brass hardware

[Toni Jones <tjones@coinet.com>]

Jim wrote....
"Lot of times it's where you tie them or what you tie them to instead of

what you tie them with that causes the problem."

Boy isn't that the truth!!!

I still have vivid memories of an incident that happened to me when I
was a kid. Probably because my dad and brother won't let me forget it as
it's one of those stories that gets paraded out every family gathering
where the topic of horses is discussed.

I was about 8 years old and I had a green-broke shetland filly about 4
years old I was riding around our property. I was the 4-H mascot in our
little horse club and I KNEW you weren't suppose to tie your horse with
the reins to anything solid.  Well, usually my dad and brother were
about the little trailer park we owned doing maintenance work and when I
had to use the little girls' room I could just dismount, hand her over
and run into the house to do my business. This one day they just
wouldn't come out of the house for some reason. I yelled and called and
rode close to some windows and banged on them but no one would come out.
I was getting desparate. I eyed the family dog snoozing on the porch. I
waited a little while longer but still no one came outside, so I finally
just tied the reins in a granny knot to the dog's collar and ran in the
house, figuring the dog wasn't solid. When I left the pony was eating
grass and the dog was still snoozing. I got done and was on my way out
and my family was laughing with bewilderment at a sight out the window
so I went to see what it was. There was my pony and dog (medium sized
dog) still attached trotting down the driveway on their way to see the
neighbor horses. Boy did I get teased about that one.... but had to
admit that they looked really cute trotting down the driveway. We, of
course, rescued the dog who actually was very good natured about the
whole thing, she always liked the pony.... and I didn't have broken
reins!

I've since learned better habits and none of my dogs since have gone on
unwanted trips with the horses....

later
toni
central oregon