About that photo...

Who's The New Guy?
Mac, South, Wyatt, Hawk, Logan, Geronimo (l to r)

October of 2015, our dear, dear friend Jen in Virginia sent us the third of an amazing trio of Arabian geldings - her own treasured War Lhord. In our custom of giving new-to-us horses a "Hideout" name, we decided on "Geronimo" for this striking Mahogany Bay Arab. Born Goyahkla, “The One Who Yawns”, this young Chiricahua Apache warrior became known as Geronimo. As alternate form of Jerome, some historians think the Mexicans appealed to St. Jerome to protect them from Goyahkla's ferocity in battle. In essence, Gernimo was Cochise's war lord, so it seemed fitting. 

An amusing side note, when I ordered his bridle tag (each horse had their own bridle and these wee brass discs with the horses' name made getting ready for rides easier), the woman said Geronimo would never fit on the disc. So, we decided on "G'mo", laughing it was his "rapper" name.

We'd been in close communication with the shipper and were expecting his call early that Wednesday morning. Because the roads were wet and sloppy, the semi would never had made it down to the pens. Already hitched up, we drove to nearby Rodeo and met the rig in an empty parking lot. The driver dropped the ramp, telling us there was no lead rope. Craig, ever resourceful, found a strand of baling twine, and that is how Geronimo came home. 

 

Baling twine - don't leave the ranch without it...

Not the "lead rope" G'mo is used to...

 

 

Geronimo spots Logan...

 

 

 

Craig proudly led Geronimo from the trailer to the pen where he would spend a fortnight in quarantine, and we stood back to watch the fun.

After hours in a trailer, G'mo was happy to stretch his legs, strutting and jigging around the pen. Of course he rolled in the desert mud. He and Dash, our farrier's horse who was just hanging out with us, exchanged pleasantries, and decided the other wasn't a big deal. Well, G'mo thought G'mo was a big deal, but Dash really couldn't be bothered. 

Mac looks smugly on, clearly having set the example for Mud Rolling...

Dash wasn't terribly impressed, to Geronimo's chagrin...

Then - the boys showed up...

At first, just a few of them realised there was someone new, someone to whom they must immediately convey The Rules. Then, all five of them showed up and the conversation began in earnest...

Mac, South, Wyatt, Hawk, Logan, Geronimo (l to r)

Mac was a big blood bay who came to us from a neighbour in the Valley. His backstory is heartbreaking. As we were given to understand, Mac was used by the Mexican cartels to transport drugs across the border. All over his left side are indentations left by the bundles being strapped tightly to his body. We soon discovered he was "cinchy" on that side, but who can blame him? 

Some of the scarring is plainly visible...

South was purely a sympathy purchase. This big bay reminded Craig of his Calvin, and so he paid WAY above the ceiling I set. Despite only having him out a handful of times, South was a guest favourite on the ground and around the Livery. Bless him, the calcification on his knees protruded several inches forward, and his back legs looked like dark brown parentheses. We had to teach him how to accept love and gushing - and treats. But he sailed through those classes and became part and parcel of the ranch.

His poor legs...

 

Wyatt had been with a couple of different friends in the valley, so everyone knew him. And most everyone had ridden him. Despite Charro and Flaming Arrow, "Elvis" simply wasn't a Hideout name, so this lanky dark bay became Wyatt. He was just the best. Guests loved him. He was a solid citizen out on trail, and just a joy to work around. There are more than one entertaining Wyatt Stories in the Annals of Hideout Ranch Adventures, and they will be told. 

Wyatt was a long drink of water...

Hawk towered over everyone, even Wyatt. He was enormous, actually too big for me to ride. His whithers were unbelieveably high, and my saddle would have pinched and rubbed. (We learned one rather eventful trail ride how Hawk reacted to pressure on his whithers...) He had grown up in Wyoming, riding trails and working cattle, and we talked Josh into leaving him with when he had to go back for a bit. We had several guests take Hawk on trail, and he even had a starring role in a "reality show" filmed here on the ranch. He was big...

Hawk, or as I called him, "Biggun"...

Logan was an incredible horse, left in our care so Josh and I could leg him up and put some miles on him - you know, wet saddle blankets and all. He was anxious, but grew to trust us. Some of our more advanced guests spent days with Logan, on trails and on the schooling ground. He was a joy to ride, to school, to be work around. Though truly a "horse of a different colour", Logan was an integral part of this particular herd. 

My sweet, sweet Logan...

 

So, now you've met the crew in what could easily be one of the greatest horse photos ever taken. Seriously, if I came across this in a catalog, I would be ordering it. I was snapping away with my phone, recording Geronimo's arrival, and was lucky enough to capture this phenomenal moment for all time. 

The most poignant aspect of this breathtaking moment is none of these amazing horses are here with me anymore. Geronimo is in a new life in Michigan. Hawk and Mac are in Wyoming with Cap, Craig's Mustang. South, South I sent on just ahead of Craig so he could walk without pain, run and not hurt. Logan and Wyatt were taken out by lightning, the culmination of a horrific week which left Craig weakened by the unimaginable stress of losing four cherished beings - and having to tell me about them. 

But I have this photo, this wholly unplanned moment in the lives of an astonishing group of horses, of magnificent beings who graced our lives for as long as they could to remind me how blessed Hideout Ranch has been...