This is an instance that happened to my grandfather in 1931. It is taken from my father’s book, “A Cowboy in the Soul.”
Raised in Wyoming, Dad spent many of his early summers on his step-grandfather’s cattle ranch where his dad, my grandfather, also spent some time working cattle and busting broncos, along with other ranch duties.
“While extolling the values of the newly-captured horses, Dub (Granddad’s brother) first suggested, then later insisted, that Dad should put his saddle on a particularly good looking little gray-colored bronc. “Take ‘im home and ride ‘im for a few days. That’s a good horse, Lem.”
Jim Goodwin, my mother’s older brother, had just arrived from Texas and agreed to ride along on Dad’s horse. They started off for the (their) Corral Creek homestead.
About a block from the house, the gray horse began to buck. Dad held on because he had anticipated such action, and with me on Mom’s mount, we rode up towards the summit.
The sagebrush grew thick in low-lying clumps and jackrabbits often rested in the shade of the taller ones. When frightened, they would jump from their nests and dash away, a hundred feet or so, stop, sit up on their haunches and stare back at the source of their fright. As we rode up the slope towards the summit, a rabbit burst from it’s hideout and Dad’s frightened horse exploded into a wild bucking spree. Dad was not able to stay in the saddle and was thrown off.
When he fell, he landed in a clump of sagebrush and one horse hoof came down on his face. Another nearly crushed his chest. I don’t remember it, but Uncle Jim said my mother screamed and caused her own horse to bolt, but she managed to bring the horse under control and we eventually made our way to the homestead. I do remember Dad as he stood in the doorway, his face raw and bleeding, while Mom tried to clean sagebrush leaves and splinters from what seemed to be a face void of outer skin. This day and what happened would plague him for the rest of his life.”
Not all of the sagebrush was removed from his face at the time this happened, and he was never hospitalized for his injuries. It later caused skin cancer in his face. His was operated on in about 1962 and they removed his left eye and more of the sagebrush. He died of his injuries he suffered that day in 1931, on July 4, 1972.
(“Cowboy in the Soul” by William J. Johnston copyright 2005. Printed by Writer’s Press, Inc. Boise, Idaho 83706)