BOOTS

there was a time my dad raised some nice horses. he didn't care what color they were, he was more concerned about quality and do ability. he had a blue roan mare that was one of those good doin kind.  when he bred her she had a appaloosa colt every time!! we bred her to good quarter hose studs, thourobred  stud, and to appaloosa studs and everyone was a athlete and all were appaloosas. one was BOOTS . a little blue roan appaloosa . he never weighed more than 900 pounds but a better rope horse you couldn't ask for.  either on the ranch or in the arena.  quick and speedy for what ever you wanted to do. stout to the saddle horn.  many was the time a header would hang a steer on the corner and realizing he was to close boots would literaly jump backwards to get in position. I know that sounds a little wild but he was that way. if to far to one side he would jump sideways. lots of times he almost  unseated me. once there was a hot pistol heeler traveling through town and stopped for a sunday afternoon jackpot. he needed a mount. no one offered him one but me. he looked at that odd colored little horse and with a dubious nod stepped on. I warned him about the quick corner boots would make and he nodded like ok, its a app.wh en his header switched the steer and the dust settled the hot pistol was standing on the ground with his loop in his hand and boots  was still following the steer!!  one night the roping club decided to have a 4 steer steer stop contest. the header would rope the hornes, dally and simply stop the steer.  after 4 steers we had won it with a time of nine seconds on 4 head. the arena was plowed up in the same spot where that little blue roan had stopped  each time. we would have been quicker but I fumbled my dallies on the third steer and almost lost my rope. after that night I had to use skid boots on that pony because he had burned his fetlocks and hocks raw stopping so hard. on the ranch boots had one failin. when there was cow to work he watched the cow, not where he was goin. once with the mrs. on board trying to turn a cow he ran through a mesquite bush, turning upside down and breaking the mrs. coller bone.   ponies like that don't come along every day.  he had the ability, and I was able to bring it out by having lots of work for him.