From riding a red wooden rocking horse to the divan armrest to grocery store broomsticks. All the wannabe cowboy ever wanted was a real horse.
Mom and Dad insisted there must be a place to keep one and some way to pay for it.
Finally, two acres in the city limits were purchased with two bred Hampshire gilts to hopefully cover costs. Lifetime story revealed when one sow came up empty and the other had twins.
Then, Dad bought Spot at a farm sale in 1962, and Frankie had a horse. The gentle old mare was ridden around and around the block every day.
When the Santa Fe Trail Riders Saddle Club announced there would be a Kansas Western Horseman’s Association (KWHA) show, Spot just had to be entered.
Wooden bushel baskets were set up in the north one-acre pasture and Spot was “trained” the barrel race.
It cost a dollar to enter the barrel race, and last entry of four on the sheet was Spot.
Contestants were called and, “oh my gosh,” three barrels were set up in a straight line for the barrel race.
That wasn’t the barrel race Spot had been practicing every night for weeks.
She kind of knew the “cloverleaf,” where barrels were set in a cloverleaf pattern. That’s the only barrel race her wannabe cowboy owner-rider had ever seen or heard about.
Entries were closed so no getting out of it at that point. Spot was the final runner and got last place receiving a white rosette ribbon still hanging on the bedroom wall. First of a lifetime of horseshow booby prizes.
Never deterred, never very successful, wannabe cowboy kept trying year after year, decade after decade.
Several average, or even possibly better, horses were owned over time collecting a few tokens. Still mostly out of the money, often last place, due to jockey error; wannabe cowboy wasn’t ever a very good pilot.
Riding hundreds of customer horses, raising two dozen colts annually, judging horseshows nationwide, claiming an occasional ribbon, wannabe cowboy kept trying. Never talented, but energetic and determined in those olden days.
Participating in two horse shows a week throughout this summer in a half-dozen associations, wannabe cowboy went the full circle.
Upon coaxing from a previous riding customer, now longtime friends, wannabe cowboy started riding in Kansas Western Horseman’s Association (KWHA) shows this year.
Qualified in every running event, the wannabe cowboy didn’t think it was worth the effort and cost to get more booby prizes at the state KWHA show.
Those persuasive friends insisted: “You just have to go. You’ll have a good time.”
So, wannabe cowboy loaded up his talented homebred 22-year-old palomino gelding Cody and headed to Lyons.
First event out, wow, second place in the flag race against all of those “toughies.” But experience verifies starting with a respectable run is sign things can go south quickly.
Cody did his part, but the now old fat pot gut humpback wannabe just wasn’t cowboy enough.
Ending up placing in six of ten events, the wannabe cowboy got the most attention for being the oldest rider there.
No plans for quitting now, just keep getting on and trying not to embarrass good horses too much.