Down on the Farm: Rush Valley Daze

My Dad loved riding horses. Any event that had horses involved was a good time. One year, he planned a trail ride/wagon train event to go along with our town's summer celebration, Rush Valley Days. There was always food, games, and entertainment, and this year, the added bonus of the trail ride/wagon train. The group would ride for two days, camping along the trail until they reached a designated camp spot in Rush Valley where we would all eat a catered dutch-oven dinner and have a dirt dance with a live band.

As you can imagine, the turnout was quite large; not only did most of the citizens of Rush Valley attend, but also many relatives of those who lived in the small community, past and present, and some who had just heard about the event. Space was limited, but the cars, horses, people, and food wagon all pushed in together. It was a very successful activity with fun had by all.

Of course, the horses that the trail riders came riding into camp on would be tied to trees around the campground and those who would only be coming to the dinner and dance would be parking around the crowded outskirts of the campground, as well.

One particular couple showed up in their fancy new Cadillac. It was a very nice ride, to say the least! They parked in the dusty make-shift parking lot alongside the horses.

Just some foreshadowing: because it was so warm, most all the vehicles left their windows down.

The night went on uneventful. There was laughing, dancing, singing, eating: everything to insure a good time. And then the fun ended, at least for the visiting couple with the Cadillac. Apparently, they had parked next to a tree that one of the horses had been tied to. The horse had pivoted around the tree until the back of the horse was up against the car.

(A lesson in animal physiology: when you feed a horse, the forage moves through the intestine and back out as a digested substance called manure.)

Well, this particular horse followed the lesson of animal physiology and when its tail was raised, the only place for the manure to fall was right into the open car window onto the fine upholstered front seat of that Caddy.

You can probably imagine what went through the couple's head as they went home that night!