Pictures of Your Dad with Horses

[dressagetraks]

Folks liked the Pictures of Your Mom with Horses thread back leading up to Mother’s Day, so here, I’ll present the spin-off for the dads.

Dad hasn’t really been into riding or being around my horses much, but back when he was a wee thing on the farm, of course, he dealt with work horses and other work equids. Grandpa share cropped cotton, and Dad clearly remembers when they got their first tractor when he was young teens.

Here is the only picture I can find of Dad with an equine critter. This is Grandpa, Grandma (holding Linda), and down below are sister Joann and Dad. And of course the mule team. Dad looks like he’s got better things to do here than stand for a picture.

You all probably have many better ones of the Dads with horses. Let’s see 'em!

[moonlitoaksranch]

My dad was scared of my first horse. She knew it, too. Photobombed him right out of some pictures we were taking before I left for college with my horse, (I supported her by working while in college).

There was an incident when I was a young teen where he was shouting angrily at me and I ran down to the barn. He was volatile and unpredictable sometimes. Ellie, who I had only recently rescued from a rough life, came in from the pasture nickering at me, but when I ran into the barn, she stationed herself outside and glared at my dad. He ignored her and continued shouting at me. She wheeled around and kicked the air in front of him. He quickly retreated. I hugged my brave mare. I moved her to a boarding stable near my mom’s house shortly afterwards (mom had custody of us anyway). He is still afraid of horses.

[moonlitoaksranch]

I do have male ancestors that loved horses, though. Covered wagon era ancestors. I should mention my grandfather and grandmother had horses when my mom was growing up. I need to also mention my great grandfather, WWI veteran that raised racing QHs for awhile in Oregon. All of them were on my mom’s side. Dad’s side were immigrants that went to the cities for work and stayed there, lol.

[OnAMission]

This fake bucking horse is as close as my dad has been to a horse in all his years since, other than unloading my ponies out of the back of the truck as they arrived.

My G-Grandfather had a little better track record; he raised and trained draft teams in MI. I had a GG-Grandfather that raised horses and cattle in SW MT in the early 1900’s and was reported by a history book to have helped bring cows up to MT with Nelson Story, the origin event of the Lonesome Dove sagas. I got horses randomly through the genes but they landed harder on me than anyone else in the family right now.

[Tee]

My dad wanted absolutely nothing to do with horses (bad experience as a kid, I guess). He never could figure out where the horse gene came from.

[Rackonteur]

@moonlitoaksranch

I need to also mention my great grandfather, WWI veteran that raised racing QHs for awhile in Oregon. All of them were on my mom’s side. Dad’s side were immigrants that went to the cities for work and stayed there, lol.

It’s interesting, the range of ages of people here on COTH. My great-grandfather (and his 3 brothers) fought in the Civil War.
All my great-grandparents were farmers except for the two who immigrated from Holland and were city folks.

[Rackonteur]

My dad, ca WWI:

And ca WWII:

[2DogsFarm]

I only have a couple mental images
Dad was a City Boy, but he & his sister rode livery horses in Chgo’s Lincoln Park in the 1920s.
He was responsible for financing my weekly lessons from 8yo to my mid-teens. Almost bought me a schoolie, but Mom put her foot down
We lived in the burbs & boarding was not in the budget.
Still, these make me smile:

1-Dad must have been in his 70s when I visited after he & Mom moved to CA with my younger brother. I stayed in Chgo with that same Aunt as I was in college: The Art Institute.
He arranged a trailride, somewhere in the SF Valley & went with me. He had not been on a horse in over 50yrs, but gamely did the 1h+ ride.

2-Dad drove DH & me from his home in Encino, CA to Buellton - a couple hours North - to visit Monty Roberts’ Flag is Up Farm.
This was before the Hoopla & we were allowed to wander all over the property, unescorted.
Later we saw a small group of people gathered around someone.
It was Monty, answering questions, until a ranch hand told him he was wanted “up at the house, for lunch”.
I can still see my Dad, all 5’6" of him, reaching up to stroke the nose of a horse in a stall.

He always asked about my TB in their weekly calls & later, after both Mom & my DH had died & I had my farm, referred to my horses as his “boys”.
He was able to visit the 1st year I was here & came with me to feed the horses I had then.
& Still stroke noses
Years later, after he’d lost his ability to speak clearly (CHF/COPD), he’d still call & always managed to ask about them.

HAPPY FATHERS DAY, DAD The “boys” I have now would have loved you too.

[RMJacobs]

My father had zero understanding of my passion for horses and wanted nothing to do with them. The last time he visited me before we had a massive falling out, I asked him to come for a ride in the cart, pulled by my Hackney pony. Not only would he not get in the cart, he wouldn’t come near my sweet pony. He walked while I rode in the cart, and insisted on being all the way across the road in case the pony acted up.

My stepfather, on the other hand, grew up on a farm, youngest of ten kids, and plowed behind a mule. Unfortunately, he never met any of my horses; I think he would have liked them. When I quit riding and switched to driving, he said I was nuts–didn’t I know I was on the unpleasant end of the horse? He said the family mule was a fart machine.

Rebecca

[furlong47]

My dad has never been into horses at all as an adult, so I was kind of surprised to find this one in the scanned family slides. I don’t recognize the background so I’m not sure if they went somewhere for pony rides or what.

I did manage to convince him (and the rest of my family) to go on a trail ride 8 years ago on vacation. I think once was enough for all of them

[moonlitoaksranch]

I have evidence of horsiness on my dad’s side! My grandfather was quite a bit older when my dad was born. Grandpa grew up during WWI and was too old for WWII. My oldest uncle was in Korea and my youngest uncle was in Vietnam. My dad was the baby. Grandpa died a month after 9/11. He made it from the beginning of one century into the next century. He also had a soft spot for my first horse, even though he never met her. He sent me $100 a month to help out when I was in college, along with a note about using it to buy some horse feed. He was always so tight with money, having gone through the Great Depression, but he knew I had worked hard supporting my horse since I was a teen and sent money to help me out. 🥹

Gosh, I hate to say it, but that looks more like my oldest uncle than my grandpa. The costume would be more likely for the 1940s than the early 1900s. My grandpa did pack trips and camping in the mountains, though, so I’ll have to see if there are any pictures.

[chestnutmarebeware]

Or bulls!

All my photos of my dad with my horses are in actual photo albums at home, but I do have this one of my dad contemplating the stray mini Highland bull that showed up in my yard last Sunday. I called him for help, because… dads

[Laverne77]

Yep…dads!
Right after I bought my first house many years ago I called my dad at 11:00 one night to come help me get a bat out of my bedroom. He did!

[thatmoody]

My dad was raised around Standardbreds and regularly got in trouble for riding them. As a young man, he and my uncle hunted in the Maine woods on horseback. When I got a horse at 11, he got himself a lovely Appaloosa mare after my horse dumped him, and we regularly trail rode together. He was also supportive of my horse habit and facilitated my showing; down to teaching me to drive the truck and trailer (he was a long-haul trucker in the Northeast), and making sure my gear was in tip-top shape till he died when I was in my early 30’s.

[SinMiedo]

My SIL took this a few weeks ago and it’s one of my favorite pictures ever. My dad was the one who inoculated me with the horse bug and after almost 70 years and two replacement knees, he’s still infected with it.

[Laverne77]

My dad is not into horses, but he never discouraged my interest and involvement with them. He’s definitely a car guy so I translated that to working on horse vehicles, too. One time I dragged an old beat up jog cart home from an auction and he helped me restore it. He spent last weekend working on my horse trailer. Here he is helping me hook my Clydesdale to the aforementioned cart at a little open show several years ago. We don’t discuss it but I think he’s proud of what I’ve done with my horses over the years as an AOT. And I’m sure he understands the work and dedication as he does all the work on his cars, too, including everything involved in full restorations. We both have end results we are proud of.

[moonlitoaksranch]

What is an AOT? Great picture!

[Laverne77]

Amateur-Owner-Trainer

[JBCool]

I love the mothers thread & posted there, but I would have to go home and really dig to find a pic of my dad with a horse He still thinks I should grow out of the phase. We bond much more over horsepower than horses.

[RMJacobs]

@JBCool

He still thinks I should grow out of the phase.

Both my parents frequently told me I should grow out of my passion for horses. I ignored them.

Rebecca