Getting Back on the Horse

Lloyd Walls, my Dad, is back on the cart and working Star - the horse that threw him in the summer of 1996. Even for someone 82 years old, this day’s drive in the pasture wasn’t too challenging for someone with almost a half century of horse handling experience, mostly on the farm before we got our first tractor. 

Photo by

  
Carolyn Brandt  

Written by 
LeRoy Walls 
CEO 

One summer day in 1996, I watched my Dad drive "Star" a two-year-old filly hitched to a cart. The test of this day was that it was the first time Dad had driven since a train had scared this same filly and she took him over a couple of ditches before ditching him!

Our ugly old motorcycle wheel-training cart has now been repaired and Dad knew he was fortunate he wasn’t hurt more and has been reminded that statistically horses are more dangerous than four-wheelers. Dad’s broken rib and bruises were now almost healed.

There was no cheering crowd to acknowledge his uneventful return to driving. In fact it would have embarrassed Dad if there had been. He was just doing what he had always taught his kids to do and done himself - get back on the horse that threw you.

After a pair of my horses ran away I drove them later with Dad’s help. Several times I’ve gotten back on a horse bareback, once with a broken rib, after the horse tossed me and in the process tore up the saddle.

Dad always said it was good for the horse’s training. But he and I both knew that mostly getting back on was important for renewing the rider’s confidence.

Last year after being thrown off a horse and, per Glen, before lasting eight seconds, I was knocked unconscious and had to be checked out in a hospital emergency room.

My first question after getting back to normal was "who rode Ladybug after this happened?" There were no takers that day but for our best interests I rode Ladybug a couple of weeks later.

Dad’s ride was the only choice you would expect from someone who accepted making adjustments and going on again after nearly breaking his neck in construction, losing an eye in construction and getting through the droughts on the farm in the early 1950’s.

I’ve always had lots of reasons to be proud of my Dad but after this recent horse driving accident and after all of the kidding and advice he got to "act your age!" I for one was proud that my 82-year-old Dad was back on the horse cart that threw him.

12/31/1999