Dashing Big Red

Dashing Big Red has become a special bright spot in my life. I was on the look out for a horse and went to visit my cousins one day. I used to ride my mother's cousin's horses. Archie had gorgeous horses that I envied. I wanted to one day own a horse as wonderful as his Jitter Joe or Sweet Patty. I actually got to ride Sweet Patty and I remember she was something really special. A beautiful strawberry roan mare. Annyyyhooooo......I was telling Archie I would like a 15.2+ gelding AQHA that could rein or do rollbacks because that was FUN.

Just after that, I got hurt trying out a gelding that I thought would work for me. I slowly recovered and still wanted a horse as surely as before. Archie's brother called Mom with the news that their cousin's husband had passed away. Mom told my cousins I had been hurt on the horse! When we got to the funeral home my cousin asked if I was trying to get a job busting bronc's!

Archie said he had a horse for me to look at that he had rode a bunch of times. A Palomino. So I told Archie I would come up and look on Saturday. He said "Bring your Mom!" So on Saturday after Christmas Barry, Mom and I trotted up the country to Archie's house. We visited with Arch and he said the people that owned the Palomino backed out but he had another horse for me to see. Off we go - over the river and through the woods - Archie said they were so far up the country they had to pipe in daylight.

We got to the people's house and had been raining for hours. They had an open air tin barn and the raining was making quiet a bit of racket. There stood a patiently waiting gelding - red as he could be. Saddle all neatly in place - him calmly watching me.

His owners are the nicest people and had owned him since he was a yearling. Because it was raining Barry and I neither one rode him but Margaret did. The gelding is Dashing Big Red and is a retired race horse with a AAA racing index and has won 2 races. He smelled so good. She gave me a price that I could afford and I liked how calm he was. They showed me pictures of him winning - what a thrill that must have been.

I said we would come back and ride him next Saturday and hoped the weather was nice!

On Monday Bridget and I went up to see him but I first got on her little mare at Tyrrell Park. First time I had got on since being thrown. We went up to the country to see Big Red after that. Bridget thought he was terrific. He is slow as Christmas unless you really get after him...but that suits me fine. I need to go slow now! I am going to buy this boy!

The following Saturday Barry and I went up to see Red. We picked up Archie and away we went. Barry rode him and so did I. He is such a sweetie. I got to groom him and he amazes me how calm he is. We looked at Archie's horses and came back towards home. We ate at the Catfish something or another and we had a good time.

On Sunday I went to check out a Billy Cook saddle in Sulphur, La. The saddle is 18" so it is big but so is my backside. I bought it contingent upon it fitting Red. I told him I would take it up to try it on him tomorrow and I would let him know. It was raining and yukky.

Monday it was raining and yukky. I called Margaret to make sure she would be home. I went to the Orange WM, to the cake meeting that I was the only one who was there, to the Horseman store in Orange (clothes, etc but no tack) and then headed up to Kirbyville through Mauriceville. I remembered how to get to their house with no problem and they live "where they have to pipe in daylight". It is a fun trip in my RAV. Ronnie and Margaret liked the saddle and said it wasn't broke and was barely used. It fit Red just fine. He was going to follow me when Ronnie was saddling him. I turned to go get my camera and he took steps after me. Bless his heart. Margaret rode him in the saddle and was fine. Yay. I talked to her about putting a handle on Red so she is going to ride him everyday and put a handle on him. It is $18 per day so that is good for me. I want him to neck rein. I left and went to the Jasper store and then home.