By Julie Carter
Tex was a horse trader, skilled at many things but horse-trading was his first love.
He is also Dan's uncle. You recall Dan of "Dan the team roper and Slats the politest horse ever" fame.
Living in an area where there are lots of cowboys, lots of ropers and lots of horseman, Tex was making a viable living at trading horses. All those horsemen and ropers felt the need every once in awhile to change colors or upgrade their horses, so they'd go see Tex.
Tex tried hard to maintain an adequate inventory of trained horses but also made a point to fit each customer's needs to the abilities and personality of each horse. An admirable quality in a horse trader, indeed.
Calf roping was the "hot" sport at this particular time. Tex had Dan living in the bunkhouse, training and tuning up the calf roping horses for the customers.
Dan would get them going good, correct any little bad tendencies and be ready at a moments notice to show these good horses to prospective buyers.
One afternoon, Rocky, a regular customer, called and told Tex he needed a new but very good calf horse.
Tex was caught kind of short in his "good calf horse" inventory. All he had was one sorrel stocking-legged horses standing in the lot ready to sell.
Tex told Rocky this good sorrel horse was quiet, had nice conformation, an impressive set of papers validating good breeding and had been started right. He would need some more polishing up on his arena work but would be a good horse someday. Tex priced the sorrel at $1,250.
Rocky told Tex he was on a winning streak, had won a couple buckles lately and better yet, his girlfriend was real impressed with his roping. He really thought he needed a horse that was quite a lot better than the sorrel Tex had offered him.
Tex thought about it a minute and with the presence of mind only the best of horse traders can muster, he began describing a stocking-legged horse to Rocky. This one had lots of "chrome," the best conformation with lots of muscle definition. He guaranteed a good solid stop on the horse where a man could get off on the right, run down the rope and tie a very quick calf.
Tex promised this horse to be a surefire winner in anybody's book, but added the caution he really wasn't planning on selling him because he didn't have his registration papers. Reluctantly he priced this special horse at $2,500.
Rocky said he'd be right over, that this horse sounded like just what he needed. Dan showed the horse to him, demonstrating his skills on several calves in the arena, catching them all.
Rocky was in love. He'd never miss another calf, would have to build a trophy case for all the buckles he win and his girl friend would be more than impressed.
As Rocky drove off with this exceptional, you guessed it, sorrel stocking-legged horse in the trailer, Tex looked at Dan and said, "Well nephew, we are plumb out of horses now and while I hate to tear up these papers, Rocky ain't going to need them anyhow."
© Jule Carter 2006 Silence can be a speech. It is hard to put a foot in a closed mouth.
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