50 years ago when I was at Ft Leonard Wood, one Sunday afternoon 3 of us decided to go for a ride. We went to the post riding academy and checked out 3 plugs. All we could do was sit in the saddles and do nothing but let them follow their own path. I figured out real quick that if I tried to take it anywhere else, I'd have a rodeo. It wasn't worth getting bucked.
About 15 years ago we were at Wallowa Lake Or. and the group that we were with decided that the kids needed to go on a horse ride. So we went up to the stables and signed up for a two hour horse ride. They brought the horses out and started mounting the kids on the horses. I walked up the horse that they had for me and the first thing I did was to start letting the stirrups out so I was not in a jockey position for two hours. One of the wranglers came up and wanted to know what I was doing. He told me that I could not do that, and he would do it for me. After I explained to him I was more that capable he kind of stood there butt hurt but left me along. Once I saddled up and we started up the road to get to the trail I soon learned that I was just along for the ride because no matter what I did to that horse he was not going to take any of my commands. We started up the trail and were the horses walked the trail was worn down to the point that I would have to hold my legs out like wings or tuck them back because the trench was so deep that my stirrups would drag the ground. Most miserable two hours I ever spent on a horse. Tried several times to rein him out of that trench, but he would not take any rein or boot commands.
