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Western Nostalgia in A Ruined State

We were doing our morning rounds, riding up through the sagebrush hills, when we saw three horsemen coming our way. I made sure my dog was on the leash. I pulled off the dirt road just so I could relax and admire the horses.

A man, a horse, and a dog. It just doesn't get any better than that, and I told them so.

The music of Victor Young came to mind, and the images of the opening of the classic 1953 movie, Shane. Nostalgia might seem like a result of old age; but strictly speaking, nostalgia results from a consciousness of loss. Of course the more years you have lived, the more you come to appreciate what has been lost.



This is especially poignant in a state like Colorado. No longer a western state in any sense of the word, other than scenery,  the state has become unbelievably expensive and crowded.

But let's not think about any of that. Let's just look at the pretty horses and remember: 
...the man who rode into our little valley out of the heart of the great glowing West and when his work was done rode back whence he had come and he was Shane.

Comments

Ted said…
I never idolized horses or horse riding when growing up. Most likely because we owned them when I was a little kid and until I graduate high school I lived in a neighborhood filled with horse corrals and people riding along the sides of the road. One of my first jobs was the daily care of a rich lady's neglected horses.

Although that cowboy image never had that mystique for me, I must admit that there was a certain magic to riding double with pretty girls.
Are you supposed to put the pretty girl in the front or the back of the saddle?
Ted said…
Depends on who's in the saddle, holding the reigns. Second person gets behind, arms around the other's waist. I didn't have my own horse at that age so I was always the one behind. No complaints.
Ted said…
BTW, the silly "princess carry" where the cowboy hero on a horse holds the girl cradled in his arms? Pure Hollywood fiction. Neither party could do that for any length of time (just long enough for the scene). Only a small child might be able to ride in front of the horseman with Western style saddles. (Think of that tall pommel in front!)