My Horse Friends

A major facet in my youth was horses. Our Lutheran church friends from Germany, two elderly brothers Karl and Ernie Wolff, owned Hillside Stables in Omaha, Nebraska. When I was three years old the family went to see the horses and I rode an older mare.

Hillside Stables had many interesting and impressive horses such as:
Golden Centaur - an elegant palomino with arched neck, large dark eyes; white, wavy tail and mane and a high tail carriage.
 Pepper - the black, classic Morgan;
two thoroughbreds ridden by seventy-year old twin sisters;
Snow King - a white 30-year old retired circus horse;
Private Eye - a handsome, dark chestnut Saddlebred with green-hazel eyes;
and my champion Appaloosa - Spottum Bottum.

Point of interest: at Hillside Stables, in the 1960’s, feed, hay and board in a box stall with use of tack room and all facilities was one dollar a day; and horse rental was $1.25 an hour!

In Omaha, Hillside was located on a huge property bordered by the Papio Creek on the south and west, by Dodge Street on the north, and by the Interstate on the east. There were 3 large pastures to ride in, and a tree nursery too! It was a true pleasure to be at Hillside!

A Jewish friend, Elisse, owned a beautiful palomino named Golden Banner. Since she was Jewish she kept God’s Ten Commandments including keeping holy Saturday - the seventh-day Sabbath. The Fourth Commandment says that cattle (domestic animals) should not work on Sabbath.
Exodus 20:8-11. So on Sabbath Elisse would only turn Banner out to pasture and then give him a good rub-down; she never rode Banner on the seventh-day Sabbath.

Animal Friends

In 1968, due to orthopedic surgery, I was completely bed-ridden for two months and was allowed to have a kitten for company. Since a friend's cat had kittens we chose an orange kitten named Buffy to be my companion!

Buffy had an uncanny sense about my needs for he stayed by my side 24/7. Every morning, at exactly 7:00 a.m., he would awaken me by first meowing, then by sitting on my stomach, then sitting on my chest, then by patting my nose, and finally by sitting on my face! Quickly I learned to wake up before this last step! Buffy was my companion for 17 years.

In elementary school, while waiting for the school bus, the neighbor's huge Saint Bernard, Humphrey, waited with me. He also met me at the bus stop after school acting as a deterrent to anyone wishing me harm.

Part of my final grade in high school zoology was caring for two baby garter snakes at home. They were a trial. One afternoon, before Mom's bridge party, the snakes escaped their terrarium, but were found - after the party!

In 1965 Dad purchased a two-year-old Appaloosa gelding named Spottum Bottum. Later that year I showed Spottum in the nationally known Ak-Sar-Ben Livestock Show where we placed sixth out of 42 in Junior Western Pleasure. Spottum won numerous trophies, but his main purpose was being my friend.

As a child I took Mark 16:15 literally and preached “the gospel to every creature," which included the horses, cats and dogs at Hillside Stables. My main love of horses was riding through nature singing and talking to God.