Dawn had been simmering
to perfection beneath topaz cliffs and darkness was being nudged toward
another planet. The Sedona mountains softly re-appeared from the
night shadows. Trickling sunlit shafts began a morning dance to awaken
the crimson and rust deities from eternity.
Shadows flooded into Gus's pasture. There, swells
of green clover and golden barley reached skyward recovering from hoof-prints
where horses had grazed in a starlit night. Then the fresh morning light,
with misty miniature rainbows, steamed sweetness from the dew covered stalks.
Whatever mystery Sedona
bespoke could equally be known by this fragrance in the breeze, the murmurings
of Oak Creek, and the unmistakable presence of towering red rock monoliths.
It was more than a new day in Sedona, it was also a new day in Ream.
Gus had an invigorating
pot of coffee going. Intrigued with Ream's favorite, he had gotten some
cinnamon flavored coffee. It tasted even better brewed over the open fire.
The smell of it, and the crackling fire awoke Ream, bringing him into a
fresh new morning.
Ream found his way
to the door of the bunk house after he put on his shoes. He leaned out
the door, smelling the aroma. Gus saw him and hailed him with a hearty,
"Morning. Already called Mrs. Mead and told her you were here."
"Thanks," said Ream
as Gus walked him over to the log near the fire and handed him a cup of
steaming coffee. Ream rubbed the sleep from his face with both hands and
then smelled the steam from his cup. He took another deep breath.
The night before when
Ream figured out he really was in a state like shell shock, he'd found
a handhold on himself. There was a strength which comes came from knowing.
Just knowing it had a name was comforting. Knowing he was not alone was
a turning point.
Ream said, "Gus, last
night after our talk, something inside me knew I was going to be all right.
You were right, it was just a real small thing that clicked back into place,
but it was what I needed. All I know is, all I've got is me. It ain't much
yet, not even one inch into a new beginning, but I'm myself again."
Gus responded, "Figured
something like it was bound to happen along. Got any plans yet?"
"I figure I want to
ride Biffer in the 4th of July Parade in a couple of months in the Cowboy
Poets' entry. I know it sounds crazy, but it's important to me now to do
something like reaching for the stars. It's real important to me, Gus.
Will you help me do it?"
"You don't need to
ask twice," replied Gus. "Two months ain't much time, but it can be done.
We need to work on the problem of the horse spooking or shying. And also
on the two way communication. Saw a guy with a two-way radio hooked over
his head with a microphone. I think we can use the same rig."
Gus thought for a moment.
"Now about the horse shying. It has to do with learning to ride a cutting
horse. When you ride a cutting horse, the horse is educated about cattle.
I don't mean trained, he is educated. Because the horse is making the decisions,
not the cowboy. The cowboy is only a passenger.
A calf can move quicker
than the cowboy can think and then tell the horse what to do. So the horse
has to be educated to react to the calf on his own. The horse learns to
read cattle. He puts his head down and shifts instinctively to counter
any moves the calf makes to get away. The horse sucks back and shifts to
the other direction all in one move.
The best way for a
handicapped rider would be with one hand for the reins, and the other a
constant hand on the horn at all times. You can't think ahead of the horse.
He will start his move before you realize what is happening. So you don't
ride a cutting horse with your mind and eyes, because you're always gonna
ride behind him. You have to go with him by the feel of it. A blind person
would sense this more accurately than someone with sight.
So you learn to ride
deep in your stirrups and use the hand on the horn for balance, keeping
your mind in the middle. If he darts one way, you use the horn to push
off from, or pull up, or push back.
With practice, you
could get to where a horse could walk up to here, see a rabbit, and just
jump back, turn through himself, and swirl off, and you stay right with
him. With your special intuition, you may even sense it a little early.
If you get to where
you can ride that action, you will never have to be afraid of something
spooking the horse during the parade."
The way Gus explained
it, Ream was convinced he could do it, especially with his gift of heightened
intuition. Not quite as easy as kicking off his shoes, but he could do
it.
"OK," said Ream. "I
knew there was a way. When do we start?"
"I'll get some props
we will need, and me and Biff will be by tomorrow morning," said
Gus.