Iron Horseman, and Women

Although I am still very far from home at prosecutor training, I am only 86 miles from Boys Home. Yesterday Wendy picked me up and we made the trek out there to help out with the training of Sunka Wasicun, a handsome colt that I gave Boys Home for part of their natural horsemanship program that Bonnie Wheatly is developing for the boys. The other colts that we gave them are doing great and Sunka Wasicun just needed to be regrounded in many of the basics that dealt with confidence and control.

As we approached the gate a young hand went up to wave and Jimmy came running over. Jimmy is one Lido-looking little rascal that I would love to have in my program. Jimmy is doing a good job with his colt, Rain in the Face. Jimmy is solid and has his mind on the horse. In the corral he has focus. Focus is difficult for a lot of kids to develop, but I firmly believe that focus must come before a kid can develop what Dorrence called "feel."

Yesterday was a long day. I was awake for 21 hours. It was cool and windy at Boys Home and darkness fell quickly as we worked the colt from shyness into wearing a saddle in perfect comfort. I did not plan it that way, but it was a good day to be at Boys Home.

My mother adopted 12 kids, some with a range of disabilities. She was president of the Virginia Foster Parent Association and active in the national foster parent movement. Momma and Daddy had over 125 foster kids over the years. In the early fall of 2004 Governor Mark Warner named a day in September to honor my parents as "Nelson and Aileen Edwards Day." She was one of the first women in our volunteer rescue squad and worked hard in the Red Cross and the Christian Outreach Program. She was a rural mail carrier who was her own private social services for families on her mail route in crisis. Most importantly, she was tough.

I see that same combination of compassion and toughness in Donnie Wheatly, Director of Boys Home, and his wife Bonnie. Boys Home is in Covington, Virginia. Look at their website. Look at the solid work that they do. Consider the fact that they are taking on the bold and important step of teaching natural horsemanship to students who want to learn. After you do all of that send them your financial support and encouragement.

As Momma would have gently put it,"Just send them a damn check now before you forget to do it." Momma died six years ago yesterday. Momma was made of iron. She had to be. She would not have had to explain herself to the Wheatly's nor they to her. They would have understood each other with out explanations.

(This is Jimmy, a student at Boys Home sitting bareback on Red Feather. Red Feather is made of iron. If Jimmy keeps working the horses one day so will he.)