Glory B & My Rebel Go Easy

Unregistered, black, quarter type mare, born circa early 1960s
Unregistered, chestnut, 1/2 quarter horse colt born 1968

Glory B was a beautiful black, 14.2 mare that was purchases from Leonard G, the horse trader. She was standing in a corner of a stall, facing away from us. A woman at Leonard's stable told us that she was a really nice mare who deserved a better owner. She went on to tell us that Glory was a very successful barrel horse who had won many saddles. She was also used for goat tying. The woman told us that her owner was Diane Scott, aka The Blond Bomb. She said that The Blond Bomb would whip her horses in their stalls to get them jazzed up for faster runs. She had a history of abusing & over riding her horses. The reason Glory was for sale was because she'd been bred but wouldn't settle. She was traded to Leonard for a different, registered QH mare. With that story, Glory had to come home with us. No one was able to recall her name so my mom named her Glory B.

What a wonderful horse she turned out to be. At first she was aloof & shy, eyes wide with fear when I entered her stall. It took months before she trusted me. She was so much fun to ride. She was great on trail & even did a little jumping with me. I almost never rode in a saddle & did come off her a few times. Every time my weight shifted she either slammed the brakes on & i kept going, or she'd make a 180 turn thinking I was cuing her to run barrels. She did learn that neither habit was required & I learned balance.

About 8 months after buying Glory we had a vet do a pregnancy check on her. She was getting bigger & bigger. Sure enough, she was in foal. We went back to Leonard's to ask him for more details. To say he wasn't happy was an understatement. He got his studbook out for his stallion, Chip Dee Reed, a very nice QH stallion of foundation bloodlines. Sure enough, there was the breeding dates for Glory. It was then that we learned her name had been Star Spang Durango. Leonard tried to get us to pay the breeding fee but we weren't falling for that. The next 2 months was filled with excitement at the expected foal, & disappointment that I couldn't ride. After many midnight checks, Glory finally had a chestnut colt that my mom named My Rebel Go Easy.

Rebel was feisty & spunky, ornery & stubborn. He managed to kick both my knees in his first day. He was a gorgeous colt who grew to be very sweet & loving. Although I had a lot of fun playing with Rebel, I was tired of not having a horse to ride. I also wanted a thoroughbred so I could jump. We finally decided to sell Glory & Rebel when he was about 6 months old.

A man who worked at our local feed store bought them. Three months later winter set in & we found out he was selling Glory & Rebel. We went to see them & were horrified to find them extremely thin & standing knee deep in mud. We contacted him & were told Glory had been sold. We talked to both Leonard & Mr Harris & both told us that Rebel wouldn't be worth anything because he'd been starved. They cited all types of potential problems. We didn't buy him back but a year later I saw him at a local stable. I never met who bought him, but at least he was in a good situation.

One day while I was riding on the levee I went passed a show. In the arena was a black mare that in my heart I knew was Glory. I'd heard she belonged to another young girl. I thought I saw the dent in her face (probably shot by a bee bee at one time) & kept hoping the announcer would have the horses reverse. On her left hip there would have been an "S" brand. While the horses didn't reverse & I never saw the left hip, I know to this day that it was Glory.

A lot of lessons were learned about selling horses. Almost without exception never would I again take payments. Nor would I ever take payment in rolls of coins again. Both would raise a red flag about the ability of the person to financially support a horse. Each of my horses over the years have taught me lessons. But the sale & subsequent events surrounding Glory & Rebel were among the most painful of all my lessons. I now require a deposit in blood before you can even think of buying one of my horses.

I read a passage in a Shakespeare play one time that sums up how I feel about Glory today. It goes something like this: "What a horse should have she did not lack, save a proud rider on so proud a back". I didn't appreciate you enough Glory, & for that I will always be sorry.