Mare and Foal

Mares eat oats, and does eat oats...
and little lambs eat ivy,
A kid'll eat ivy too, wouldn't you?
Milton Drake

I had to get up early to take baby Merrick and my daughter to the doctors office. The appointment was about an hour away. I saw these horses out in the pasture on the way there, and stopped on the way home to take their picture.

I have a love-hate relationship with horses. When I was about 5...on a vacation to the "show-me" state of Missouri...I mounted my first trusty steed. The steed was not so trusty. The horse bucked me off like an extra from an old episode of "Rawhide." (ROLL 'EM, ROLL 'EM, ROLL 'EM...KEEP THOSE DOGGIES ROLLING!!) I thought..."Forget the show-me state. I'LL SHOW-YOU. I'll never get on a horse again!!!"

I firmly thought I never would. BUTTTT...thirty years after biting the dust on that "bronco", I decided I needed to re-mount. A family at our church boarded horses, and had a big show arena inside one of their barns. The whole church was going over there for a pic-nic. The stage was set. The lyrics of a song by Marty Robbins rang out..."I picked a good one...he looked like he could run." I didn't want him to run. I didn't even want him to trot. Not a canter or a gallop either. I wanted a nice slooooow walk. Someone who knew horses led the horse around by that giant horse leash thing. I felt like a 5 year-old again...but I didn't care. "I WAS BACK ON A HORSE!!!" Haven't been on one since...and I have no plans to play like Roy Rogers or Gene Autry or even Gabby Hayes again.

A beautiful animal with beautiful babies. So majestic. Twice now... I've stood right next to the Budweiser Clydesdales. WHOA!!! The sheer size takes your breath away. As long as I can look and not ride...I'm OK.

Mamas...don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys.
Don't let 'em pick guitars and drive them old trucks....
Willie Nelson