Mules are a great subject to tackle especially with all the crazy dealings I’ve had with them. I once foolishly made a bet with a radio DJ that I could go up and down a water park slide more times than he could to raise money for some charity. That was back when I was the morning Ag director at KFAY radio. If I lost I had to ride a mule with the other directors in the Rodeo of the Ozark Parades. I announced a rodeo in Ozark on Friday night, drove home late, and went up and down that water slide all the next day, and went back that evening and announced again. My youngest daughter had her driver license or permit and drove me back home from down there as I slept.
I lost of course. The DJ was 20 years younger. So I called my buddy Virgil Qualls out at War Eagle and told him I needed a mule to ride in the two Rodeo of the Ozarks parades. He knew – he listened to the radio – and died laughing. So on the first parade day, he delivered him. A short legged little coon hunting mule.
First off he spooked Sandy Boone’s spotted horse. Boone was shouting as he tried to get his paint under control. “Land’s sakes you aren’t riding that thing in the parade with us, are you?”
“Yes, I lost a bet.”
“My heavens, that’s the dangest thing I ever heard of.”
It was. I was. Lot’s of listeners laughed and pointed me out from the street side crowds to their kids. I had a ball. We raised lots of money for the charity and Sandy’s horse settled down. I can’t remember Cotton Clem’s remarks on the PA when we got down town but knowing Cotton he had some.
Back in those early years as a director, I hired a couple of Dell Hall’s boys to saddle me a palomino flag horse to ride. Helping line up the parade, welcome folks that brought their rigs, which was lot of work and Shorty Parson the rodeo president made me ambassador of that department. So I had no time to mess with a horse. Those boys always brought me up a well-broke horse. I stepped in the stirrup and rode out the gate on Emma Avenue with the other rodeo directors.
They had a big palomino all saddled and ready for the July First parade and I was finishing up my job when they rode up and said they needed him for a queen or something but they had real good horse for me.
“He’s been to Fort Worth,” one of the boys said.
Now for whatever that Fort Worth business was good for I don’t know, but even before I stepped in the saddle I knew Sorrel was not pleased with wagons, other horses and band noise. I kept him in hand and we went out the gate side ways, dancing and prancing on his toes.
Cecil Phillips and I rode in the back of the directors. He had his daughter Kelly’s barrel racing horse and she was about to throw a fit never being in a parade before either. So both of us went down Emma Avenue with lots of whoa’s and I expected someone or something to goose my horse into the sky.
Cecil was smart he had a trailer waiting at the Chamber of Commerce and he planned to haul his horse back. He told me he had a cure for her – he’d use it on the Fourth of July, he wasn’t having this nonsense again.
The flag girls kidded me a lot going back because they knew I had my hands full and most of them rodeoed with me. Sorrel did fine until I took a short cut across the dirt lot behind the liquor store. He stuck his head between his knees and went to bucking. I had a good seat and went to thrashing him with the reins. Then I thought he might kill himself and me on the pavement, so set in to jerking his head up. I managed to stop him. The flag girls gave me a 75 score on my bronc ride.
I told those boys of Dell Hall that he might have been to Fort Worth but he still bucked. They were all upset and also afraid they’d lost their money. “We’ll get you a better one for the Fourth.”
“No, I want Sorrel. I want him saddled at 10 a.m. on the 4th and I’ll ride that spook out of him.”
My plan worked. By parade time he was gentle broke to everything. Cecil stuffed his daughter’s barrel horse's ears with cotton and we had an uneventful parade that day Down Emma Avenue.
That was okay by me.
Western novelist Dusty Richards and his wife Pat live on Beaver Lake in northwest Arkansas. For more information about his books you can email Dusty by visiting www.ozarksfn.com and click on 'Contact Us' or call 1-866-532-1960.
