Those horses get just like the people what owns ‘em

Jo Bek

By Terri Jo Bek, Professor, Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture

People always say, “Good help is hard to find.” My dad’s motto seemed to be, “We don’t care how good they are; if they survive, we’ll consider them trained.” Most of the people that he enlisted to help were actually pretty good hands. It was some of the help they brought along with them that caused the occasional wreck. Of course, if all was going well Dad might be the instigator of the wreck himself.

Dad enjoyed having people around and pulling practical jokes on unsuspecting individuals. That was one of his favorite activities. This also seemed to be the sort of people that would show up to help when we worked cattle or moved them from place to place. When I was attending college, both at Emporia State University and Colby Community College, he would call and say, “Why don’t you bring some of those fat girls home and we’ll work cattle?” Now, you have to understand that few to none of my friends could be termed “fat” in any remote sense of the word. This was my dad’s way of saying, “Why don’t you bring some of your friends home and we’ll see what we can do for entertainment.”

On one such occasion two friends from Colby decided they would come home with me during the fall semester and help drive our dad’s cows home from pasture. We unloaded in the southwest corner of the pasture and were proceeding to the backside, where we would spread out and make sure that we hadn’t left any livestock behind when we headed to the gate in the west fence. As we rode toward the opposite corner of the pasture, I could see a rider approaching from that direction. I asked Dad who it was and he said it was a guy that he’d met that worked in the local feedlot who was a pretty good hand.

As the rider came closer and closer to us, I could see his horse shying from something and appearing to be quite “goosy” about riding forward toward us. Closer and closer the rider approached, with his horse snorting and shying instead of riding forward with confidence. With several yards separating us, I realized that the horse was shying from something white wrapped around its breast collar. The ends of the white material kept flying around, causing the horse some anxiety. Once again the thought was running through my mind, “Where in the world did Dad find this guy?” Once we were all close enough to stop and for Dad to introduce everyone, it was obvious on closer scrutiny that the flapping white material was toilet paper that had been carefully wrapped around the breast collar of this man’s horse.

Dad introduced us to Norman Wilson. I was waiting in high anticipation as to the explanation for the toilet paper. As it happened, Mr. Wilson was eager to enlighten us as to its purpose. It seems that Norman Wilson grew up in Kansas, but very close to the Oklahoma border, so when he speaks there is a certain twang in his voice that can be heard in most of us that have lived in the Flint Hills very long. The farther south you go, the more pronounced it becomes. Norman informed us, “Iaaa hearrrrd that we were going to have some college girrrrrls along, soooo Iaaaa thought Iaaaa would sellll this toilet paper for a nickel a squaaare!” He accomplished this explanation without cracking even a hint of a smile. I looked at my friends and then at my dad. I was really wondering where Dad had managed to dig this one up. Finally, Norm and Dad cracked up. I would later learn as Norm and his family helped out on many occasions, that even though one is 99.9% sure that he is pulling your leg about something, there is that 1% of the time that causes you to hesitate while scrutinizing his implacable facial features to discern that this might be the one time that he is telling you the truth.

He nearly convinced a couple of young ladies that he had a dog that rode horses and played an instrument. They had come home with me after I had decided to sell my cows because my dad was ill and would no longer be able to take care of them. Norman was helping us and we had stopped and driven to town while I was doing some paperwork on some horses. They were all visiting about dogs, another of Norm’s favorite subjects. One of the girls mentioned that they owned a Corgi that liked to ride with them on their horses at her home. Norm said that he had a Corgi that liked to ride on horses as well, but he had to quit taking the dog along because he was annoying the other cowboys when the dog would start playing its harmonica. Now, one of the girls had been around Norm previously and the other one had spent a couple of days with him. However, as I observed them out of the corner of one of my eyes I noticed that Norm was wearing that look on his face that made everyone stop and wonder if he was telling the truth or not. Both girls were closely scrutinizing him, but he never wavered. Jodi finally said, “Right, Norm, right.” Then we all started laughing. He said, “I had you going didn’t I?” They both agreed that for a couple of seconds they were contemplating a harmonica playing Corgi. While my dad had the “stare,” Norman had the “look.” Even after all these years he still catches some of us from time to time.

Nebraska 4-H Profile

By Noel Ochoa, Veterinary Technology Student, Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture

In today’s fast-paced society, it can be difficult to attend college, train horses, participate in sports, and compete in fairs and shows. And yet, Holly Bishop of Beatrice, Neb., has managed to do all of that. Having been around horses while growing up, Bishop has continued with her passion for horses, working them all the way to college with great plans for the future.
Bishop graduated from Beatrice High School and is a freshman at Hastings College majoring in biology as part of her pre-vet studies. Last fall, she was also a part of the Hastings College rodeo team, competing as a barrel racer. Aside from her horses and rodeos, Bishop is also on the track and field team. While at the moment she is unemployed, Bishop has spent past summers working for neighbors carrying out such duties as cleaning stalls, halter breaking foals, and riding some older horses. This upcoming summer she is planning on partnering up with someone and training barrel horses.
Having been around horses her whole life, Bishop has been in 4-H for 11 years. In 4-H, she shows dairy cattle and works with quarter horses. Both of these animals are taken to county fair, state fair, and Ak-Sar-Ben by Bishop and her family. With the horses, Bishop participates in poles, barrels, and working ranch. Occasionally, she’ll do some western riding or trail classes, just to give her horses a bit of change in routine. The Bishop family has 11 horses currently. Holly owns four of them. She owns Cuervo, a two-year-old gelding, two five-year-old mares, Sandee and Lena, and a ten-year-old mare she calls Peppy.
Bishop does all the training needed in preparation for competitions with her horses. “It takes time,” she said, “but it means a lot more after you make a great run when you’ve done all the work yourself.” She broke and trained Sandee and is planning on breaking Cuervo this summer. Peppy, who she has had for about two years, was a cattle working horse until Holly trained her for barrels and poles. Lena is the newest addition to the group and has just recently started working on the barrel pattern.
For the last two summers Peppy and Bishop have qualified for state in both poles and barrels. At the 2009 Gage County Fair they won the Grand Champion Senior Barrel Racing and the Reserve Grand Champion Senior Pole Bending. In September, they attended Ak-Sar-Ben and won the Senior Pole Bending and got third in the barrel racing. Bishop considers herself lucky to have a horse like Peppy and hopes to keep improving their times. Bishop also competed on the Gage County Horse Judging team and won at the Nebraska State 4-H Horse Expo in July. They got the chance to go to the National Western Stock Show in Denver for judging in January. The other members of the team were Erin Dorn and Jared Pinkerton.
Bishop’s passion for horses has led her to say that she can’t imagine going on after college without horses in her life. She would like to continue barrel racing and go on to raise some foals of her own. Her favorite part about working with horses is how easy they are to bond to. “Once they trust you and you have an understanding between each other, they will do about anything for you. There’s really no other feeling to compare it to.” In order to be able to succeed at college, sports, barrel race, and train horses, one must have a great level of dedication and an unwavering passion for horses. Bishop is a Nebraska 4-H’er who has demonstrated that there really is nothing in life that can take you from what you love as long as you work for it. With the dedication and passion for horses Bishop has, it will take a lot more than a fast-paced society to slow her and her horses down.

A few tips on training
Usually, a horse will not begin formal training until it is around two years old. However, foals are able to learn how to behave around people from a very early age.
It is important to spend as much time as you can with your young horse so it will become used to being around you, and by extension, other people.
The first part of the training session is used to warm up the horse.
Longeing is a typical method of warming up.
Next, you should practice those things the horse already knows before introducing something new. Any new skill should be just a tiny alteration on something the horse already knows. Building on previously attained skills is the key to successful training.
If you add a new piece of equipment, take it back off after just a few minutes. Repeat this for a few days. Then let the horse wear it during longeing. Once he is accustomed to wearing a saddle, have someone sit on him briefly as he stands still. Work up to longeing with a rider.
Another example of something to add gradually is a bit. A young horse must learn to accept a bit as something normal and natural to have in its mouth, and this won’t happen overnight.
The saddle should likewise be introduced slowly. The stirrups and leathers should be removed initially. Allow your horse to see the saddle, then just hold it over him, not touching him, until he loses his fear of it. The first time you place the saddle on your horse, be ready to do a lot of reassurance and stroking. Next time, introduce the girth, then the leathers and stirrups. Add each new thing when your horse has lost his fear of the last new thing.
Lastly, all training sessions must end with a cool down period.
Finally, remember that your horse will take its cue from you. If you are calm and unafraid, so will your horse feel. If you move, your horse interprets this as a change of direction from its lead mare and will move, too. Once your horse understands your body language, he will naturally follow your lead.

A bit on bits

By Dr. Cory S. Reng, DVM, assistant professor, Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture
While I was out traveling to a convention this weekend I stopped by a tack store, because who can resist a tack store, especially if there is a “super blowout sale” sign in the window. As is my custom, I always peruse the arsenal of bits available to the horse owner. While examining the very pretty, shiny, collection of bits, I happened to overhear a common tack store conversation.
“I am looking for a bit with more whoa,” said the young female horse owner, “what do you recommend?” The equally young salesperson started walking the buyer through the selection of bits on the wall, guaranteed to add control, stop, lift shoulders, and make perfect head sets. The buyer said that would be great, but she didn’t want one that was too severe. She then picked out a bit with eight inch shanks and a cathedral port.
The whole conversation got me to wondering. How are people measuring severity? By buzz words and sales pitches, or by looking at a bit’s features and considering the mechanical forces that these features place on the soft tissue of a horse’s mouth.
Remember that a bit is a simple machine, like a shovel. Its shape and length move forces from one point to another, like any other lever. Bits are a second-class lever, in that the attachment of the bit to the headstall is the fulcrum, the shank is the effort arm, the purchase is the load arm and the mouthpiece is the load. The force that can be exerted on the load
(mouth) is a function of the total length of the lever from the end to the fulcrum.
So you see, the shank and purchase of a bit gives the rider a significant mechanical advantage. There are several other bit features that add to severity. But always remember the force you put on the reins is not the force the horse feels unless you are riding in a snaffle (no shank, no
leverage) bit.
I left the tack store without any new toys, but I did feel confident that the young equestrian would be getting a 1:5 advantage over her horse. I wonder. . . . what will her horse do about it, stop five times easier, or fight back five times harder?

Those horses get just like the people what owns ‘em

By Terri Jo Bek, Professor, Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture

In many areas of the country, just because it is winter and the snow flies doesn’t mean that people stop riding their horses and doing their jobs. At home my dad would buy southern yearlings through the fall into January and we would doctor those cattle out on brome that ran along a creek south of the house. When I was about seven or eight years old, my job was to ride behind my dad holding onto a bottle of Terramycin and a 50 cc metal syringe, one in each hand. I held onto the tie strings on the back of the saddle for dear life while my dad roped the sick yearlings. He would then take the medicine and syringe and go down the rope and doctor the sick steer. I never mentioned that racing along at full speed with him swinging a rope over my head scared me to death. At such a young age, I felt certain that if I just closed my eyes it wouldn’t be nearly as scary as keeping them open. Of course, I now realize that instead of feeling like we were cruising along at 70 mph it felt like we were flying along about 90 mph.
One cold morning we were west of our place in a group of cattle that Dad looked after for a neighbor. It was icy in places, had thawed somewhat where the sun hit the ground and then turned slick again in the shade. I guess Dad thought the ground situation was a little dicey, so he set me down on the ground with my syringe and medicine. He was riding my kid horse, Beaver. He roped the steer in open ground where the sun had been shining; however, before things came to a stop the steer headed for the brush along the creek and Beaver and Dad found themselves sledding along behind the steer toward the creek. If a horse could have a shocked look on his face, that horse did.
Although he had cowboy caulks and cleats on his shoes, Beaver was laying down a set of tracks that would have made a reiner with sliders on his horse proud. Thankfully, God felt sorry for us all and the steer wound himself up in some of the brush. Beaver got his feet under him and with the aid of a bush everything came to a screeching halt. Dad stepped off the horse and that was my clue to run with the supplies so he could doctor the steer. I know that several mothers are gasping in horror to think that Dad would allow me to run with a large needle pointed at some part of my anatomy. I have since learned, after having a child, that apparently we have fathers to teach us to be independent and not be afraid. However, I have also learned that there are many things that children do with fathers that are best not told to mothers. In most cases “ignorance is bliss.” As my dad positioned himself to administer the medicine, the needle broke on the syringe. I can’t really remember exactly what happened. It may have been when the steer tried his best to knock my dad from one side of the bush through to the other side. Beaver held his ground as best he could and Dad and the steer were able to come to an understanding that the steer had to stand very still in order to maintain the ability to breathe adequately. Dad was less than ecstatic about his situation until he remembered that he had stuck a couple of extra needles into the hatband on his cowboy hat. He doctored the steer, gathered up his horse and rode back to where I stood; and he reached down, hauled me up behind him, gave me the supplies and we headed for the house. From then on he always had a couple of stainless steel needles stuck into his hatband.
Although Beaver was fairly reliable, he had his moments when I was sure my dad felt like shooting him between the eyes. He was always getting into things and wrecking havoc on a fairly regular basis. Dad had brought home about a ton of ground milo for some calves he was feeding in the corral. It was in burlap sacks and he had stacked it neatly in our granary. Somehow during the night, Beaver managed to get the granary door open and drag most of it out into the corral. He managed to drag it around and around in the dirt, stomping on the sacks and destroying not only the sack, but all of the contents. The next morning Dad found him standing among the sacks with white powder on the end of his muzzle. He admitted to me later that he was in hopes that the horse would at least get a belly ache, but since he didn’t like milo, he didn’t eat any of it. To add insult to injury, later in the week he managed to get himself lodged in the water tank, and since he couldn’t get out, the water froze around his legs. I can remember standing and crying as dad chopped him out of the ice. I asked dad, “Is he going to die?” to which my dad replied, “I certainly hope so!”

Equine winter care

By Marcia Hathaway, PhD, University of Minnesota

Horses prefer, and are better off, outdoors even in cold weather, and will acclimate to cold temperatures if given the opportunity. However, horses should have access to shelter from wind, sleet, and storms. Free access to a stable or open-sided shed works well, as do trees if a building is not available.
In the absence of wind and moisture, horses tolerate temperatures at or slightly below 0ºF. If horses have access to a shelter, they can tolerate temperature as low as -40ºF. However, horses are most comfortable at temperatures between 18 and 59ºF, depending on their hair coat.
Keep in mind that a horse’s winter coat can be an excellent insulator.
However, its insulating value is lost if it gets wet, so it is important to keep the horse dry and sheltered from moisture. Blanketing the horse is beneficial when the effect of wind-chill and/or temperature is less than comfortable. During comfortable temperatures, blanketing is not beneficial.
Blankets must also be kept dry.
If you house your horse in a closed and heated stable, make sure it is properly ventilated. Poorly ventilated barns can result in respiratory problems. Energy needs for maintenance horses increase 0.7% for each degree of temperature below 18º F. For example, if the temperature is 0º F, a 1,000 pound idle, adult horse would need an additional 1.3 pounds of forage daily.
It is best to provide the extra energy as forage. Some believe that feeding more grain will help keep a horse warmer. However, not as much heat is produced as a by-product of digestion, absorption, and utilization of grain as there is from the microbial fermentation of forages. Consequently, increasing the amount of forage in the diet will help meet the increasing energy needs and will result in an increase in microbial fermentation which will help keep the horse warm. Most data suggest that the need for other nutrients do not change during cold weather.
Water should be kept between 45 to 65º F to maximize water consumption.
Waterers should be cleaned regularly (even in winter), and clean, fresh water should always be available, regardless of temperature. Also, consider feeding loose salt instead of block salt, as horses may not want to lick blocks during winter months.

Nebraska 4-H Profile

By Noel Ochoa, Student, Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture

Mikensie Wright of Broken Bow, Neb., is a proud member of her local 4-H organization. Mikensie, who is sixteen, has participated in 4-H activities for seven years and has had the opportunity to participate in many projects, including sewing, cooking, photography, BB gun and air pistol shooting with her brother, though her main interest lies in working with horses.
In 2009 Mikensie made it into the top fifteen at state for horsemanship. She has done very well at county fair, placing second and third in different categories.
Mikensie is involved in 4-H with her twin brother and her mom, who is the organization leader in Broken Bow. Mikensie also works at the local floral shop, and is very involved at Broken Bow High School. She is in the band, art club, speech team, and FFA. Horses have been a part of Mikensie’s life since she was very young. “My cousins had horses and I would always go over and ride them,” she says.
In the summer of 2009, Mikensie attended about eight shows in various places. On the ground, she does haltering and showmanship. While on the horse, she does western pleasure and horsemanship. Mikensie says these events cause her the most stress and pressure because the judges’ attention is focused on her the whole time.
Mikensie has two horses that she uses for events, Woody and Sunny. She also has an upcoming project named Roxy. Although Roxy is four years old, Mikensie plans on using her for her next 4-H project and training her for shows and events. In addition to showing, Mikensie has done barrels, poles, and goat tying. For these events, she uses Woody, a bay. She uses Sunny for pleasure and horsemanship.
Despite having begun her horse career fairly young, Mikensie has done all the training and getting ready herself, except for some help from past 4-H’ers and local friends. From busy nights with homework to working at the flower shop after school, she is very well rounded. Enthusiastic about the future, she plans to better herself and her horses and to continue winning many more awards.

Life After The Range

By Gavin Jager and Eric Melvin Reed

When people hear the word “mustang” they often think of cars. Ford Motor Company’s signature sports vehicle has been an American classic for decades.

But what about the true mustang? The wild horse running across the plains is an equally evocative symbol of the American spirit. Undomesticated equine herds still run the range in ten western states: California, Oregon, Utah, Nevada, Idaho, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana and Arizona.

The number of mustangs roaming the open plains is about 36,000 – down from about two million a century ago. Hemmed in by fences and no longer free to roam an endless frontier, today’s herds have to be limited if they are to survive. When they become overpopulated – usually due to drought or overgrazing – the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) steps in. The Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 mandates the Bureau of Land Management to round up a small percentage of overpopulated herds so the rest can live happily on the range. Once the horses are captured, they are fed, checked for fitness and health, and prepared for adoption in the “civilized” world.

In December, the Bureau announced plans to carry out what will probably be the biggest roundup of wild mustangs and burros ever on federal land. As many as 25,000 horses will be relocated to facilities like those at the Wild Horse and Burro Center in Elm Creek, Neb. The Elm Creek Center is just one of twelve facilities in the United States where wild horses are brought in from the west to be checked, vaccinated, and prepared for adoption.

Joe Stratton, facilities manager at the Elm Creek Center, has worked for the Bureau of Land Management for the past 18 years. Since 1998, he has helped prepare captured horses for adoption. He spoke with Saddle Up Nebraska about bringing wild horses into the state.

What kinds of horses are run at the Wild Horse and Burro corrals in Elm Creek?

There isn’t just one kind of horse, but all sorts of horses that exhibit traits of those turned out by the local ranching community before the Wild Horse and Bureau Act was passed.

Why is it necessary to provide for wild horses?

The Wild Horse and Bureau Act mandated that we manage wild horses on the range at appropriate levels to reach a natural ecological balance. The BLM is what is called a multiple use agency, which means we are required to use the land for the good of the public through mining, livestock ranching, wilderness protection, exploration, and oil well development. With all these different uses on the federal lands, there becomes an excess number of wild horses. We take them off and put them in our facilities so we can either adopt them out or take care of them for the rest of their lives on long-term pastures. It’s a balancing act between trying to protect the range and leaving wild and roaming horses free.

How are the horses caught?

Primarily, they are rounded up with helicopters. Most of the places where wild horses exist are open range; there aren¹t any pens. We hire contractors to set up temporary traps. The horses are herded into the traps using helicopters. From that point, they are taken to a local holding facility where they are sorted by age and sex. They are then transported to a BLM holding facility where they are prepped for adoption.

How are the horses prepped when they come off the range?

The first thing that happens is they have to start eating domestic hays and domestic feed, which are almost foreign substances to them. Most horses take to the hay relatively quickly, but there is a change in their stomach bacteria.

After they are put in a pen, blood tests are conducted for interstate shipping, including the Cogan’s test. Then they get vaccinated for the normal equine diseases. We continue the process of getting them ready to enter the adoption program. The horses also have to get over the stress of the gathering operation – it’s a big change for them to be in pens with waterers and hay feeders. Some of the horses have to be taught that it¹s OK to go up to a waterer or a hay bunk.

What is the program’s main goal?

Ultimately, we want to have healthy, happy horses, which means keeping them in balance with their food and water sources, whatever their population level is. Whether the number is 100 or 1,000, there needs to be enough resources for them to survive without destroying the range vegetation and range environment. This has to be done in conjunction with wildlife species and endangered species that live there.

How can someone adopt one of these horses?

Anyone interested in adopting the horses needs to fill out the paper work and show they have large enough corrals. The corrals have to be six feet high for adults and five feet high for a younger animal. They need to be made of pipe panels and planks and have a shelter. Once people are approved they can pick their horse and take it home. For a year, the horse is still property of the government. Owners have to prove they can take care of the horse and then, after a year, they can title the horse and it becomes private property.

How many horses are kept at the Elm Creek, Neb. facility?

Our population restrictions are set by the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality. We keep 499 horses; this is the maximum that we are permitted to keep. If the entire program becomes full there are two options.

One is to stop catching. Another is to hold more horses in a feedlot, or get long-term pasture contracts and create more space to turn out the horses we already have.

What are some of the problems BLM runs into?

The wild horses are reproducing a lot faster than we can find homes for them in our adoption program. We catch or remove in the neighborhood of 7,000 to 9,000 a year. Wild horses reproduce and grow at about twenty percent a year.

The current population is about 36,000. We actually want there to be 26,000.

If we want to maintain 36,000 we have to adopt out or place in long term holding pastures 7,200 horses a year.

Is there anything else you would like readers to know?

One of the things we would like to tell people is that we are not trying to destroy the wild horse herds. They are an initial part of the public land.

Our goal is to manage the horses long-term. We are mandated by congress. We aren’t trying to cut or reduce the herds to nothing. We are trying to manage them for a sustainable population and protect the resources of the West.

If Horses Could Speak: How Incorrect “Modern” Riding Negatively Affects Horses’ Health.
Dr. Gerd Heuschmann. Trafalgar Square Books. DVD. Run time: 75 minutes. ISBN 978-1-57076-443-1. $59.95
By Judy Bowmaster, Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture

The premise of Dr. Heuschmann’s video is that “the horses need a voice,” an individual, a gathering,
or a group to represent them as they are raised, trained, and shown to the highest levels of competition.

Dr. Heuschmann practices equine veterinary medicine in Germany. He has, by study and experience, been part of the classical world of dressage throughout his life. What he has observed and
done in his profession within the equestrian realm has helped him reach a new level of understanding and compassion for the horse. His current work focuses on his belief that incorrect “modern” riding
and training has negatively affected the horses’ health. He relates training and riding methods to
the horse’s own riding experience. With live and computerized visuals, Dr. Heuschmann shows the viewers how the horse’s limbs, muscles and ligaments interact at various gaits, and how human influence contributes to the physical, mental and over-all well being of the mount.

He boldly exposes the darker side of competitive horse sports. He confesses his ideal of challenging the equestrian world to change attitudes within the profession. The goal is to create a movement towards the thoughtful development of a more content animal that can be presented in a “free presentation” vs. a “forced performance.” The story becomes quite technical at times, and some viewers might ask what a classical dressage trainer can contribute to the western horseman, but the horse’s anatomy remains the same from sport to sport, and the rider’s ability contributes no matter what the discipline. A dedicated student of the horse will find this video very interesting and enlightening.

I give it 4 horseshoes, UUUU out of 5 possible

Jeannette Walls. Half Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel.
Scribner. Oct. 2009. 272p. ISBN 978-1-4165-8628-9.

By Eric Melvin Reed, Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture

The term “true-life novel” sounds like an oxymoron. If a book-length story is true then it’s nonfiction; if it’s based on people and events from history but established in the imagination, it’s historical fiction. In Half Broke Horses, Jeanette Walls has written a genre-bending “true-life novel” of her grandmother, Lily Casey Smith. Born in a dugout on the “hard country” of west Texas and taught to break horses at an early age, Smith is raised to believe the most important lesson in life is learning how to fall.

Everything on the family homestead – from the flash floods to the tornados – supports Smith’s belief in a dangerous world. At the incredibly young age of five she finds herself running the ranch with her father, a philosopher and an eccentric with a temper. But with the ranch destined to be inherited by her younger brother, she feels pulled toward teaching and the city.

During a stint in Chicago, Smith is tricked into marrying a “crumb-bum” two-timing salesman. She returns to the Southwest, and there meets her second (and last) husband. Jim Smith is a man who matches his wife’s vitality and resourcefulness. The couple begin their life running a filling station on Route 66; before long they are managing a 100,000 acre ranch.
Half Broke Horses is about finding one’s “Purpose.” Good guys and bad guys proliferate the novel, but the eminent conflict is internal. Smith is a poker playing, gun carrying, survivor with a passion for flying airplanes; the peace and familiarity of the country never quite negate her fascination with technology and modernity.

A half broke horse of a different kind enters the novel in the form of Smith’s daughter. Rose Mary Smith (Walls’s mother) is a high-spirited beauty who refuses to accept her mother’s creeds about learning to fall and preparing for the worst. Reading Half Broke Horses, one senses the things that feel made up are probably the most true. The author has plucked some of the most salient moments of one person’s life joyous as well as tragic – and collected them into a series of first-person sequences that speak to others.