Sam the Quarter Horse.
My Father was a country boy born and raised. With the exception of my youngest brother, all of us other boys were born in the city and started our growing up there. When the 3rd son was around 3 my Father decided it was time to leave the big city of Tulsa, Okla. Looking at that city from the perspective of living in Phoenix all these years it isn't that big. But I digress (again). And we moved to a small town of Talala (the name means Red Bird or Red headed woodpecker in one of the languages of the 5 civilized tribes of Oklahoma).
That was a big change for me. In Tulsa I could walk to school. Nearest school to Talala was in Oologah and several miles down the highway.
Anyway, Dad thought us boys needed to learn a few things about living on a farm (which our home in Talala was not. It only had a 1/4 of an acre. Later we did have a good sized garden.) So he started us out on Pigs. 2 of them. They started out kinda cute. Ended up being big and stinky (STINKY!) and eventually bacon.
After the pigs left to go on someone's breakfast table, Dad had managed to find a horse. From what I recall the horse was recovering from some injury and the owner allowed Dad to have the horse. (details are fuzzy on that but I do know that it was legal. Dad did not have a dishonest bone in his body.)
The horse had a name already and we were introduced to Sam. He was big to my young eyes. Brownish red with a white strip on his nose. Beautiful animal. My brother and I wanted to ride him right away. But not so fast. First we had to learn to care for him before we could ever saddle him up. I make no claim today or being a horseman. I do know how to brush them, clean their hoofs, feed and water them and get them ready to ride with bridle. blanket and saddle. Dad made sure of that. Dad has also arranged to rent some pasture space next to our house so it was not a monster hike to go attend to Sam's needs.
Soon enough the time came to learn how to mount and ride Sam. My brother Jim and I both sucked at it but Dad was a patient teacher. After a bit Dad thought we could do it on our own and allowed us to ride Sam while he was at work. So Jim and I took to doing just that.
There were a couple of adventures that taught us some painful lessons but not as painful, at least for Jim, as this one.
I'm not sure at what point this took place in our riding by ourselves but one day Sam was stubborn to take the bit and bridle. So I got the great idea on putting the blanket and saddle on him first. Ok after a bit of a struggle with that we got it on. horses don't seem to like having a saddle strapped to them and they puff out their chest some to keep you from getting the saddle tight. We learned the lesson quickly after sliding off of Sam with the saddle winding up under his belly. Horses are crafty devils.
Ok saddle on but he still won't take the bit and bridle. So I got another brilliant idea. I instructed Jim to mount Sam to hold him still. Yes brilliant! This is going to work. (Any horse people laughing yet?
)
Ok so Jim is mounted on Sam and is trying to keep him steady. Sam is still stubborn and will not take the bit. I lost my temper. I
THREW the bit and bridle on the ground and said "Dammit Sam!" This, of course, spooked Sam and off he went... With Jim still mounted. Sam decided that he didn't want Jim on his back and started to buck. Rodeo bucking bronco bunk. Jim is holding on to the saddle horn and his .... is coming off the saddle at the height of the buck and slamming back down on the saddle and the lowest part of the buck only to do it again.
After about 4 bucks I yell for him to let go. He does, at the very peak of the buck. Jim, while flying head over heels
through the air, manages to scream back at me. "I'm going to kill you when I get.." and then he hit the ground .... first. He never did tell me what the rest of what he was going to say was.
So I run over to him and make sure he is ok. I won't repeat what he said to me in response to my question.
After a bit he manages to get up and hobble to the house. In the meantime Sam had settled down and came back to me with the saddle at an odd angle. Oh well at least it was easy to take off.
We took a break from riding for a bit. Jim, to this day, doesn't listen to my suggestions anymore. LOL!
I told a lady this story on a lengthy phone call after our first date many many years later. I think I won her heart with my humor and I married her less than a year later. After we got married she asked Jim to verify the story. He did and said "Hey you told me that you would tell no one that story!". I guess I lied.
Oops! I did it again. hehehehehehe! The oldest brother gets to make the rules ya know and can break them at will.
Wow! I've never been in the lounge. 
