Changing Dreams

I was born in 1945 at the end of the Second World War. My childhood years were in the late 40's and early to mid 50's. Me and my childhood friends played four games -baseball, football, army, and cowboys. The baseball and football were pick up games in the neighborhood. Playing army was influenced by our closeness to the end of the war. My father had a war dependent job so he didn't serve, but many of our family friends did. Conversations about Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge were common. However, my favorite games had to do with cowboys.

Wanting to be a cowboy came from those Saturday afternoon matinees where for a quarter you could see two of the old (late 30's to early 50's) Westerns and several cartoons. I never wanted to be Daffy Duck, but I did want to be Roy Rogers when I grew up.

There were many great movie cowboys during those days - Gene Autry, Hopalong Cassidy, Lash Larue, Bob Steel, Randolph Scott, Harry Carey (Sr. and Jr.), the Cisco Kid, the Lone Ranger, Red Ryder, and, of course, John Wayne.

But, to my boyish imagination there was only one King of the Cowboys and that was Roy Rogers with his magnificent horse, Trigger. This was before the TV series when Dale Evans became his partner.

I don't remember if I had all the outfit, but I do remember getting a Roy Rogers gun and holster (cap gun of course) for Christmas when I was about 6 years old (1951).

A little Roy Rogers triva: Question: What was Roy Rogers real name? Answer: Leonard Slye. Question: Where was he born? Answer: Cincinnati, Ohio. His boyhood home is right about where the Cincinnati Reds baseball stadium now stands along the Ohio River. Question: What was Trigger's original name? Answer: Golden Cloud. Question: What movie was Golden Cloud in before he became Trigger? Answer: Robin Hood with Errol Flynn. Golden Cloud/Trigger was Maid Marian's horse. Question: How much did Roy pay for Trigger? Answer: $2,500. He later spent $5,000 for a saddle and tack with gold and silver appointments. In today's dollars that would be like spending $22,000 for Trigger and $44,000 for his saddle and tack. Question: Was Trigger a Tennessee Walking Horse? Answer: No. This is a common myth. His sire was a Thoroughbred and his dam a Quarter Horse.

Roy Rogers had several side kicks in his movies and Pat Buttram in the TV show with his jeep, Nellie Belle. However, one sidekick was with him more than others and that was George "Gabby"Hayes. I actually met Gabby Hayes when I was about 7 years old. Our neighbor owned a furniture store in Nashville, Tennessee and was an early local sponsor of the Gabby Hayes TV show which aired from 1950 to 1954. Gabby Hayes came to Nashville to shoot a local TV promotion and I got to go to the TV studio to watch and meet him. Quite a thrill for a 7 year old boy of that era.

I don't think I grew out of those early cowboy days, but the entertainment industry did away with cowboy movies and TV shows as I grew out of childhood. Over the years, I have learned that I still had that deep dream of being a cowboy, even if I finally realized that I would never be Roy Rogers. So, when Betty and I took up horseback riding about 13 years ago at age 50, my dream of becoming a cowboy seemed to be coming true.

However, as I learned more about horses and we eventually got our own horses, Gletta and Morgunn, I realized this dream would never come true. A hard fact that I have learned and come to accept is that cowboys are people on horseback who make their living by moving and working cows. I have 'played' working cows on horseback several times, but that's the extent of my being a play cowboy.

The good news is that as I have had to give up the dream of becoming a cowboy, a new dream is taking it's place - one that is realistic. My dream now is to become the best horseman that I can be. I still have a long way to go, but I know this dream is attainable. I will never be really good, but I am a better horseman than I was last year and I'm working to be a better horseman next year.

All in all, not a bad dream to have in the latter part of my life.

Today is June 1 and if your birthday is today you share you day with: Morgan Freeman (actor), Pat Boone (singer), Andy Griffith (actor), and Marilyn Monroe (actress).