Monte’s good luck didn’t all hold though. All Monte wanted to do was get back to the P-Bench and get in his sheep wagon. Maybe have a bite to eat and check his wounds. But when Monte wheeled back into the P-Bench the whole family was back and kind of excited about that Palomino none of them had ever seen before.

So Monte had to relate most the story of where he came from and how it was his horse now. Leaving out appropriating Hawk. And then when he tried to head off to his sheep wagon the old rancher said no he needed to come up to the house and eat.

Which was only part true. The old rancher thought maybe they should also try to count Monte’s wounds and see if he needed to go to the hospital.

Up at the house Monte didn’t want to take his shirt off in front of anyone and the old rancher’s wife who was usually in the background and very quiet said that was fine and just cut the sleeve off his shirt.

She was pretty sure Monte didn’t need to go to the hospital. But was equally sure he should probably go to town and get a few stitches on his arm. He talked her out of that so she settled for cleaning the wound with hydrogen peroxide and at least putting a proper bandage on it. She also mentioned it looked like Monte might be missing a piece of his ear and bandaged that as well.

“Can you get your boot off or do we have to cut if off”? she wanted to know. Not much if anything got past her and she had seen him hobbling on his ankle. And one way or the other she was going to have a look at it.

The boot took quite a little effort and a lot more pain to get it off. Monte’s ankle was black and blue and swollen. But once outside the confines of his boot it started to puff up like a snake bite. The old rancher’s wife decided an Ace bandage and an ice pack would have to suffice for that. With strict orders to leave the ice pack on until bed time and stay off of it.

Then they all sat down to a feast of oyster stew, cheese and crackers and cake for dessert.

But the old rancher’s wife wasn’t kidding about staying off of it. And after dinner came up with at least one crutch and had one of the kids drive Monte’s truck down to his wagon to give him a ride. And Monte had him stop by the stock truck and grab the coyote pelt for him.

And the oldest son was just all impressed with that and even counted the coyote’s toes so he could tell his dad Monte had got him.

Apparently they all knew about his grudge match with the two-toed coyote and what he had been doing most the spring and into the summer.

Everyone just let Monte kind of heal up for most the next week. He hobbled around and fed and watered the Palomino morning and evening. As well as any other stock that ended up in the corral but it didn’t really add up to earning his keep.

Monte also doctored the Palomino’s front leg every day using everything he knew and a few things he came up with. He used mostly Bag Balm but used the purple medicine called Gentian Violet on the cut and infected part down by the fetlock. And Monte even bandaged it.

The Palomino seemed to bond with Monte over that like he really appreciated trying to make it better. All except the gaze bandage which might have reminded the Palomino of the hobble because he would usually have it off by morning. And one morning had the bandage in his teeth kind of waving it a Monte as if to say good morning.

But it didn’t take much longer than a week or so for Monte to get back in the saddle. They did have a few thousand head of sheep to take care of after all.

And in the meantime Monte tried to work with the Palomino every day. Which was coming along just great. The Palomino led or more like followed Monte around like a barn yard pet. Monte brushed and curried him fed the Palomino oats. Everything he could do to try and make friends with the Palomino.

Because Monte knew the day was fast approaching when he would have to get on him. You can’t have a horse you can’t ride.

When that day came Monte got the Palomino back in the round corral and kept the halter and a rope on him. He snubbed the Palomino up tight and first sacked him out. Which is throwing a gunny sack or saddle blanket all over and under the horse until they aren’t scared of it anymore and just stand.

The purpose being twofold. Get the horse used to it so you can throw a saddle on them. And also so the horse doesn’t panic if the rider gets thrown and stomp or drag them to death.

It probably went about as well as could be expected. It took more than an hour with the Palomino fighting, kicking, snorting and acting like he might bite Monte again. But eventually he settled down and didn’t fight the blanket anymore.

Then Monte tried to put the saddle on him and the fight started all over. But eventually Monte did get the saddle on him. And then took the saddle off and put it back on a few more times.

That was at the point you would normally get on a bronc to ride them. But it was late afternoon by then and Monte was no spring chicken and he was just none too sure about getting on him.

Monte decided maybe it would be best to lead the Palomino around with the saddle on him for a while first. Which turned out to be a good call because the Palomino tried to jump over the top of him again. He bucked, reared, ran backwards, lunged and it was all Monte could do to hold him.

Monte finally got the Palomino settled down enough to just stand but figured that was enough for one day. He would get on him another day and just unsaddled him.

But it turned out not to be the next day or the day after. Instead Monte figured the Palomino wasn’t mean or an outlaw. He was just mostly scared and confused. So Monte spent a few more days just saddling him and leading him around until the Palomino was just following him around again.

Then finally Monte decided it was time for him to try to ride him. And there was another surprise. Monte had no idea how hard it would be to get a bridle on him but the Palomino just stuck his head in the bridle and took the bit in his mouth. So apparently he had been saddled, bridled, and supposedly ridden before.

Well saddled and bridled at least. But when Monte tried to get on him it was another fight and the Palomino wouldn’t let him. Instead the Palomino was side stepping and fighting Monte.

That was no good. In fact it’s a good way to teach a horse bad lessons and ruin them. A horse has to be taught to stand and let you mount. It is something you can teach them but you have to be able to get on them first.

So for the first time in this whole adventure Monte had to ask for some help. He needed two people one on each side at the Palomino’s head to hold the Palomino just long enough for him to get his foot in the stirrup and swing into the saddle.

He had no trouble finding a couple volunteers. Everyone in the family wanted in on this rodeo. But it would take the oldest son and daughter to hold him and try not to get hurt.

They had the Palomino held tight. Monte got a foot the stirrup and swung into the saddle just as deep and fast as he could. Shouting get out the way kids he’s going to unwind.

But the Palomino didn’t. Again it was just nothing for the first few seconds with the Palomino just standing there as tight as a coiled spring.

But as soon as Monte tried to make him move he sure did. Monte had his head held up high which makes it hard for a horse to buck but the Palomino still tried. And almost bucked Monte off even with his head up.

Since that didn’t seem to be working for him the Palomino then reared up with Monte. And he hated to get aggressive with him but that is another thing you can’t let a horse do and can usually break them of it with one application.

So Monte slid out of the saddle off to one side and pulled the Palomino over backwards. Because nothing impresses a horse more than throwing them off their feet. And they probably won’t ever rear again.

Then Monte jumped back on the saddle before he could get up and the Palomino jumped up like a deer again. Thinking maybe running away with Monte would work.

But there is no place to run away to in a small round corral so the Palomino would run whirl and run again. And just about threw Monte on the whirls.

Finally the Palomino decided it was time to make a break for it and just charged the corral. Climbing up the corral poles like a ladder. And almost made it. Before falling over backwards from near the top with Monte still on him. Or maybe more like nearly under him. Which got at least several gasps and a scream or two out of the assembled audience. If they wanted a rodeo Monte and the Palomino did not disappoint.

The Palomino then seemed to decide that was enough of the arial displays and got up and just stood for a moment or two. Then blew up again. Then settle down. Blow up again. Until finally Monte rode him out. Meaning he quit fighting and just let Monte ride him around the corral.

Well Monte was well pleased with that.

But the rest of the P-Bench outfit was saying, “hey Monte we ain’t too sure about that horse. Or you either for that matter. You both seem a little crazy to us.”

And so it began. The legend of Monte and his Palomino began to spread up and down both creeks, Bridger and Badwater.

Monte worked with his Palomino tirelessly. He worked with him in the corral. Then he was riding him outside the corral. And finally rode him to move sheep.

Which is when the Palomino ran away with Monte and as they went over the ridge the P-Bench was convinced they would never see horse or rider again that Palmino was running so fast. But they eventually came riding back.

Monte moved back into Lysite and took the Palomino with him for the winter. He borrowed a corral to keep the Palomino in and kept working with him every day. And when Monte got hired out for a few days for some other outfit he took the Palomino with him.

There wasn’t some kind of incident every time as Monte would point out. But enough incidences at enough places the rumors began to spread.

That crazy Palomino ran away with Monte at my place. That crazy horse tried to fight every horse in the corral at my place. He jumped three fences at my place with Monte still on him. And then didn’t want to go through an open gate.

Monte was very defensive about things like that.Contending his Palomino was not crazy. He had been abused. He was just confused. He was a good maybe a great horse. He just needed some care and understanding.

But that didn’t stop the rumors. There were several theories but the leading one was Monte’s Palomino had been eating locoweed.

Which is an actual thing. It is the name of a plant that grows wild on the range but rarely if ever seen on Copper Mountain. When a horse eats locoweed, it can suffer from locoism, a neurological condition caused by the toxic compound swainsonine in the plant. And make them act crazy sometimes.

Monte dismissed that theory out of hand pointing out he had never even seen any locoweed growing where the Palomino came from. Others pointed put there was lots of it up by Worland and the Palomino might have come from there.

Monte countered that locoweed more often causes a horse to lose coordination. And his Palomino was about the most corradiated horse he had ever seen. Which no one could dispute since the Palomino could jump fences, kick and bite other horses, and run away with Monte.

So the locoweed question remained unresolved. But not Monte’s resolve that he loved his Palomino and he was a great horse. Which caused the next question going up and down the creeks to be asked. How is Monte and his Palomino going? About the same. He’s just misunderstood. So now Monte’s biggest problem is finding a psychiatrist with a big enough couch for him and the Palomino lay down on.

Everyone except Monte thought that was a pretty funny one.

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