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Cowboy Poetry

We have all looked over our shoulder while horseback riding in the wilderness. What we think we see and what we feel – are with us always.

THE EMPTY SADDLE, Cowboy Poetry by Sharon Gibson Those days I rode a bay horse, He was short and fat and fine While my Daddy rode a dappled chestnut about twice as nice as mine.
We rode both hills and valleys,
There wasn’t a trail we wouldn’t try
But on goat paths and narrow ridges
My sister’s pony could still pass us by.

Then there were years when I rode nothing,
Save those ridges run in dreams,
While I dreamed the smell of sweet alfalfa,
And of crossing mossy streams.

Those secret dreams would not end,
Of coyotes and bobcats free,
Of hawks and bats above,
All those creatures wild with me.

So, these days I ride a different bay,
While my brother rides a roan,
And we ride those same old mountains,
But now we ride alone.

I’ve missed that dead broke pal of mine,

That first fat blood red bay.
He was the best Texas colt,
That ever came my California way.

Most of all I miss that chestnut,
And my Daddy’s Stetson hat.
To hear that low drawl “whoa, son” now,
Could be nothing finer than that.

Still, in the shadows I have seen dapples,
And in the wind I sometimes hear,
A rider from far behind us,
A clear and steady cadence bringing up the rear.
Now when I hear those rustling leaves,
And think on all I’ve known,
It seems that though the saddle may be empty,
I do not ride alone.

Post from: Horse Stories | Horse2Heart Equestrian News and Great Horse Stories

Empty Saddle | Cowboy Poetry

Into the starting box he is loaded
In just moments he will have exploded
His nerves are jumping
His blood is pumping

As the rider mounts up
He throws a high buck
Spectators in the crowd scatter
But he is soon down with a clatter

[private]His excitement grows
And it seems that he knows
The time is ticking slowly by
And soon will be his time to fly

Quivers shoot through his muscles like a shock
And less time is on the clock
He bursts out at a full sprint
Like a spark off of a piece of flint

His shoulders are dampened by flecks of sweat
There are limits and standards that must be met
His rock hooves churn up the ground
And the first jump is soon to be found

The speed of his gallop has not been lost
If he slows down the time will cost
The course contains a large rock bed
An obstacle loominng shortly ahead

His hind hooves happen to clip the rock
And upon hitting the ground his ankles lock
He takes a large stumble
And his rider begins to tumble

He side-steps and regains his balance
And the horse once more shows his valiance
He continues to take the course even faster
And tries to keep from the opportunities of disaster

The whipping wind makes his eyes burn
However for success there is a yearn
From his his body salt water pours
His aching muscles cannot be ignored

For the next jump he finds his spacing
His pounding heart racing and racing
He jumps the obstacles at intense speeds
Courage and strength are all the he needs

And now approached the water combination
The series known to wipe out determination
He however gallops on
To take this obstacle all fear must be gone

From the slippery slope he slides
His tangled leg eventually abides
He jumps down the four-foot back
And hits the water with a break

The misplaced solution intrudes his eyes
The whinnies he hears are his cries
Despite the blindness and the pain
He beings to gallop on again

The water tries to hold him down
But his strength propels him from the ground
From his back come encouraging shouts
Chasing from his head all doubts

He loves his rider and the sport
He gives it everything and never comes up short

For a quicker pace there is a need
So he kicks up another notch in speed
Inspired by his dreams of glory
Confidence exceeds all wory

The finish line is fast approaching
For this course leg he needs no coaching
He finds more strength and grinds in
And at the line he takes the win

Distant are the cheers from the crowd
His pumping heart is far too loud
He first protected his beloved rider
And then he proved he is a fighter

His opponents are the jumps and time
Hard to beat yet he will find
He possesses what some do not
He determination will not be soon forgot

Memories will be kept for the lucky ones
Who got to know him or see him run
His name is Dynamite Dapper Don
And his legend will always live on![/private]

Post from: Horse Stories | Horse2Heart Equestrian News and Great Horse Stories

Legendary Dynamite Dapper Don

WELL EVERY YEAR AT CHRISTMAS
WE HAVE A SPECIAL KINDA RODEO
JUST TO HELP THE UNDREPRIVILEGED KIDS
HAVE THEIR OWN LITTLE SHOW

THE LADIES WHO DID THE ORGANIZING
CALLED ON COWBOYS FROM ALL AROUND
TO SADDLE UP THEIR HORSES
AND BRING UM ALL TO TOWN

[private]THERE WERE EVENTS JUST LIKE THE THINGS
WE DO AT RODEOS
BUT SINCE THEY WAS ALL SPECIAL KIDS
WE RODE WITH UM MIGHT SLOW

ALL US COWBOYS LINED UP
AND THE KIDS DREW OUR NAMES FROM A HAT
AND YOU COULD SEE THEIR FACES LIGHT UP
WHEN THEY THOUGHT THEY HAD A MATCH

WELL MY LITTLE FELLOW WAS STILL A SITTING THERE
CAUSE HE COULDN’T GO TO FAR IN HIS OLE WHEELCHAIR
JUST BECAUSE HIS LEGS WERE CRIPPLED
I DIDN’T REALLY CARE

HIS MOMMA LOKING KINDA NERVOUS
WHEN SHE HELPED HIM ON MY HORSE
WE LET’S OUT A TEXAS YELL
CAUSE WE WAS GONNA WIN OF COURSE

HE SAYS TO ME I’LL COWBOY UP
AND I DON’T HAVE NO FEAR
AND I SURELY HAVE ALWAYS WANTED
TO GO OUT AND ROPE A STEER

WE TOOK THE TIME TO SHOW THEM KIDS
SOMETHING SPECIAL IN THE LITTLE GAMES WE PLAYED
AND I CAN STILL SEE THEIR LAUGHTER
ON THEIR FACES TO THIS DAY

FOR US COWBOYS IT WASN’T NOTHING
BUT FOR THOSE KIDS IT CHANGED THEIR MIND
THEY FINALLY GOT TO MOVE FREE
AND BE A COWBOY FOR A LITTLE TIME[/private]

Post from: Horse Stories | Horse2Heart Equestrian News and Great Horse Stories

THE CHRISTMAS RODEO

In green fields I love to run,
Always having so much fun,
My mom at my side
Is full of such pride
As she watches me run
with such ferocity,
And smell the flowers
with such curiosity,
People are staring at me
with such interest,
I wish I could blend
with the rest,
The sun begins to sink
in the sky,
[private]As the farm dog runs
speedily by,
It’s time to go in and I
run to the gate,
And I stop to think what
a wonderful world God
did create.[/private]

Post from: Horse Stories | Horse2Heart Equestrian News and Great Horse Stories

Wonderful Creature

Whenever I ride,
It is a feeling of exhilaration,
The wind blowing through my hair,
And a feeling of liberation.

The horse’s muscles rippling beneath me,
The mane, long and free,
Just the horse and me,
I feel like we are free.

Free from all the problems,
The world tries to hide,
Whenever it gets to be too much,
I go out to the stable and ride.

[private]Just seeing a horse,
Gives me this feeling inside,
A feeling of happiness,
That I just cannot hide.

When I go up to her stall,
And she comes to meet me,
I can see the intricate details of her face,
Her eyes so deep, like the sea.

It really begins,
When I get onto the saddle,
The excitement, the freedom,
The feeling like I’ve won a great battle.

Nothing I have done can ever amount,
To the feeling of riding,
The freedom,
Like the bells ringing,
So beautiful to me ears,
Just one ride on a horse,
Takes away all my fears.

Every Christmas,
I wish for a horse,
Though the answer is no,
Of course,
I still have a little hope,
Burning inside,
That comes back to me,
Every time I ride.

I know wishing,
Won’t bring me a horse,
I can’t get a horse by begging,
By whining or force,
Just like I can’t move the world,
‘Cause I’m not superman,
I can’t force anyone to get me a horse,
Even if I was their biggest fan.

I guess I think,
That if I wish enough,
I just may get a horse,
But it may be tough,
I’m willing to try,
And I won’t give up,
That’s no lie,
I’ll keep wishing and wishing,
Until it is true,
And to you, my future horse I must say:
I will always love you.[/private]

Post from: Horse Stories | Horse2Heart Equestrian News and Great Horse Stories

Being With Horses

I loaded the tack, and then the horse,
My nerves were racing, of course.
We arrived and found a parking spot,
I saddled my horse and made her trot.
First call for class seven, hey that’s me!
Dad told me to have fun and be easy,
I entered the gate and experienced the fun,
Before I knew it, the class was done.
Standing in the lineup, thinking of the great ride I had,
They call my name, I guess third place isn’t so bad.
[private]I was glad I got to have fun and go
Experience my very first horse show.[/private]

Post from: Horse Stories | Horse2Heart Equestrian News and Great Horse Stories

Fun In My First Horse Show

Date or Ride?…I’ll get my Boots.
Cowgirls can’t be tamed.
God forbid that I go to any Heaven without horses!
To Ride or not to Ride…what a stupid question.
You can have my boyfriend…but stay away from my horse!
[private]To Ride is to Fly without wings.
On the back of a horse…there are…NO LIMITS![/private]

Post from: Horse Stories | Horse2Heart Equestrian News and Great Horse Stories

No Limits On the Back Of Horses

In the Rocky Mountains
During the warmth of Spring,
There was a newborn colt
Such a cute little thing.
His coat was full
Of browns and golds,
And as he grew
He became playful and bold.
Then when Winter came
It was full of coldness and snow,
The food grew scarce
And it was time for him to go.

[private]He left the mountains
To forage for food,
But by the time he got down
He was not in a great mood.
The colt arrived to a ranch
All packed with cattle,
And while the colt ate
Ranchers tried to slip on a saddle.
But he was young and agile
And could always get away.
Then when Spring came back
The ranchers couldn’t make him stay.
As he grew into a Mustang
With each passing year,
He always returned to the ranch
To eat with the cows and steer.
On his fourth Winter
As he was returning to the ranch,
He stepped into a wolf trap
That was hidden by a branch.

Luckily a little girl was walking
In the woods and was able to see,
That the mustang was trapped
And decided to set him free.
Now the mustang trusted
The new friend he had made,
And from that day on
The ranch was where he stayed.
He has a great life
At the ranch, of course,
And that’s how we remember him
The Winter Horse.[/private]

Post from: Horse Stories | Horse2Heart Equestrian News and Great Horse Stories

The Winter Horse

I feel his muscles churning underneath my legs,
I see the stars twinkling in the night ahead,
How fast how far until we reach that star,
That star.

[private]My love grows deep for my mount underneath,
We are molded as one,
Our legs are wings,
The wings of love,
We fly in the night,
Our road the golden shining moon.

It’s never endless,
We’re free from the world,
It’s never endless,
Our troubles we’ve hurdled,
Together we stick,
All my troubles he’ll kick away.

Then the sun begins to rise,
But our love never dies,
His speed begins to quicken,
The sun’s rays begin to thicken.
His wings hug my sides,
As I cuddle the wind,
With my consolable friend,
All my secrets he knows,
And them he’d never disclose.

Yet ominous clouds lay in the distance,
With a sinking heart and engulfing fears we soared on,
But with his knowing eyes,
His slowly graying coat,
His sturdy frame to lean on,

And our need for one another,
I felt I had nothing to fear,
For even in the storms my friend would always be near.
Of silliness, love, and understanding he was the king,
And I’ll always keep memories of him in my heart under our loving wings.[/private]

Post from: Horse Stories | Horse2Heart Equestrian News and Great Horse Stories

Memories Under Loving Wings

You make it better,
You make it alright,
Only you can make me smile,
Even when we get in a fight,
We fly through the fields,
Race on the tracks,
Jump all the gates,
You help me relax,
You listen to me,
Never talk back,
Let me cry on you,
Don’t care if I’m wearing all black,
[private]You take me away,
As we fly through the fields,
I feel like I am being reborn,
Racing on the tracks,
Everything at risk,
But you stay with me,
Go with me,
We become one,
Jumping the gates,
There is no better thing,
We fly, we shine,
We were meant to be
You make it better,
You make it alright,
Only you can make me smile,
Even when we get in a fight,
We fly through the fields,
Race on the tracks,
Jump all the gates,
You help me relax.[/private]

Post from: Horse Stories | Horse2Heart Equestrian News and Great Horse Stories

He Is always There For Me