As The Gate Swings: Mose. That's all. Just Mose...


Mose on his test ride...

The end of May 2008, Craig and I went to Columbus, New Mexico to see some horses. Some of the guys from the electric company were talking with Craig about horses, one in particular. Craig and I made our way to the gentleman's house, and watched as a man pulled in with a rickety pickup and even older trailer. We waited as he opened the back door and backed out a big, deep chestnut gelding. The look in Craig's eye said it all. Craig tacked this big guy up with my saddle, then helped me climb aboard. Well. This chestnut was perfect. Ideal. Big. Solid. Gave a feeling of instant stability and safety. Craig got on, and that was it. He was ours. We made a show of haggling on the price (Craig was not at all a bargainer), but we left with the first member of the Hideout Ranch horse string, Mose (named for a character in the movie, Open Range).

Per the usual precaution, we kept him quarantined in a round pen for the first couple weeks. Used to alfalfa, he would rootle through the bucket of Bermuda grass and look at us accusingly. Didn't take him long to decide grass was okay, and he settled into life here.

When we turned him out with the boys, Tonka, one of our original herd and a classic "tough guy", ran up to Mose (who was taller and heavier) turned and let loose with both back feet. Mose stood for a moment, then turned and returned fire. Craig and I both ran, screaming and yelling, into the pasture, scolding them both.

Tonka raced up to me, panting, saying "Mommy! Mommy! Did you see what he did to me? He KICKED at me!"

I looked at him as every mother looks at a child who started the ruckus then denies it.

No one had scratches or blood, and all was calm. We just shook our heads. And Mose became the boss...

Even as we added horses, Mose was one of the best. Safe. Solid. Everything he was during his "job interview" was proven true. In buckets. Up at the Stronghold with our good friends from New York, Mose and Bob were spending the day together. Coming down from the lunch summit through a narrow channel, Mose felt Bob go off balance in the saddle and actually stood on his own hoof - steady as a rock - until Bob was settled back into the saddle. Bob remarked on how this horse knew what was going on and how Mose intentionally "saved" him. It was just one of the many times Mose took care of our guests...