How Buster became Brit's favorite horse

When adults are used to riding horses, they sometimes don't think about what might be scary to a child.

The kids and I were visiting friends in South Dakota. We were used to riding in Nebraska, which is mostly flat, hilly land. We were in an area that had very steep rocky buttes with many trees seeming to grow up out of the rocks. Britni, age six, was the youngest child at the time.

We had been riding for several hours when we came to a very narrow incline to take us down to a ravine below. There wasn't another route that looked much better. Brit was riding "Buster", who that day became her favorite horse of all time.

I was bringing up the rear when she got to a tree in the trail that the other kids had passed easily. But she got caught up. It would have been a very long way to tumble down if she had fallen! The horse must have sensed a predicament and stopped. Britni finally got untangled from the branches and then Buster ambled down along the trail.

This beautiful area was mostly comprised of trails that only allowed single-file horse riding. Even getting off one’s horse isn't a safe bet in a lot of these places. Maybe not the best ride for small children but our kids had been riding their whole lives, so in hindsight, I may have made a different decision.

That scenic ride is the home to several very old Tipi Rings and also has a place with Hieroglyphics. There is even a place in the sandstone where the bison crossed leaving hoof marks in the rock. It's one of my favorite places to hike and ride. We have found many fossils and even a few arrowheads. I wish I wasn't getting to an age that makes it not as enjoyable as it used to be.

Britni ended up claiming Buster as her horse and they were a pair for many years. She rode him bareback more times than not, and I think they had a strong bond. When someone else rode him, he knew it and wasn't always as calm as he was when she did. If you asked her today, I'm sure Buster was the best!

Have a good one!