RIDING INTO THE SUNSET

THIS PICTURE WASN'T LIKE THE HORSES THAT WE RODE ON

ON THE FARM, BUT IT GIVES THE IDEA OF IT.

We used to make stick horses out of sticks we cut in the woods in Richpatch. We used shumate if we could find it, and fauter twine for the bridle.

It sometimes was quite a few of us, between the brothers and cousins that would play cowboys and Indian's. A lot of the time, I just played by myself, after my chores were done. I called myself riding around the ranch, pretending I was a cowboy, checking out the cattle and livestock.

Sometimes I played I was an Indian, riding my paint Indian stick pony, other times I was just a cowboy, riding around here and there. Sometimes I was a sheriff, looking for outlaws and other times I was the outlaw trying to get away from the sheriff. Other times, I would pretend to be characters in books I was reading, (books about the west, or horses) I read books like Black Beauty and Flicka stories about different wild horses in the west and cow ponies. I did my reading by lamp light most of the time. I loved reading those books, I could get lost in the books and in my imagination I could be anywhere. That's the places I would visit on my stick horse.

I also read books about Teddy Roosevelt and his charge up San Juan Hill. In the book the horses were named, and the mules were named, made it even more interesting. I read books about the Wild West, books about Billy the Kid, Wyatt Earp, Doc Holiday, Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane.. were some that I liked reading about. When I was done 'traveling' for the evening, I would just ride off into the sunset (over Nichols Knob), put my horse up and go in and do my homework and sit and read, by lamp light mostly. Then, out went the lights because morning, and morning chores came real early in Richpatch. Good night friend, until we meet again.

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