“Howdy, ma’am.” One man touched two fingers to his hat brim. “All four of us men, and one of these women, are deputy sheriffs. The other three women are wives to these galoots,” he grinned.
“Hello,” Irene answered pleasantly. “How nice of you to stop and speak to my children.”
“Happy to do it, ma’am,” a second man spoke and gave the same two finger salute to his hat brim. “That’s partly why we’re here. We mostly work with the Tribal Police on the Navajo Reservation to help tourists, especially lost tourists. We’re also guides for horseback sightseeing and whatever else is needed.”
“How far away is the reservation?” Tom asked excitedly.
“See those posts on either side of the road about a hundred feet back there?” the third man pointed.
“Yes, sir,” both boys spoke.
“That’s the gateway to the reservation on this road. In fact, here’s Chief Straight Arrow coming now on that pinto. Howdy, Paul,” he turned his horse to face the chief. “I’d like to introduce you to these nice people. This is the Jackson family from the state of Virginia. They’re traveling to Alaska to meet Mr. Jackson and live there while he works for our government.”
“Pleasure, ma’am. Young people.” The chief smiled and removed his western hat to bow slightly to them. “I hope you’ve had a good trip.”
“Yeah, but we haven’t been able to stop and look at a lot of things we wanted to,” Tom blurted.
“But we’ve had a great trip and enjoyed being together as a family. Hey, you haven’t met the other member of our family. This is Galena.” Tim, the peacemaker squatted by Galena and threw his arm over her.
“I’ve been noticing what a beautiful, and big, dog she is,” one woman said.
“Yes, thank you,” Irene chuckled. “She is a good girl but if she feels that either one of us is being threatened, then she’s a tiger.”
“That’s the kind of dog to have,” the chief smiled. “Forgive me, but I need to speak to the deputies on a business matter.” the chief and the deputies tipped their hats and rode off to have a private talk. The three women dismounted and came closer to talk to the Jacksons.
“Hi, I’m Pam. This is Sandy and that’s Ginger.” All were attractive women and about the same size. Irene judged them in be in their late twenties. Ginger seemed to be the jolliest one of the group. All were in jeans, western shirts, western hats and boots.
“Can we ride your horses?” Tom blurted impatiently.
“May we, not can we,” Irene whispered.
“Do you know how to ride?” Pam questioned.
“Not really, but it can’t be too hard,” Tom answered anxiously.
“I promised to let them have lessons as soon as possible,” Irene was embarrassed. Pam looked at the other two, raising her eyebrows in a question. They nodded.
“Would you consent for us to sit a youngster on our horses and lead them around?” Sandy asked.
“I don’t want them to be a bother to you,” Irene answered.
“No trouble. Okay kids. Up you go. Now listen up.” Pam took Tom’s arm and led him to her horse. “This is a western saddle which is basically a working saddle. The front piece is called a horn. That’s the place for a coiled rope. Good riders don’t hold the horn unless they’re in trouble.”
Sandy placed an arm around Tim. “I won’t take time to fill your head with a lot of information today. Just listen. Stand with your left shoulder by the left shoulder of the horse, facing the rump. Take the stirrup in your right hand and turn it to face you. Place your left foot in the stirrup on the ball of your foot and step up. Lift your right leg high enough so that you don’t kick the horse. Don’t bang your full weight in the saddle because it might hurt the horse’s back. Their kidneys are under the back of the saddle. Sit up straight. Ready?”
“Sure.” the twins were eager to start while Anna just grinned happily. Galena was whining and wondering what her humans were doing on top of those big animals.
“Shh. It’s okay, girl. They’re doing fine.” Irene patted Galena and sat on a big stump to watch. Galena was trembling with worry and excitement.
All three children enjoyed walking the gentle horses. They made a large circle under the trees. Pam, Ginger and Sandy walked beside their own horse. The women were pleased with how well the children did at a walk and had them practice turning left and right still sitting straight. The ladies gave them valuable pointers about starting, turning and posture. “Are you ready to jog?” Pam called to them.
“Aren’t we going to trot?” Tom asked.
“Trot is English and jog is Western,” Sandy explained. “The jog is slower than the trot. You have to sit up straight, lower your heels just a fraction because the heels act as a brake in the air. Let the muscles on the inside of your thighs absorb the shock. Now squeeze the calves of both legs and lightly touch the outside heel to the horse. The outside being the one on the outside of a circle. Ready? Jog.”
As the horses obediently started to jog, Tom leaned forward and let his toes go down. Before he could think, he was leaning over the horse’s neck. “Help! What am I doing wrong?”
Sandy took charge. “Everyone sit up straight, place pressure on your seat muscles and gently pull back on the reins, then release the reins.” All three horses came to a full stop.
Pam patted Tom’s leg. “Honey, you didn’t do any worse than most people do when they start riding. You let your toes go down and leaned forward.
Always either keep your foot level or lower the heel slightly. Sit up. On horseback, as the head goes, so goes the body. Leaning forward not only throws you off balance, but it can be a body command to the horse to go faster. Let’s try again. Turn to the left and walk on.”
When Tom had cried out, Galena barked furiously and strained to go to him. It was all Irene could do to hold her back. Ginger walked to them smiling. “Is this the first horse she’s seen?”
“No.” Irene told of seeing the horses in Amarillo. She’s just concerned that one of her family needed her.”
“That’s sweet. She loves all of you and obviously you love her.”
“That’s true. She’s been with us as a weanling since the boys were two years old. It’s a mutual admiration.” Irene laughed.
The deputies returned and were surprised to see the children riding.
“Hey there, partner. How long have you been riding?” Ginger’s husband asked.
Tom made a big deal of checking his watch. “Oh, about twenty minutes.”
“No,” he laughed, “I mean in months or years.”
“Like I said, about twenty minutes.”
“Well, buddy, you’re all doing well. Sorry to break up the party, but we have to move on.”
The three children called out, “Thank you,” over and over. They were grateful for a chance to ride with instructions. After dinner they took Galena for a walk. “Isn’t the air nice?” Anna sniffed appreciatively.
“Yeah,” Tom agreed. “You know I’ve enjoyed the trip more than I thought I would. If we just didn’t have to live in Alaska,” he sighed.
“Ummm. The air does smell fresh and clean,” Tim hurriedly spoke before Irene could admonish Tom. “What a difference. I don’t smell exhaust fumes or neighbor’s cooking or any city odors.” They walked slowly back to the motel enjoying