My Dad was a cowboy, and he always had at least one horse. He'd buy puny looking young horses for a great price, then feed and care for them until they developed into muscular, beautiful animals. Palominos Appaloosas, ponies, a good many regular old quarter horses or whatever types. A few years before he died, he had a stable of six fantastic horses. It hurt to sell them after he died, knowing the care he'd given them.
I was never much of a rider, but I loved the horses, fed them, helped Dad shoe them, gave them medicine, watched births and deaths. I know how to saddle them, and I rode enough that I could saddle and mount a horse today.
Yeah, I like the smell of horse shit in the morning. Ha ha. I love the smell of the horses. Because I don't live in the country, I can't have horses, wish I could.
Sometimes I wear a John B Stetson hat and some bad ass Ariat boots. Even though I"m not currently a "practicin'" cowboy, I've earned the right to wear the duds.
Are any of you horse owners or lovers?