The Deal
That Bay was just misery, just when I thought he was ready to gentle down,
He’d cut loose shinning and shying from anything that he had a chance to fear, and he’d get to bucking and I’d hang on and he was learning to buck better than I was learning to hang on. While picking my hat up and dusting it off I decided to take him to a cutting horse show and lead him around and make a trade to somebody. I wouldn’t really call myself a horse trader, but I do know my way around horse flesh and the business of “let the buyer beware.” a hard lesson would be rendered to someone.
That was my frame of mind when the old cowboy emphasized how much he admired my Bay as he held the lead rope attached to a nice gray gelding Quarter Horse.
“Son that’s a nice ole Bay you have there, though the head could be a little better.”
“Yes sir, he’s a fine horse alright, as for the head, that’s a matter of opinion but on the other hand I do admire that gray. I will say this about the Bay he is a man’s horse not for kids or old men.
“Son I’ve been around some, and I may look old but there’s been only one horse I can’t ride and if you would like, you can look this Gray over, and we might work out a trade.”
“Old man, I’m a fool for glitter, what would it take to make a deal?”
“Well now, the only reason I’d consider a trade is because this is a highly bread horse and I’d like to see someone train him that knows what he’s doing. I think we could trade if you could throw in a saddle to keep this old man from losing all self-respect.”
“Now, I don’t know about throwing in a saddle, this seems an even swap to me.”
“Well, I understand so lets just forget it, just a thought anyway, take it easy boy.”
He strolls off with that gray in tow and my brain was spinning.
“Well, I’ve thought about it, and I reckon we can make the deal, I like that Gray, always was a fool for glitter."
The papers were signed, and I could see that Gray had a very good pedigree. I had beat that old cowboy but that saddle peeved me, the more I thought about it the less I liked the deal.
I felt sorry for the old cowboy, so I just came out with it. “Old man, that bay has a Cold- Back and sees boogers and takes a while to warm him up every morning. We can just tare those papers up.”
“Son, I’m an old man but a deal was a deal in my day, I can work on that cold back and the boogers can be worked on and like I say, there’s only one horse this old cowboy can’t ride, wait until you try to ride that Gray.
Copyright © Patrick Kelly | Year Posted 2022
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