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  • From: "Lynda" <lurine AT com-pair.net>
  • To: <homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] Not so fast
  • Date: Mon, 26 Apr 2010 11:19:10 -0700

Yes. Back in the dark ages when we were hauling horses, you'd find the same hardcore folks at all the shows. We showed halter, Western, English, jumping/hunters and gymkhana. At the gymkhana shows there was a really nice little grade mare (3/4 Quarter, 1/4 Arab). For the horse people, she was a copper penny sorrel, flaxen mane and tail, four white socks to just below the knees and a star, strip and snip. Big ol' Arab eyes. Just a beautiful horse. Our old (yes, she was old, 18 to be exact) Quarter mare, Gramma, and that mare, Suzy in Red (fuzzy red breast strap, fuzzy red nose roll, red saddle blanket) traded first and second for the whole season and ended up tied for the state championship. Suzie in Red won one more class than Gramma at State and finished as Champion with Gramma as reserve.

We didn't see Suzi the next year on the circuit. We had a woman and her daughter approach us about buying a coming 4 year old from us. Told her she wasn't ready but we'd put some finish on her and sell her to them at the end of the next show season. Did the whole hand shake thing and chatted about Sea Witch whenever we saw them for the rest of that season.

The next year we saw her kid riding Suzi in Red. By the middle of the show season we found out that the guy who had raised and shown Suzi had sold her to them with the express understanding that she was to be a broodmare and not be shown.

That was upsetting enough. However, you would have to understand Gramma and Suzi to understand just how upsetting it was. We always pulled the bridle off Gramma and loosen the cinch as soon as her class was finished. Suzi got the same treatment. Gramma would follow us back in the ring to get her ribbons. So would Suzi. The only difference is that Suzi would take her ribbon and then kneel on one knee, stick the other leg out front and wave her ribbon up and down to the crowd. Everyone loved Suzi. Gramma and Suzi loved the competition. They'd just about run down the guy at the gate if he didn't open it fast enough so they could run the course.

Suzi didn't like to run anymore. She had to be led into the ring. She'd bulk. AND, Suzi had never had a crop used on her. Nor had she spent the whole day standing in the sun being someone's chair.

We got to State and they were supposed to finalize the sale on Witch and haul her home with them. I came around the corner of the rodeo pens, taking a short cut to the trailers, and I found mom hollering at Suzi and the daughter beating the crap out of her, welts on her and her mouth bleeding. She was being punished for not getting anything better than a 2nd all day.

I pulled the kid off the horse and told the mother that if they ever took a crop to the horse again that I'd take a crop to them! Mom's screaming that I can't do that. Then she had the audacity to ask when she could pick up Witch. Ah, in her dreams!

I called Suzi's prior owner, he arrived and wrote out a check for $500 and took the horse. Mom, again screaming, you can't do that. By then animal control was there and gave them the choice of being hauled off to jail and being charged or selling the horse.

Long story not so short <g> yeah, there are circumstances that can make a deal not a deal. Rare but they do occur.

Lynda
----- Original Message ----- From: "EarthNSky" <erthnsky AT gmail.com>

Just curious, do you ever feel that there is just reason to break your
word, once you give it? Let me be more specific, and this question is
really for everyone...In a homestead deal, regarding land, as in Don's
case, or a homestead resource, like wood for heat, or even seed
saving,,,is it ever okay to go against your word, and if so under what
conditions?





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