Gus
by
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Gus was an appaloosa who stood fifteen point three hands high and had dark brown spots all over his hide. His spots looked more like freckles on his face and I often imagined if he were a boy he would have been about my age and would have had a face full of freckles same as me. The spots on his rump were big and dark, the color fading as he grew old. I would trace his spots with my finger while he ate his oats, or I waited for our run in the horse arenas.
Gus had big brown ears. His legs looked like he wore brown stockings pulled up to his knees and hocks all year round. His feet were big and white. He could have worn a draft size horseshoe, yet he never wore shoes, he never needed them. Shoes never would have been his style anyway.
His eyes were a soft brown that appeared sad. I used to stare into his eye and see my reflection, the same reflection I saw when I looked into the back of my breakfast spoon. Gus had a baggy bottom lip that would droop when he was relaxed. I would sometimes take my finger and dab at it watching it swing back and forth. His lip was soft and pink on the inside with long thick whiskers on his chin.
Gus became a member of our family twenty years ago. I do not remember the day he came, but I remember stories about it.
One evening at the dinner table Dad announced,” A friend at work told me he knows a man that has just the horse we’re looking for. We should take a drive this weekend and look at him.”
“Is he an appaloosa?” Mom asked. “I would rather get that colt across the valley. He is black with a blanket of white on his hindquarters and black spots. That’s the kind of horse we’re looking for.”
“I’m not sure of his markings, but let’s go have a look at him,” said Dad.
The weekend came and Mom and Dad still wanted to go look at this horse. We sisters got to go along for the ride too. I was five years old and I am the eldest of us sisters. Fiona was four years old and the middle child, and Loretta was two and the baby of the family. Fiona and I were horse crazy and Loretta was starting to show signs that she too would be just as horse crazy as her sisters.
I was excited to see this horse. I began to dream of all the fun we could have together riding in the woods and brushing his mane until he shined. I wondered what he would look like. Riding in the car I ask my sister Fiona, “I wonder what we will name him if Dad buys him?” We thought for a while, but didn’t come up with many names other than Mickey Mouse, Pluto, and Donald Duck. We knew those weren’t any good. After all, Mickey is a mouse, Pluto is a dog and Donald is a duck. We decided to wait for a name.
I hoped Dad would buy him. A new horse would be fun. We already had two horses. We sisters shared an old appaloosa named Polly Anna. Mom and Dad called her bomb proof. Nothing could get her excited for anything. Dad had a big red gelding named Tom.
The trip to see the horse was disappointing. I wasn’t allowed out of the car. Mom and us girls sat in the car while Dad took this new horse out for a test drive. “Mom, how am I supposed to help make the decision to own this horse if I can’t even get out and look at him?”
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About the Book
A life-changing journey in a story of love, Gus was an appaloosa gelding that became a part of my family when I was five years old. Full of mistrust fear gripped his life making it hard to trust any human. He was dangerous, kicking and biting even bucking off most of his riders. Gus couldn’t be trusted. Slowly through the years a love grew. Gus and I shared a bond so strong it changed our lives forever. This is an adventurous story of learning to love, learning to give, and learning how to say good-bye.
About the Author
Author Rose McClimon Hamlin writes non-fiction and her articles have appeared in the Fillmore County Journal and the Bluff Country Reader. She graduated from Heritage Academy and attended Rochester Technical College of Rochester, Minnesota. She graduated as a Certified Medical Assistant. Rose shares writings on her website www.anniesrose.com. Her mother’s work, Annie’s Photography, is an inspiration for many of her writings. Rose grew up on her family horse farm near the small town of Wykoff, Minnesota. She competed with her horses in barrel racing attending Little Britches Rodeos, High School Rodeos, the International Rodeo Association, South East Minnesota Saddle Club Association (SEMSCA) and 4-H. She has two sons and a daughter and says she owes her success to her supportive husband, parents, and family, but most importantly God. Today, Rose continues to work alongside her family training horses and helping her three children as they discover their love for horses.