08/30/07 Water horse

Testing new horses can be interesting. I'm Jeff Keane; I'll be back in one minute to tell you about some testing. Checking out the abilities and temperament of new horses is a necessary job that is not always a smooth one. One year, I remember we attempted to replace one of the rodeo pickup horses with a younger, speedier model. Every rodeo there was a new horse to check. Some had speed, but no courage; others had courage but couldn't have outrun me. One candidate had plenty of speed, but courage that come from a brain so small he didn't realize he could get hurt. We made a pretty good team that year, but it did get interesting at times for the cowboys and us. Now, horse traders do need to know a little about the horses they bring home and I knew one that did pretty good at buying and selling horses because he had the ultimate testing personnel  two fun-loving sons who thought putting a new horse through their tests was cooler than eating ice cream. Dean and Wayne took great pleasure in seeing if a horse could met their qualifications for speed, stopping, or temperament to carry a rider who might be riding in any position on any part of that horse's body. Their ultimate test was swimming in the Columbia River. Most horses are natural swimmers, but Wayne found one that only walked on the bottom. That horse would willingly walk out on an underwater ledge until his head and then Wayne's would go under water. The horse would then squat, spin around and make about five porpoise leaps and deposit himself and Wayne on the beach. Maybe Wayne should have equipped both on them with scuba gear. I'm Jeff Keane.