ALTRUISTIC HORSES?

When my son, Nathan, was almost five years old, and we were living on our family farm near Morehead, KY, we bought him a small black racking horse, Black Jack, also almost five, who took upon himself the responsibility of protecting Nathan.

One day, I looked out the kitchen window and saw a horrible sight..7-year-old Nathan was leading his sister, Jerielle's tiny racking mare out of the pasture, and a coming three year old Saddlebred stallion-previously gentle and well mannered- was attacking Nathan, trying to kill him.

What stopped the stallion was Black Jack, valiantly running interference, circling with the much larger stallion, fighting back, and blocking his lunges.

As I watched, BJ stumbled to his knees, and my racking horse, Whistle, who had been watching on the sidelines, instantly leaped in to take his place while BJ caught his breath and got back on his feet.

Meanwhile, I'd grabbed a bucket with grain and run to the pasture, and soon distracted and caught the stallion.
I tied the horse to a tree and called the vet to come do a gelding job for me immediately. He said he didn't have anyone to help throw him, but I said never mind, I'd take care of it.

I quickly threw and immobilized the horse, then after the operation, called a horse dealer and the former stallion, a pretty flaxen sorrel, was sold within an hour.. as a gelding.

We all worshiped Black Jack and Whistle even more after that, and kept both horses for the rest of their lives, despite being constantly badgered with offers to buy either of them at several times their worth.

1. Pic is my 8 yr old daughter riding Black Jack, pulling Nathan, 11, on toy skis on our Morehead, KY, farm.

2. 1988 photo of my 8 yr old son riding Black Jack, my daughter, 5 yrs old on a mare, and me on Whistle, my racking trail horse. We were on a 20 mile trail ride to town and back.