The ol' ways

There was a time many moons ago I had a young stud quarter horse. He's lineage went to King P-234 and Peter Mc Cue. That's to those who knew the history.

Anyway, this here horse, like many studs, liked to nip. I had him in a box stall and once as I walked by he quick reached out and grabbed my shoulder. Well sir there went part of my wool jacket. Think'n he got away with it, he retreated to the other side of the stalls as if to say, "Gotcha!!"

So I was tell'n my great nabor, a good devout Mennonite, about it. Sez Andrew, "Just take a hot baked potato, wrap it up on your shoulder, stand where he'll have access to it and he'll cure himself." I did as directed and sure enough Jack the stud grabbed it. Away went some more of the coat and such head shake'n and lip slobber'n you never saw.

He never tried to bite again.

Then he got colic bad once so I figured Andrew had the cure. Sure enough sezs Andrew, "A tablespoon of turpentine in a pint of milk, long neck bottle, make sure you keep it from his teeth, git it all down him and walk, walk, walk." I did as told and after an hour or so everything came loose.

As a young whippersnapper I knew an old horseshoer who once oversaw and took care of 50 logg'n teams. When a horse had foot problems, he put okum (used for plumbing - had some kind of tar in it) under leather pad and nailed shoe on, sez Pete "worked wonders."

In the stalls of those logg'n teams I remember in the corner of their manger was their grain box. Besides the big scoop of oats they had in the corner salt packed hard mixed with hardwood ashes. That's how they controlled worms. And I saw Uncle Vinny giv'n the big black team Doc and Dan chewing tobacco on occasion.

Who could question the success of the ol' ways?