell out of it ( I admit I cheated some and added some store bought steer manure) after this process (which took the better part of February) it was ready to plant.
I had selected two strains of corn(white and yellow, the yellow turned out to be the hardiest of the two) watermelon, cucumbers,tomatoes(vine type),red onions, scallions,sweet peas(which are not supposed to grow in the HOT sun of southern Nevada,but did) and green beans (bush type), I tended my little slice of Heaven with diligence and care using only 'organic' pest control (I.E. good bugs to kill and eat the bad bugs) weeding by hand and flooding it twice a day with good well water (I was driving several neighbors nuts with that,they were on city lines and had to pay for theirs) all my effort was paying off my 'babies" were thriving and big enough that I could let my chickens range into the garden as extra pest control and mobile tillers,then one fateful day I was called back to work,and it was good for I was on the night shift again(where I "Live and Breathe") I could still tend my garden after work...until late May/early June when the sun was coming up 2 hours before I got home(it gets brutally hot at that time in the southwest)so it was up to my Ex-wife to water and let the chickens into the garden, she did O.K. for a New York City native, she was only slightly intimidated by the Rooster, a white Leghorn (he wasn't that big as roosters go but he fit his name,"Godzilla")
The chickens were doing a great job of keeping the area bug and weed free only occasionally taking a nip out of the plants( hey its Vegas, tips are expected!) one morning after work (mid June) as was my routine I checked on the Garden and I couldn't quite place it but something was amiss, I stalked up and down the rows checking everything but didn't see what it was, however, the next morning after work it became apparent what was WRONG, my Bean Bushes were now Bean Twigs, not a leaf, not a flower nor a budding pod was left!!!! and before I could get into the house to inquire as to the reason, my Ex-Wife (moving faster than I had ever seen) came out and started explaining what had befallen my Beans,between sobs and sniffles she told me,and from her vivid description I had a vision of the chickens mounting an assault on the Bean Bushes worthy of  General Sherman's march to the Sea ( I never let her tend the garden or the chickens again) and being the Mulish soul that I am I left the Bean Twigs in the ground until harvest for our Fourth of July B-B-Q, no the canned beans WERE NOT AS GOOD. and that is the story of the Great Bean Bush Massacre of '01

Live Love Laugh

Poem

Man and Horse stand 'pon a hill
Stirring not, as the rocks so still
Neither Fame nor Reward does He seek
Only to defend the Innocent and Weak
Ever fighting those who fear Gods light
Feeling not wounds nor cold of night
Scarred and grey, fair of face no longer
Strife only serves to make him stronger
Knowing one day to a blade he must fall
He prays one such as he will follow the Call

Standing by a friend pt. 2

Shame on you Two ,you know who you are so no names will be mentioned, you Abandoned your "Friend" in the moment she needed your support the most, makes this Cowboy wonder if you are her friends.
One of you claimed you were with her 'Till the End' in very poetic terms,but now you need to 'Discover' your 'true self', well I hope you do find your 'true self ' but I have a suspicion you wont like what you see in the mirror when you do. One of you just pays 'lip service' to our talented soul but your 'Ostrich' approach to life doesnt work in this situation but I dont think your head is in the sand..its stuck somewhere else.
Our friend gives both of you the 'benifit of the doubt' but as this Cowboy sees it you both are unworthy of her Friendship and Love. BOTH OF YOU NEED TO STEP UP OR STEP OFF.
Just remember the story of the little red hen you two.

Live Love Laugh
 Mercury and the Herd