Childhood idols...

I saw this photo of Roy Rogers and his horse, Trigger, being honored with a star at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on Facebook today and it brought me back to my childhood.  I used to ADORE Trigger, and can remember when Roy and "Trigger" came to my town to appear at the local Roy Rogers Restaurant. The horse was actually one of the "other Triggers" used for personal appearances to give the famous stallion a break, but I didn't know that at the time, nor do I think I would have cared.

I can remember sitting on my Daddy's shoulders to get a better look and being completely awestruck by the famous cowboy and his glistening gold companion.  The absolute wet-your-pants exciting best part of the night was when I was able to get an autographed copy (GASP!!) of my favorite Roy and Trigger poster, one that showed a rearing Trigger and a waving Roy with a rural Western background. 

That beloved poster hung above my desk for years, and I have vivid memories of staring at it and daydreaming while I was supposed to be doing my homework.  My Mom took it down when it got old and faded and torn around the edges, and let me tell you, there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth on my end when that happened!

The genesis of many young daydreams.

Who were your childhood horse-related heroes, and what do you remember most about them?

Today's Horse Hero (Or...Holy Crap! Can You Believe This Story?)

Saw this come across my laptop and had to read the headline several times over before it sunk in:
"Blind 'Superman' Saves Colorado Teenager After Fall From Horse"

Uhhh, come again??  I needed to know more about this.  Seems a teen aged Colorado ranch hand was thrown from her horse and as a result fractured her skull and bruising her brain.  She was unable to walk, and lay where she fell, screaming for help.

Enter Superman.  In this tale, Superman is not Clark Kent, but rather the owner of the ranch the accident occurred on, Keith Day.  Mr. Day has been legally blind since birth.  He can distinguish between dark and light, and some vague large shapes (think of a very blurry, vaguely horse or truck shaped object).  Somehow, he was able to follow the sound of her screams to reach her.  He was able to check her for noticeable breaks, and then somehow managed to carry her hundreds of yards, at one point crossing over a barbed wire fence, to where emergency personnel could reach her.

Pretty jaw-dropping stuff, huh?  Talk about having a guardian angel.

(Not to put a damper on a heartwarming story, but it does kinda makes a good argument that one should always wear a helmet. Just saying.)