Daily Archives: April 24, 2009

Ashley Whyland on Luther

I entered Richmond, KY PRCA rodeo, which was basically right out my back door compared to most of the rodeos in the Great Lakes Circuit.  It was only an hour and a half.  I was riding another horse for a girl, so I decided to throw her in the trailer to see the sights along with Luther.  A rodeo is the ticket to get one used to the sights and sounds! 

I pulled in early and to my delight I was greeted by the state animal inspectors.  I reached for my binder with all my horse’s information in it and handed over Luther’s coggins and health certificate.  Then as I discovered that I left the mare’s papers at home, the color drained out of my face.  I started to panic.  I explained to the gentleman that I had left them at home and PLEADED with him to let me call home and see if they could read him off the numbers.  He reluctantly agreed.  We pulled over to the side and I called home.  No answer!  What was I going to do!?  I called my mom’s cell phone and found out that they had gone out to eat.  I was REALLY in a full blown panic then!  I had heard stories before where they had taken the horses from the owners for not having their coggins.  There was NO WAY they were going to take Luther from me!   

My last and only resort was to call the neighbors.  We had crank out windows that we never locked and the screen in my bedroom was broken from when my sister used to sneak out (I swear it wasn’t from me!)

They agreed to raid my room for the papers!  The woman was heavy set and the husband was skinny and short.  She had to put him on her shoulders, all the while standing in a raised flower bed, and push him into my window.  Looking back, I cannot BELIEVE they did this for me!  I told them where to look and OF COURSE, they weren’t there!  They literally turned my room upside down looking for them. 

The inspector came back over and asked if I had gotten a hold of anyone.  By that time, I was in tears.  I told him what was going on.  He asked me to let him talk to them.  He said, “So are you having any luck?”  My neighbor Angie answered, “Honey, I’m a 250 pound woman and my husband is a 150 pound man.  I had him on my shoulders and launched him into her bedroom, while I was standing on a flower bed raised 4 foot in the air.  If that girl had us do this, I KNOW the papers are in here somewhere.”

The inspector started laughing then said, “Well I’m glad you found them!”

I looked at him, puzzled.  He leaned in the truck and whispered to me, “I trust that you have the papers somewhere or you wouldn’t be putting your neighbors through all of this.  Fax me the papers first thing Monday morning, but don’t you let that other horse get out of the trailer tonight AND don’t you tell my partner that they didn’t find them.”

I couldn’t thank him enough that night. 

My run wasn’t great at all.  I made the excuse that I had too much on my mind!  But it didn’t matter; every girl from my perf got outrun, because the ground dried up the next day.  That’s rodeo! 

I got home and the papers where nowhere near where I had told them to look, OF COURSE!    

Lesson learned, NEVER go anywhere without your health papers…..

*Please check out Ashley’s new website: www.ashleywhyland.com You can learn more about Ashley and follow her as she hits the rodeo road again!!