A HARD HEAD

while living in congress Arizona we spent a lot of time working in the weaver mountains. they were rough, steep and rocky. so rocky that even on established trails  you might ride for hours and your horse never step off rock.  the mrs. wasn't real crazy about rough country. I think it kinda scared her a little but she wouldn't admit it.  I always tried to put her on the best horses  so she wasn't as stressed. this one day we were gonna check out a particulary rough canyon.  on one side was a good tril, even though it was rocky it was reasonably flat along the canyon side. on the other the trail was a bit higher, rougher and damn sure rocky.  I saddled a old bay horse who was the rough country horse I ever had. and I mounted the mrs on my good heel horse. he wasn't to tall and was agile and nimble. I knew she wouldn't make any wild charges through the pebble pile on him and he would carry her with out any bad stumbles.  about a hour into the ride she was about a hundred feet below me and even with me  she rode into and behind a laurel thicket. in just a moment I heard a yell and the mrs. came runnin out of the thicket a foot holden the back of her head cryin. I turned old knife down off that ridge and he rambled down through the boulders like there was a highway there. later when I looked at where we came off that ridge I don't know how he did it without breaking a leg.  when we got to the mrs. she was sitten on a rock cryen, holdin her head and pointed to my heel horse who laying with his feet uphill with one foot hung between two ricks.  as I got to him he raised his head and looked at me like sorry boss.  after checking the mrs. out and not finding any blood I realized she was crying for boots the heel horse.  I found a stout stick and was about to try and pry the rocks apart when the shoe on that foot popped off allowing the horse to roll over and land on his belly.  after a moment he scrambeled to his feet holding the hurt one off the ground. I feared he had broken it but upon lookin closer saw he had cut the leg above the hoof.  putting the mrs. on my horse I was able to lead the little guy about 2 miles down to a road where she had brought the truck and trailer.  for a couple years the mrs. had head aches at times. and a lump under her hair.  I believe that had it not been for her hat and that pile of brown hair the fall would have slit her skull. thank god for hard headed women