It’s understandably spooky mounting a horse that’s never been ridden.
The rider can’t know exactly what the horse is going to do — smile, frown or say, “If you raise your voice to me one more time, I’ll buck you into Bosque County.”
That’s what almost happened to young horseman Nick Coleman.
“At first, I was nervous,” the Cleburne High sophomore said. “When I’d first get on a horse, I’d be holding the saddle horn. But if you do enough ground work on them, they shouldn’t buck. They might, but ground work really pays off.
“I had one last year throw me into a metal pipe fence. The guy who was helping me on the ground let go of the lead rope. My leg wasn’t all the way in the saddle. I came off and flew into a fence. The way Ron [Richmond, boss] and I do it, one of us is on the horse and the other is on the ground with the lead rope. If the horse starts bucking, the one with the lead rope pulls [the horse] around.”
Coleman was none the worse for wear after his accident.
“I think I sprained my ankle, but I got back on,” he said. “[The mare] wasn’t wild or anything. She just didn’t know what was going on. That was the first time anybody had been on her back. It was new to her, and she got nervous. Horses either fight or fly. She couldn’t go away, so she was going to try to fight me.”
Coleman has learned to tune in to a horse’s wavelength.
“You can tell a lot by the way they position themselves, like their ears and weight position.”
Horses respond to touch, Coleman said.
“It’s all about pressure. When you want the horse to go, squeeze your legs. Ron has a saying: ‘Light as possible, firm as necessary.’ ”
There is no equine division in this month’s Johnson County Junior Livestock Show, and Coleman said he’s a little too busy outside school to raise an animal project for the show.
“I’ve shown animals before,” Coleman said. “I showed a goat a long time ago but not this year. I just don’t have the time. I work and train horses.”
His in-school ag mechanics project, due to be entered in the show, might fit in well on a horse farm. He’s crafting a western-theme metal fence with lone stars.
The gate was Coleman’s idea. Vocational ag teacher Mark McClure helped him with details.
It’s 10 feet by 4 feet with an arch, Coleman said. “It has a big star in the middle. Below the arch are two Texas stars on the sides and a cowboy scene in the middle.
‘I started building it with 1-inch square tubing. I made the frame. Mr. McClure had the idea for the arch. That makes it look pretty fancy. I welded up the frame, tacked up the star that says ‘Texas 1836,’ then started cutting and twisting metal. I’ve got about half of it to go at least. I’ll take it home to paint it black and silver.”
The gate was an affordable project because, Coleman said, “I was paying for everything. It was the cheapest thing to build, cheaper than a trailer or bed frame. It’s a lot different now than when I came up with the plan.”
He hopes to make the ag mechanics sale. If not, he’ll put a price tag on the gate.
“I want to get maybe $100 to $300 more than what I have in it,” he said. “So far, I have about $300 in it. The star cost $55. I’d like to make some profit.”
He may have more of a future as a welder than horse trainer if present economic conditions continue.
“I’d like to train horses, but there’s not much money in that,” Coleman said. “I really like horses. I’ve been riding since I was 5 and training since I was 12. I do what Ron tells me to do. Right now, he has five or six horses.
“A friend who got me into horses also got me into welding and taught me a little bit. I’ve learned a lot [in vocational ag]. I want to be a welder now.”
Cleburne
Related Photos
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Nick Coleman, Cleburne High vocational ag student, prepares to weld his ag mechanics project, an elaborate gate, for entry in the Johnson County Junior Livestock Show and Youth Fair. Pete Kendall/Times-Review
Discussion
CHS sophomore may turn from horse training to welding
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