IN NEBRASKA, NEED A HORSE

Dusty Barner bareback and bridleless

Me blending with Misty

 Everyone kept asking what I was going to do in North Platte, Nebraska for three days, and there was pure shock on their faces when I said I had a fantastic time, one of the best ever.  A place is what you make it and horses make it better.  The horse junkie in me was determined to get a fix.
I researched the Internet, asked all the locals at the airport and hotel but no one knew where I could go horse riding.  That seemed hard to believe in a town that is nothing but big open pastures, rivers, canals, farms, the home of Buffalo Bill Ranch at Cody Park and, had a county fair in progress with rodeo events.

There were horses in this town, maybe  not wild herds of them but there had to be a barn somewhere.
I came upon the tack store, Town and Country Western Wear, can't drive passed one to this day even though I don't own a horse any more.  There was a zebra print bridle in the window that would look really cool on my fantasy horse, the gorgeous paly with her iridescent coat and perfect blaze.  I've never met a nasty Palomino.
I read the bulletin board in hope of finding someone advertising trail rides at least, or a horse rescue I could visit, but nothing.  It was clouding over and this looked like a bust after all, and I'd brought my boots and chaps with me this time.
Damn it, there's a rodeo/fair in town, this store has nothing but cowboy stuff and boots to die for, I thought.  Somebody here must know of someone and that usually turns out to be the best find.
So I asked the lady behind the counter.  Score! Amber, gave me Dusty Trails phone number.  It was storming like crazy outside but I called right away.  From the canals of Amsterdam to the irrigation canals of Nebraska full of water destined for someplace else, sources for horses, it's all good.
I drove eight miles out of town without the GPS, Dusty Trails farm was easy to find on the unmade roads and I thought I was blending in the white Tacoma pickup truck the renal company had given me.  By this time the summer squall in tornado central had passed through and it was a perfect afternoon.  Dusty and the farm dogs greeted me; of course I could see one of them was part red heeler (the best dog in the world) I have one now, Quigley.
We went down to the barn and yards on a Gator and Dusty asked me what I liked to ride.  I had already spotted the paly coming down the hill.  I usually leave it up to them to pick my mount but this time a couldn't resist.  Misty, he said, was really sweet and good with the kids but not without life, she knew how to adapted to her rider's skills.
"If you don't need her later in the day for the kids she'll do just fine." I said.
She was pretty and reminded me of the horse I had when I was twelve, the best horse I ever had.  Fool's Gold, could jump and was great at dressage and did everything I asked him to.  He was the only good thing about my childhood.

There wasn't a cloud in the sky, the sun was bright and the temperature just right.  I inhaled the wonderful, familiar smell of the barn yard, horses and hay.  Two to a pen they gentle nudged forward to sniff the new comer.  I can still hear them stamping flies.  I was in heaven.
I'm not much of a western rider and those huge saddles are too big for me, anything more than 10 ounces or less than 10 pound is good, but I try.  I never know what to do with my spare hand either when it comes to reining but these horse were so well mouthed and super light, you didn't have to touch them as Dusty demonstrated later in the arena.

We rode out in the pastures and the dogs trailed along, the black lab jumping in every water troth we came across.  The property was nice and undulating but Dusty explained that last year they had the worst drought in 100 years and it had effected the quality of grasses.  The price of hay had doubled too.  Dusty mostly worked for the railway but ran some Black Angus cattle on another property and gave trail rides, boarding and training for horses on the side.  It was a long day for him and his wife Lanae, who also helped with the farm and the girl scout horse camps they ran.  Two such groups both had a week each of riding twice a day and he let me hang around to take photos of the kids.

Back at the barn Dusty switched horses and left his saddle behind.  He had seen my blog and wanted to show me cowboy style jumping, no saddle, no bridle.  Then he did the cowboy mount you see in movies, leaping over the horses rump, and even gave a mounted pistol exhibition where he shot balloons with two six-guns from a galloping horse.  Wow! I wasn't expecting that and it was awesome, I was impressed. That's something you don't see everyday.

 The cowboy style mount

 Dusty: mounted pistol

I haven't been on a horse in about two years but I always loved riding bareback.  Dusty let me ride his horse for a while, it wasn't a pretty sight; still I wanted to go over the jump, but if a man doesn't make a fool of you a horse will, so I didn't push it.

 Me bareback and loving it. 

The kids had a wonderful week and their scout leads joined in.  They had to do things like carry an egg while riding without dropping it and pair up with another rider holding a piece of toilet paper and try not to tear the sheets apart.  Afterwards there were a few tears as they said good-bye to the horses for the last time and fed them husks from the corn they were about to barbecue.

 Lanae and a girl scout saddle up

I found a restaurant along the canal that Dusty had recommended, The Lake House, good steak and I ate outside as the sunset.  Dusty also offers rides of about four hours where he will take you out into a canyon, unfortunately there wasn't time for that, and he rents canoes.  I had planned on canoeing through Cody Park and seeing elk but had to leave early.  Next time, now I know where to go in North Platte, Nebraska.
Thank you Dusty Trails, lovely horses and a good horseman.  Both Lanae and Dusty were great with the kids too.

 Red-Heeler Border Collie Cross

 I know the good stuff is in the middle.