It was the summer of 1956. I had been working two jobs but had quit the one at Howard Motors, our local Chevrolet/Buick dealer. I kept my job as the projectionist at the Augusta Drive-In Theater and planned to just enjoy working nights. I did want to stay in shape, so I went down to Penley’s Hardware and bought an axe. Three or four days a week I went down to the Walnut River and got some exercise working with the axe. Every flood would uproot trees and send them floating down the river. Wherever an eddy or an obstruction occurred, the trees would get caught and pile up until the next flood came along. It looked pretty bad, so I would get in there with my trusty axe and trim off the branches and let them and the trunks float on down the river.  It was good exercise, and I enjoyed it a lot. I also took along a 35mm camera and took pictures of anything of interest.

One day, I decided to go up to Skaer’s Farm and go horseback riding. They had a couple of saddle horses for their kids that hadn’t been getting enough exercise because the kids, Delores and Stanley were too busy. Bill Skaer told me I could ride the horses whenever I wanted, so I did, and then paid him back by mucking out the milking barn for a couple of days.

 One day, after saddling up, I decided to cut across a pasture to another road so I could see something different for a change. It was a warm, sunny day, and I must have been daydreaming or half asleep. As we went over a small rise, I was suddenly confronted by Bill Skaer’s personal horse. He was a big devil, half-Percheron or some kind of draft horse and half quarter horse. Though his front legs were hobbled, he was coming fast with his teeth bared. He nipped my horse on the rump. My horse was scared. He was dancing around and bucking a little. As my horse went nuts, he was moving around, and we got a better angle on the other horse. Suddenly, my horse let fly with both hind hooves and nailed the big horse right in the ribs. Next, my horse took off running. It seemed like a good idea, so I just headed him toward the gate.

The last part of this story is kind of funny and anti-climactic. Some time later (weeks?), there was a parade that may have been a 4^th of July parade. As the parade came down State Street, there was Bill, astride this giant horse, and he was as relaxed and easy in the saddle as a guy could be. This horse was well-behaved and acting like a good citizen. Maybe he just hadn’t liked a dumb kid riding  through his pasture.

Dave Thomas 1/23/25