The Comeback:

GB was having a beer at the towns only bar in Small Town Virginia. It was hot out and the Saturday afternoon was already starting to sound interesting. Some of the boys at the bar were talking about a rodeo that was firing up at the local live stock sale barn. Several of the so called local "Cowboys" were drunk and decided to break a rough little three year old filly that had come in the day before. The boys left as things were getting rough. The cowboys were getting drunker and the filly was fighting them. The boys left as a crowd was gathering and the cowboys had roped the filly by all four legs and thrown her to the ground.

GB hearing this and headed for the sale barn. Watching some drunk cowboys getting whipped by this rough little filly would help make for an entertaining afternoon.

GB was a cowboy himself. A little on the gritty side and he could be rough but he had turned out some good horses in his time. In many years GB had seen a lot of things in the horse world. A lot of abuse and the worst kind of ignorance. None of that had prepared him for what he saw when he got out of his truck at the sale yard.

There was a rather large crowd gathered around  and GB could hear some of them hollering STICK HER AGAIN SHE'S STILL KICKING. GB turned back to his truck and took out his rifle. As GB was working his way through the crowd any one that did not move out of his way he clubbed aside. What he saw in the center of that crowd he will never forget as long as he lives.

On the ground was the filly. All four of her legs were tied together and a rope had her head tied to her back legs. One boy was standing at her front end chopping her in the neck with a garden hoe. The filly was still fighting. The ropes were burning into her legs and the top of her neck. Several other boys were taking turns running up and stabbing her in the sides and the belly with their knives. GB fired several rounds from the rifle in the air. The crowd scattered quickly and started leaving. The boys ran. GB thought about the gun in his hands but let it go.

There laid the filly blood gushing from her nose and mouth. Her neck seemed to be chopped to pieces and GB could not tell how many knife punctures there were. A quick call from his cell phone to the Sheriff and Animal control was on their way.

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My nickname is Polk. I have been a cowboy for as many years as I care to remember. I never thought much of old GB but after the military I prefer horses to people anyway. People I have to deal with horses I like.

I first saw T in Lexington Virginia at a show. A fella I know was riding her in a cattle sorting contest. He was not doing to well on T. She seemed to me to try hard but the rider would not let her go. After several rounds the rider brought in another horse and touted he "had to bring in the big gun" T was tied to the rail still under saddle.

T a beautiful bay mare stayed tied to that rail all the rest of the day. I rode over to her and tried to pet her and she would not have any of it. I offered her a peppermint, and she would not have any of that either.

After my go at the cattle I took my horse back to the barn and took care of her. When I left the barn I took half a bucket of water back to the arena and got permission to offer T some. T would not touch it but she did look at me that time and watched me as I walked back across the arena.

The next morning we had our call back for the top 20 to have another go at the cattle. As I rode into the arena I saw T tied to the rail again so I rode over to her. She saw me and my horse as we entered the arena and watched us. I got off my horse and offered to pet her but she would not allow it. Her owner came over and told me she just did not like anybody not even other horses. He only bought her a couple of weeks earlier from a fella who needed money.
I asked what he was going to do with her and was told he would sell her if he could. I was also told she busted up her last owner who was pretty abusive. I asked about the scars on her neck and sides but he did not know the story on that.

There was something I liked about T but I could not exactly afford her. I called my partner (We run a training and lesson farm together) and as always Paul told me to buy her.

T is a registered Quarter Horse. When we got her home and put her in the barn all she would do while we were in the barn is stand with her head in the corner and shake. Paul just looked at me and rolled his eyes, and said "here we go again". I laughed and nodded.

The second day my wife and I went to the barn and I went into the stall with T. She turned and faced me I guess thinking she was going to work. I reached to pet her and she turned her head away. I put my hand on top of her neck and T turned quickly on me and tried to bite my left ear off.

Later looking at the registration papers on T I noticed the name of a past owner recorded that I know and he lives fairly close to us. I called him that night to see what he knew about her.

Bob as it goes owned her for four years. He told me she was the horse that GB had rescued 9 years earlier. She was becoming a good horse but she would never make a good cutting horse. Bob had lost patience with her after four years and traded her for a cutting horse. He did not know at the time he traded her back into abuse. When he found out he tried to get her back but the new owner would not sell her back to him. Bob had heard that she hurt the new owner very badly and he lost track of her after that. He and his wife were glad that I have her.

We had to let T heal for a month from spur gouges and saddle sores but during that month she showed me some attention.
The second month I started riding her and teaching her. When we started on cattle I would let her go showing her that I trusted her. She just got better and better. During the third month I took her to a jackpot cutting. I was scared to death as I did not know how she would do. T is such a powerful horse and could hurt or kill you in an instant.

As I entered the small arena I told my wife I thought it might be to soon for her. We went to the center of the arena and T was tense. Her feet would not stop moving and her body was tight as a drum. The announcer gave me the go ahead and we went to the cows. We cut the first cow out from deep in the herd and it went well enough I knew I was starting with a good score. When we got the cow out I let T go. She was so fast it was all I could do to keep my seat. T never missed a beat. It was flawless. When our time was called I picked up the reins and T came to a perfect stop. There was a loud applause. T trotted out of the arena with her chest pumped out and looked like a million bucks. I knew then and there I was riding a champion.

The offers to buy T started to roll in. I talked with my partner and we both agreed that to sell her would ruin her. I agreed to sell my best filly and buy T from the farm.
That is just what I did. Although I had worked hard to be able to own the filly I sold, and had over a years training in her. I will never regret buying T.

We have had T for almost a year now. She hates people and other horses. She trusts me and humors my wife. When I am not home T sulks and gets grumpy. She loves her stall and loves having her own things.T loves cookies.

Just this past weekend T faced some visitors that looked into her stall and spoke to her. She gave them a grumpy look and would not let them pet her but she did not turn back to the corner of her stall to try and hide.

T is a bit famous here as we use her when we put on training clinics and a lot of news papers have printed good things about her.

T has a heart and never quit. She is one of the best horses I have ever seen. There is no amount of money that could ever buy her.