My dad is a work horse and my ramblings

The other day as I was driving home I heard the question on the radio,” If you were an animal, what animal would you be?” After thinking this out with no real answer for myself, I began to think of others. Then my thoughts settled on my Dad I started to think what would he be if he were an animal? The thing that stuck as I reviewed all the possibilities was a “work horse”.

This thought brought to mind the first time I saw a real work horses in action. It was at the Idaho State Fair when I was in my teens. The announcer told us that these horses were in the light weight class. They were younger, smaller (still huge) horses and would come out nervous and prancing. They were hard to handle and you could feel their pent-up energy about to be released.  Farm hands would wrestle and pull or even some times drag on the reins trying with all their might to keep all that power under control. I couldn’t believe they were the light weight class. There was a large metal hook that was connected to the team of horses that was dropped into a ring on the weighted sled. This was what would connect them and they could then start to pull. The goal was to pull it a certain distance then they would stop. Each round more weight would be added to the sled making it harder to pull. When the sled was too heavy to be pulled the full distance, who ever pulled it the farthest was the winner. Sometimes the horses would hear the “clink” of the hook connecting them to the sled and they were off. Leaving men to jump out of the way scrambling for their life to get out of the way of the runaway weighted sled. I heard that fingers would be cut off if the guy hooking the team up wasn’t paying attention. Sometimes they would miss the hook and the team would take off without the sled and drag the handler down the track. Wide eyed I moved down to the arena fence and knelt down so I could get an up close look at these awe inspiring athletes work.  

 

Each class of horse brought out bigger and bigger animals. I remember still the impressive, mammoth creatures that came out as they introduced the heavy weight class grand champion team from last year as they entered the arena to make their pull. An older gentleman was handling them and he spoke softly to them as they moved. He called each of them by name and they would respond to his confidant quiet voice. These extra large athletes were calm and well mannered. It seemed to me that the three of them had a relationship probably from countless hours over the past years of working together day after day. Each knew what the other needed and wanted instinctively. The handler dressed in his warn out coveralls walked them in and backed them up to the sled calm as a Sunday morning. They stood there while they were hooked up and I noticed that the old guy never stopped talking to them. Always calling them by name, calm and reassuring he issued every instruction with the flip of this or that reign. They waited quietly for the command to perform.  When he was ready and everyone was out of the way he, calling them by name asked if they were ready, then just made a clicking noise. These two giants in perfect unison took a step forward and leaned into their harnesses. Up on their toes, with hoofs sinking into the soft arena floor, muscles bulging, veins popping the harness pulled tight into their skin and they began slowly to move the heavy overloaded sled forward. Slow at first then building speed, step for step till they crossed the finish line at a good pace. It was a sight I will never forget.

As I reflected on the animals attributes and likening them to my father I came up with the following;

Dad has always been a real eager go-getter. In my mind he is unstoppable when he puts his mind to something. Sometimes when I was young I would see him much like those strong, young, high strung horses. He would charge into a problem knowing he could do, or overcome whatever the challenges may be, and most of the time he could and would. Once in a while this high-strung approach would create a situation that… (Later much later) we could reflect on and get a little chuckle out of.

Raised a farm boy in Vernal UT he has worked hard his whole life, from early in the morning till late at night. It would seem like all those years of hard charging has extracted a toll on him. He gets up a little slower now with a few grunts, his joints don’t move like they use to and he doesn't heal as quick when he gets kicked or bucked off. But he still works hard and can out work most of the young guys in spite of the creaks and pain his body now offers him. He is calmer these days as he moves into a new project. Still sure he can and will come out on top. Time, a large Idaho farm and six teen age children have rode the rough off of him, smoothed out the edges of this old rolling stone. Now he is more like the seasoned grand champion team I witnessed that won the state competition so long ago.

As I made this comparison it got me thinking. I thought about the team of horses pulling together in perfect unison and their handler talking so softly. I could not get the memory out of my head, how they worked so well together knowing each other’s thoughts, moves, even intentions. The parallel was too close to home to be missed. My Mom, his partner, best friend, consultant, right hand and helpmate, I realized that he had lived his life with all the ups and downs as a team evenly yoked with her. That she was an intricate part of his success, no their success. She has always been there step for step in every situation in every success and setback. They move in perfect unison each pulling their weight, responding to the constant gentle commands of their master.

At least that’s how I see it. My parents are work horses!

 I love my dad and mom.