“Sugar Plum , I need a new hunting horse.  I think I'll check the paper to see if there are any good trail horses for sale.”

“Tracker, there is no way I am going to go along with that.  You spent enough money on hunting gear this year already!”

“But Sugar Plum, Robbie is 19 and he is getting pretty slow.”

“Tracker, look at this.  BLM is allowing people to adopt mustangs.  You have to go out and catch one and register it.  They want to be sure the horses are in good hands.”

“That's it, Sugar Plum.  Thumper and I will go out to Spar Canyon and get ourselves a new pony.”

“Be careful, Tracker.  Those mustangs can be awfully ornery.”

“Don't worry, Sugar Plum.  I'll be careful; besides, I have Thumper to protect me.”

Thumper and I loaded up the truck with some lassos and provisions.  You never know when the horses will be coming out of the hills.  I saddled Robbie and got him loaded in the trailer. 

We headed down the road, stopping to scan the hills for game and to let Thumper chase some ground squirrels.

When we got to Spar Canyon , we parked the truck on the shoulder of the road and I rode Robbie in with Thumper on the saddle in front of me so we wouldn't spook the horses.  We found a spot in the shade of a cottonwood tree and tied Robbie up while we settled in to wait.

“OK, Thump, you have to be quiet.  We'll sit right here and watch for the mustangs.”

After an hour Thumper and I got bored so we decided to eat some snacks.  Sugar Plum had packed us some sandwiches, apples, carrots and dog bones.  I was munching on an apple when Thumper sat up and started howling.

“What is it, girl?  What is bothering you?”

I picked up my binoculars and saw a herd of horses running into the canyon.  It was as if they had been spooked.  They were racing right toward us, kicking up a huge cloud of dust.  Uh oh!  What were we going to do?  We had hiked a long way from the truck and sage brush is not a good cover. 

“Thumper, come on! Get behind the tree.!”

I untied Robbie and got seated in the saddle.  Just then, the stallion was on us.  He was gorgeous, all charcoal gray with a white face.  His tail and mane almost touched the ground.  He was prettier than Black Beauty.  The herd was following him.  I surveyed the horses and decided I wanted this charcoal gray stallion.  Even Sugar Plum would be impressed with his beauty and conformation.

“Holy Hannah!  Robbie, that's the one.  Come on.  We're going to try and lasso him.”

I tossed the lasso and started making large loops in the direction of the stallion.  Robbie was having trouble keeping up with the stallion.  He knew I wanted to rope him and he was cutting and weaving all over the canyon.  It seemed like the chase went on for hours, but the stallion finally got a bit winded and I thought we had a chance.   I tossed my loop and missed, but I pulled the second loop and got him!  Now the battle had really begun.

I leapt off Robbie and started pulling the stallion in, but he was so strong, even when he was winded, that he was dragging me all over the canyon.  I didn't know how long I could hold on.  I was getting rope burn; I had forgotten to bring my roping gloves.  I was wearing the heels off my Tony Lamas.  Sugar Plum warned me that these horses were ornery, but at least he wasn't bucking. 

Robbie ran back to the truck.  He wanted no part of this adventure, but Thumper was still hanging around.  She was acting as if she were a heeler.  She was running around the stallion, nipping at his heels, barking in his face and generally just irritating the heck out of him.

I didn't know how much longer I could hang on.  My shoulders felt as if they were being ripped apart.  I couldn't see for the sweat and dust.  The horse was dragging me all over the place.  I was bouncing over the sage brush. The lasso got wrapped around my wrist.

“Help, Thumper, what are we going to do?  I don't want to lose him; he is the most gorgeous horse I have ever seen.”

Thumper assessed the situation and ran after me.  She grabbed the end of the lasso and dug her heels in.  I couldn't believe it.  She was actually slowing us down.

“Holy Hannah, Thumper! You are one powerful hound.  Hold on, girl!”

It was amazing.  The stallion was weakening.  The battle was almost won. 

After it was finally over, I collapsed.  Thumper was still nipping at the stallion's heels; she managed to get him all the way back to the trailer.  Without Thumper, I would have probably broken my arm and lost the horse.

We loaded Robbie and then put our prize into the trailer.  He was either too tired to fight or too afraid of Thumper, so he didn't give us a fight.

When we got home, tired, dusty and hungry, Sugar Plum was waiting for us at the stable.  When I unloaded the stallion, she was speechless. 

“Tracker, oh my, what a beauty!  Did he give you any trouble?”

“Sugar Plum , Thumper and I had the situation under control from the get go.  Robbie tuckered out on us, as expected, but Thumper came through like a real heeler and got the mustang all the way back to the trailer.”

“Tracker, you do look a bit ragged.  Are you sure things went as smoothly as you say?”

“Why, Sugar Plum, now you know I'd never lie to you.”  I gave Thumper the look.  She knew she had to keep yet another secret.

     
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