We kept the neighbor's horse while they spent the winter in Florida.   The horse's name was Buster and he had "watch eyes".   That meant that his eyes were mostly white and he looked very wild.   My Daddy wanted me to become friends with Buster, so every day, I took him two sugar cubes and an ear of corn.

It felt funny when he licked the sugar out of my hand.   While he was eating the corn, I brushed him all over with a curry brush.   He sometimes tried to bite me.

One day, Daddy said, "Would you like to ride Buster to give him some exercise?"

I thought that was a grand idea!   I had ridden on the backs of the cows sometimes.   Daddy had to go down the lane to get them and drive them up to the barn to get milked.   Sometimes, he would put me on a cow's back and we plodded up the lane.

Daddy put a blanket on Buster's back and then strapped a saddle on him.   He helped me get up in the saddle.   He took the reins and led Buster around the barnyard.   It was so much fun bouncing along on the saddle as Buster walked behind Daddy.

Then Daddy started running a little bit and Buster started trotting a little faster too.

Daddy said, "Now you take the reins in your hands and ride Buster around the edge of the field.

"How do I make him move", I asked.

"Just tell him to Giddy-Up and slap his neck with the reins.   When you want him to turn, pull on the rein on that side and he will turn.   Just walk him around and then back to the barn.   When you want him to stop, just say, Whoa."

I sat very straight on Buster's back and said, "Giddy-Up."

Buster started walking across the barnyard toward the field.   When we got near the field, I pulled on the right rein to make him go right.   I wanted to ride him along the fence, all around the field, and then back to the barn.

Buster had other ideas!

He started galloping across the field and straight toward the lane.

I yelled, "Whoa. Whoa Buster," and pulled back on the reins.

Buster threw his head back, but kept right on running.

I yelled, "Dad-dee. Help!"

I could see Daddy running from the back of the barn, across the field.   He was running on an angle so he could cut Buster off before we got to the lane that went down to the woods.

I lay down on Buster's neck and hung on for dear life.   Every now and then, he would kick out his back legs and I knew I was going to fall off.

Daddy just managed to get to us before we got to the lane.   He grabbed Buster's reins and pulled hard to stop him.

Buster snorted and then stopped.   Daddy took the reins and led us back up the lane to the barn.   I was crying and shaking and wanted to get off right then.

Daddy said, "No.   You stay on his back so he knows you are the boss.   You have to show him who the boss is."

"I think he knows.   He's the boss!"   I cried.

That night when I went out to the barn to do my chores, I visited Buster.   I took two sugar cubes and two ears of corn this time.   I stretched out my hand toward him and said, "Do you want this?"

When Buster came over for his treat, I dropped all of it outside his stall.   Just out of his reach---where he couldn't get it.

"There, you want it?   Well just try and get it," I said.   "Nasty, bad, bad horse!"

I never rode him ever again and I still don't like horses!