A few days ago, Dr. Don and myself went over to my mothers ranch to clean out horse stalls.  We spent two days hauling truckloads of horse manure and soiled sawdust out of the stalls and barn.  We replaced it all with fresh and clean sawdust. 

On the second day, we finished the arduous job and I proceeded to wrangle the horses back to the field that leads to the barn.  I grabbed a scoop of my mothers specially mixed equine feed and walked out into the muddy field where I had them secured. 

I walked close to the six of them, including one gelding and five mares.  I whistled for them to follow and shook the feed bucket.  They happily came running thinking that it was feeding time.  At the same time, Dr. Don was watching from a safe distance.  He’s afraid of horses!

Before I knew it, I was surrounded by them with nowhere to go.  As I laid the bucket down and started shooing Sunny, one of the mares, back, the gelding decided he wanted the entire bucket for himself.  Docxy, the eldest mare and my favourite out of the bunch, side kicked him in the arse coming within centimetres of me.

Remembering my father getting kicked and almost killed, I turned to Dr. Don with an ashen face and eyes as big as feed buckets and waited for him to say something.

He’s always insightful.

He walked up with a blank countenance, put one leg up on the rustic fencing, spit his beloved chewing tobacco, and said, “Yep………..I told you women are cruel, and you didn’t believe me”.

I couldn’t do anything except laugh.  The gelding is fine except for his pride.  I guess he’ll stay out of the head bitches feed bucket from now on. 

Me?

Life is grander than it has been in a long while and only getting better.  I’ve been out chasing after mares every night since.  The two legged kind.  

P.S.: The song, I’m Alive, is by Kenny Chesney and Dave Mathews.  I had to add something a wee bit country western to any post that speaks of horses and manure.