The Rock Wall

Kimball came home from town and told me Matthew and Bruce Rogers started 2023 with another crappie tournament win. It was last Saturday on Lake Darbonne in Louisiana. Matthew has a $3,500 depth finder that lets them see individual crappie. He ties his own jigs.
Ever heard of a racing quarter horse? They can be up to 7/8 thoroughbred. Somebody brought me one to train for riding. Gentle horse but he dwarfed a regular quarter horse. I petted him and got acquainted. Then I cracked the buggy whip to start teaching him to always keep his head toward me. The corral fence was 6ft tall. His heels lightly clicked on the top rail as he cleared the fence.
Never had that happen before. Time for Plan B. I went back to my horse training books. I came back with a long light rope which I fastened to his halter or his lower jaw. Then we proceeded with the lesson.
The next little bobble came when I tried to teach him to neck rain. My usual method was to replace the big ringed pony bit with a regular grazing bit and cross the reins under the horse’s neck. That was when I pulled on one rain, it pulled on the opposite side of the horse’s mouth.
That didn’t work with the racing quarter horse. I wound up holding the reins up right behind his ears. I figured out pretty quick if my student didn’t perform as expected, it was my fault. Same for children and grandchildren. My wife always tells me I’m wrong and I’ve got to where I listen.
When I’m turkey hunting and make a mistake, I either hear that terrible alarm putting or complete silence. The result is the same: an educated bird and a long walk back with no turkey.