Rodeo Parade

My family moved to Roby, TX in the summer of 61. About to enter my sophomore high school year my sister and I were entering a new school in a town I had never heard of.

Moving into a frame house on a dirt road didn’t make the move more welcome. But if nothing else living with my dad kept you flexible with your plans. We rented a house from Lee Moore at the end of June. Lots of stories around this time but recently loosing a classmate and friend reminds me of the Fisher County Rodeo Parade of 61.

Down the road from our house was the Rinker household and Crickett quickly found her BFF, Dianne. Across the road was a half acre of red dirt ringed with a 4 strand barb wire fence. A few mesquite trees in the southwest corner shaded a feeder and water setup for livestock. The stock at this time was two horses. One, a full size Sorrel mare named Suzie and the other a Shetland stud horse obviously named Shorty.

I would jump the fence almost everday and pet Suzie and talk to Shorty while he showed me his teeth. One day a guy my age showed up to care for the pair and I walked over and talked to him. As it turned out Donnie Kiker was in my class. He told me when “two a days” would start, gave me the rundown on Coach Hodges and Rasco and after a couple of days introduced me to his cousin Sharron (still a friend to Lela and myself). Donnie said I could ride the horses in the field if I wanted to so I would occasionally walk over and jump up on Suzie who would then walk and even trot around the field.

As I got bolder I would hem Shorty up in the corner and wrestle myself on his back, avoiding his teeth. A firm bearhug on his neck would keep his head heading forward…sort of. A stiff legged trot would soon shake me off on the soft dirt but I would have to get up quick as Shorty would circle back for a bite. One afternoon Donnie drove up as I was dusting dirt off my jeans and I saw a look on him that I would see a few times over the years. He said “I’m gonna ride Suzie in the Rodeo parade….you can ride Shorty”. I asked…”You sure?”.

“Oh yeah…put a bridle on him and you can control him.”

“You have a saddle that small?”

“Nope. Bareback.”

“Well OK.”

Football practice started and my circle of friends widened and the “feel of Fisher county” took hold. So when the parade arrived I was happy to be a part of it all. Donnie shows up and he saddled Suzie and helped me bridle Shorty. Things went pretty well as we rode them towards the starting point. Then we started meeting up with other riders. The other riders were riding mostly mares and it was at that time that Shorty totally misunderstood what the day was about.

Now Shorty’s way of showing interest was to run up to the back of the horse sniffing. Horses like most people don’t enjoy things coming up from behind and they would employ a swift kick response. Many of the kicks landed on my feet and legs and by the time we reached the square I was pretty beat up. While we were on the square I got Shorty separated from the other riders and turned him towards the house. A rider who saw my dilemma rode in front of me past the First Baptist church and then galloped off leaving Shorty and I alone on North 1st. When I put him in the pen I knew that my friendship with this horse was over and I am sure that was just fine with him.

Now the look in Donnie’s eyes that day was one of mischief. Not malice. We laughed about almost from the time it happened. I saw that look a few time after that…as we had to cut class to build the homecoming bonfire…as we would play other pranks, funny only to boys trying to become men.

As I look back I don’t think I ever told him that was the only parade I ever rode in. He probably knew.

RIP buddy.