Cowboys will usually refer to their horses by their color, such as the
black, the gray, the paint, the dun, etc.   During my college years, when I
was working up at the summer cow camp, I was given an older green-broke
horse to ride .

The Dun Horse and the Paint

One summer on the mountain
while tendin' to cow camp,
an incident occurred to me
that threw my style a cramp.

A rangy, 8-year dun horse
the boss sent up to me.
"Dun needs a lot of ridin'.
Put some miles on him, said he.

Next morning at the crack of dawn
I saddled up that horse.
I planned to ride through yearlings.
I knew my whole day's course.

I planned out twenty miles or more,
then nodded with a grin.
I pulled the inside rein up short
so as I mount, he'll spin.

He trotted nice and steady
and we quickly covered ground.
About five miles away from camp
is where things turned around.

I pressed my heals into his side
to urge him to a run.
But he had other thoughts in mind,
this rangy, 8-year dun.

He dropped his nose and stuck his feet,
began to buck and pitch.
It wasn't long before he had
me sprawling in a ditch.

Without a backward glance he ran,
a beeline to the camp.
Angrily, I cussed his hide
as homeward I did stamp.

My back was awful stiff and sore,
could make a cowboy faint.
But the boss was sympathetic:
"Tomorrow, you get Paint.

Old Paint, he was the children's horse,
an easy ridin' kind.
They kept him at the home ranch
and I hoped they wouldn't mind.

The truck arrived at day break
but no horse was seen in tow.
The boss he was a grinnin'
while my face was full of woe.

Said he, "I've got some stuff here
since Doc told you not to ride.
The privy* needs a paintin'…
the exterior and inside.

*privy: outhouse

©1992 Terry Henderson