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The Ride
The cowboy climbs on the big black horse
He can feel him quiver with rage
This horse called Fury NO cowboy's rode
But tonight that's gonna change
He checks his riggin', nods to the crowd
As if to say "Don't worry,
I'm a COWBOY And tonight's the night--
I'll ride this horse called Fury.
He gives the signal--the gate opens wide
Fury bursts from the chute with a scream
Buckin', Snortin', Sunfishin' high
In his eyes a menacin' gleam
The cowboy spurs from front to back,
Fury responds with a leap
The cowboy's holdin' his own on this bronc
But that buckle ain't gonna come cheap
Then the sound every cowboy longs to hear
The bell says 8 seconds has passed
He jumps from the bronc,
Waves to the crowd--------
THEN WAKES FROM HIS DREAM AT LAST . . .
Then grandma's cowboy climbs out of bed
Dons his boots and jeans
They'll go to the rodeo, he'll ride the sheep
And ride the broncs in his dreams.
Peggy Coleman © All rights reserved.
I was born in Dayton, Ohio. My dad had moved there from Kentucky, where he grew up. I always loved horses and watched all the westerns I could every Saturday morning on the TV and Saturday afternoons at the movies.
My grandparents and all my dad's siblings lived in Kentucky, so we went there quite often. My summers were spent primarily at my grandparents or my Aunt Katie and Uncle Glenn's farms. My uncle raised cattle and farmed. He had two mules, Becky and Katie, that he used to plow with and when I was young he let me ride on the plow with him. As I got older he taught me how to use the reins and work the mules to plow. My brother and I spent our teen summers working on our uncles' farm hauling hay. He had an old barn-soured horse that we used to have to force out as far in the pasture as we could get him from the barn, then we'd turn him around and he head pell-mell for the barn. We took turns doing this any time we weren't in the fields. That's how I learned to ride-bareback.
When I married, my husband and I had a farm and raised a few horses. We spent weekends on trail rides and play days with other friends who enjoyed riding. When I moved to Oklahoma, my love of the cowboy life came to life!! I became involved in rodeo big time and was instrumental in getting a cattle drive-wagon train started in Pawnee to kick off rodeo week. That was ten years ago and the cattle drive still goes on each year in Pawnee in August. We usually ride about 50 miles over a 5 day ride. It is a lot of fun and we sure get to meet a lot of nice folks, and some have been coming every year.
I have appeared in the Pawnee Bill Wild West Show every year for the past 10 years, riding my mule, Ruby and doing a comedy act that was in the original show. I have been across the country playing cowboy music at gatherings since I came to Oklahoma in 1984. I have been raising Border Collies for the past ten years. My sire is a son of Miss Kitty, famous trick dog of Sky Shivers. I love the cowboy way of life and what it represents.I am also in the ministry and enjoy going to churches and sharing my testimony and music with others. I am planning a mission trip to Guatemala in July.When not doing all of the things mentioned above, I am a drug and alcohol counselor and DUI instructor.
Peggy Coleman
You can contact Peggyfaithottc@yahoo.com