This white stud is Leroy, one of our horses, who memorably gave me a black eye in 2019 when he decided to head butt me because I yanked him so he won’t run into the other horse that my friend was riding.
We have a cattle farm and have about 30 horses that help us round up the cows. At age 6, I could already ride a horse by myself, as I grew up on this farm. At age 10, I could ride for hours, and at the time there were no cellphones and the horses are our only form of getting around, so without them, we would be literally lost.
From the farm house, the cowboys will take the horses to pick us up in the ocean when we visit. To clarify, it is in the water that they get us from. It is about a 20-minute ride to the main house, and the trail is marked.
My dad and stepmom consider the horses their big pets, and have been able to train them so even a beginner can ride them. One of my favorite memories as a child is pulling up to our window sill, standing on top of a horse, and it would stand still as I finished drinking water atop Badu, my trusty steed at the time. I was only 10 years old when I started doing this.
I would call to the horses by banging on their feeder, and I would brush their hair. It is the simplicity of farm life that appeals to me, and if it were not a plane ride away and so remote from the city, I could retire there.
The rest of the time the horses just graze and sleep under the shade--although majestic creatures they are, they're quite lazy when given the chance.
I wish I could spend more time at the farm to see Leroy and the other big boys.
Love,
Tom
