I have to write about something that I witnessed first hand this weekend. I was checking in horses and assigning stalls at a well known horse sale in our area on Friday. The weather was just awful! The highs were in the mid 20's with windchills recording below 10 degrees. The little bit of rain followed by ice and snow put a nice icing on the cake for the sale! I enjoy being around that sale because I get to work with a few people I really enjoy, meet new friends and see old ones, and get to look at some good horses. Plus, who could turn down the opportunity to be outside all day in beautiful weather!!!!
As I was standing waiting on more horses to arrive, a young man that I had checked in earlier came and stood next to me. I could feel him staring at me so I said, "How's it going, bud?" He answered by asking me, "Aren't you the guy I met at Edd's that one time some years ago?" Well I'll be darn! It sure was! I had met him one time while he was working for a friend on mine riding colts. We exchanged introductions again and began a conversation pertaining to what he was doing, what horses he had in the sale, and what he planned on doing in the future. He is a student at Texas Tech and almost finished with his degree. He told me he dreams of working for a top named horse trainer and riding cutting horses. After a nice conversation, he went his way, and I continued on mine. It was really nice seeing a kid that took the time to remember me and acknowledge that.
The next evening as we stood in the brisk breeze watching the snow cover the ground, the kid rode by riding his little mare ponying his "old kid horse." He was smiling ear to ear! I asked if he made out alright in the sale. He happily told me what he got for both horses. The prices were really good, meeting more than his expectations and being very fair prices to the buyers! He trotted off to his stalls.
As I was walking looking for a certain horse for it's new owner, I noticed this kid at his stalls. He was rubbing on his mares forehead and talking quietly in her ear as he removed her halter. As he continued I walked over to him. With tears in his eyes, he looked up at me and said, "Dang, this is really hard. This is the first time I have ever done this." I told him, "Things that are worth doing are worth the emotion. If those ponies didn't mean anything it would be easy!" He proceeded to ask me for my number and ask if he could come ride with me sometime. As we shook hands, we wished each other well and parted ways.
WOW! I was so taken! I thought a lot about it over the last couple days! I am so glad that there is a generation following mine that has the desire to take horsemanship into the future for the right reasons. Money and fame make the world go around, but, I will say it again, if fortune and fame are the reasons you own/train/ride horses then maybe you're missing the whole point! Buck Brannaman says that one of the reasons he does clinics is because the next Tom Dorrance or Ray Hunt may be out there waiting to come forward! If anything that I do influences anyone to make a better way for horses and people then my work is accomplished! Keep working younger generations! We need you!
