Our first “Meet the Family” I’m going to start with the oldest horse on the farm. Sonny Especial aka Merle.
Long story short, we purchased Merle my Junior Year of high school when my Pole horse went sore. Although he had a fabulous resume, the Appy show world was not for him. They ran tandem poles, and he has some issues waiting. Well, in the Rodeo world, Merle was wonderful. He was such a joy to run. He gave 110% at every go.
I remember on rodeo, the end pole was in the middle of the arena (or at least that’s how it seemed), he ran down, sucked up the end pole and won the rodeo. Little did I know he was going to win both goes at Maryville. He may not have been the fastest pole horse, but he could consistently run 21.0 poles. Although I never got into the 20’s with him, we were close.
After I graduated High School, we sold Merle to a great home in Colorado. Several years later, we got a call from them and they offered him back to us. We of course took it, even though we didn’t need him. He spent a few years in the pasture until we decided to sell him again. Then we sold him to a wonderful family in Missouri. He won saddles, buckles, and multiple checks until he was ready for his permanent retirement home.
Merle has paid his dues time and time again. He will never leave the farm again. He has the love of a little girl and would do anything for her. He still give his heart with everything he does, he just has some arthritis and stiffness and can’t run quite as fast as he used to. He still is a sweet heart that hates to be without a friend. I’m glad that Merle has found his way back to us and can be the babysitter that I knew he could be.
Galloping B Ranch 