THE SAVAGE BAY BEAST

by Larryann Willis

THE SAVAGE BAY BEAST aka Rabbit

When we got home from Port's funeral the horses were grazing high on the mountain above the Buckeye Ranch working corrals. They saw us and the herd of about 25 horses came racing down the mountain with one old, lame, bay gelding coming as fast as his old arthritic legs would carry him. Yes, we still have Rabbit, aka The Savage Bay Beast. He's 22 years old but still the boss horse....and a pain in the neck. Rabbit is one of the best horses we ever raised...and one of the naughtiest. He's a fantastic cow horse and no matter how bad the footing is, even today, old rabbit stands up like a mountain goat. When he was young, one of his favorite past times was standing under a shelter and kicking the roof with both hind feet. That's right. He'd just stand on his head and kick straight up clobbering the metal on the 8 foot roof. I'm sure he did it to keep in practice for the next time he decided to buck, which used to occur on a regular basis. Mostly he was good to ride and such an athlete that we put up with the occasional bucking outbursts, but every so often if you asked him to do something he didn't want to, he uncorked.

It must have been about 1991 and Rabbit must have been a 5 year old when we took him to his first branding at the Miller and Wood Ranch Rob was managing near Bishop, CA. We had quite a few calves to brand at the Mammoth Cow Camp corrals and were having a good old fashioned rancher get together. Rob had pulled his pick up into the middle of the corral and we had a branding fire going next to it and the vaccine and other paraphernalia in the pick up, along with numerous children we were trying to keep out of trouble while still allowing them to feel like they were part of the action. Everything went along smoothly until I decided it was time to see how Rabbit liked roping calves.

I had been swinging a rope on Rabbit and dragging logs and he seemed fine, so I thought he was ready for the next step. Maybe I should have started with a little bit smaller calf but a big 400 lb bull calf with 4 inch horns was handy so I caught him with a head shot and started to pull him for my heeler. Rabbit thought it was fine for me to throw the rope and take my dallies and even turn and start for the fire....BUT when that 400 lb pull hit the saddle horn he decided he didn't like that at all. Rabbit blew up, throwing a major temper tantrum, kicking high and bellowing. I hung on to my dallies for dear life because that's all that was keeping me on. Rabbit bucked right through the branding fire scattering the ground crew, branding irons and flaming wood everywhere. The kids in the truck had the best seat in the house and I could them whooping and hollering as we bucked by. Rabbit bucked past the pick up and around the front of it, dragging the bull calf behind him. The calf stuck a horn in Rob's headlight shattering it and I could hear Rob yelling to get that @#$%? outta his corral!

Rabbit bucked around the pickup and back into the open corral where he was really getting going, when Big Port came riding in. He slammed his mare into Rabbit's left side shoving him hard enough that he brought his head up to see who was interfering with his show. That gave Big Port his chance and he grabbed the rein next to the snaffle and gave Rabbit a good shake. Rabbit responded by biting Big Port on the arm. Big Port slugged him in the face and followed it with several Luis L'Amour style jabs to the nose each time Rabbit tried to bite him again and again.

While Rabbit and Big Port were slugging it out, the calf was still trying to get away running circles around both horses. Rabbit and Port's mare ended up tied together like a Christmas package, with the calf putting the final touches on it by running under their bellies. He finally used up the last of my 50 rope and ended with his head sticking out from under Rabbit by my stirrup. The good news was there was no way Rabbit could buck any more, with us all wrapped up that way.

Rabbit finally figured out his temper tantrum wasn't getting him anything but a bloody nose so he quit fighting. The dust started to settle and Big Port coolly and calmly said to me, "I do believe it would be ok for you to turn loose of your dallies now."

I have to say I was a little nervous doing so because I wasn't sure Rabbit was finished. But he was .....in more ways than one. Rob was furious and ordered him OUT OF THE BRANDING CORRAL!!!!!

The next day Porter Lynn decided to "straighten the SOB out." So he rode in and roped a big calf with him. Rabbit did the same thing, blew up and went to squalling and bucking. Port let loose of his dallies and lined him up on a railroad tie post. Rabbit hit it head first and knocked himself silly. Port Lynn figured he'd learned his lesson, so he tied into another calf. Porter Lynn was right Rabbit wasn't any dummy and had learned his lesson. This time when he blew up he stayed away from the fence. Porter Lynn was a good bronc rider and decided to just ride him through it, so he didn't let go of his dallies. Rabbit saw he couldn't throw Porter Lynn so he purposely turned so the rope hit Porter Lynn on the side and knocked him off. They had quite the knock down, drag out fight that went on all day. And Rabbit showed everyone that the rope trick was no accident. The day ended in a draw. Porter Lynn got some calves roped on him and Rabbit dumped Port off a couple of times. Porter Lynn's final evaluation was, "I guess Rabbit doesn't want to be a rope horse. But he's sure good to sort on and ride in the mountains." So we kept him. We had to, As Porter Lynn said, "We wouldn't want to ruin our reputation by selling a dirty bronc like that to anybody." The funny thing is that Rabbit is a wonderful kids' horse. He just doesn't like to be roped on.

From that time on Big Port always referred to Rabbit as "The Savage Bay Beast". I was sure glad to see my father-in-law ride in to my rescue because I don't think that bay horse would have quit until I was on the ground. Thanks Big Port! You were always there when we needed you.