by saying that I love
and am
thankful#5: horses
I do not want to mislead you
I am not a cowgirl
nor do I pretend to be a cowgirl
because
“I am NOT a cowgirl.”
I used to ride..some.
when I was much younger
and the ground was softer
and not so far away from the seat of the saddle
and I was in CRAZY, MAD pursuit of a handsome, skinny cowboy
not that there is anything wrong with being a cowgirl
I simply
am not.
but
I am one
of who
I consider
the fortunate ones
having married
and have pledged
to have and to hold,
for better, for worse,
for richer, for poorer,
in sickness and in health,
until death do us part.
a cowboy.
although when I say to Cowboy Dan
as Sissy does in the movie Urban Cowboy
“you’re a real cowboy ain’t ye?” ( YES I know that’s “red”) (“red”=redneck)
his perpetual response
“I’m not a REAL cowboy.”
my rebuttal
“you’re as close to the REAL deal as anyone I know.”
and he is.
and he
LOVES HORSES!
HIS FERVOR,
understanding
and “way with a horse”
is unmatched
as far as I’m concerned
I would go even as far as to say
that ANYONE
who has ever seen Cowboy Dan
work a horse
(makes me giddy just to think about it)
saddle one
ride one
catch
trim or
shoe one
would agree
hands down
He is
a real Cowboy.
A horseman at heart.
Training and shoeing is how he has made a fine living for the past 15+ years
and though He is aging
and aches often
he complains little
in times when I’ve asked,
“if you could choose anything else IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD
other than shoeing horses to make a living what would it be?”
his sincere reply,
“there’s nothing else I’d rather do.”
I believe him.
Early in our courtship (I love that word..”courtship” ..it’s so dreamy)
I asked Cowboy Dan once.
and only once..
“If you had to choose between me and horses which would you choose???”
his firm response,
“don’t ever ask me to do that.”
and I haven’t.
Cowboy Dan’s
PASSION
and loyal devotion
to the four legged, majestic creatures
is infectious
it
inspires
stirs
and
invigorates me to
delight in
horses
as well