story by Guest Author, my dad
Yesterday (Saturday) I watched the tail end of the Kentucky Derby. I was pleased to see the super bred, expensive, racehorses beaten by the offspring of an $8,000 mare and a $2,500 stallion. It reminded me of the Melville Derby at rodeo time in the 1930’s when the work horse from Ma Franklin’s rake team beat the well promoted Thoroughbred and Standard Bred horses from the Melville area Dude Ranchers.
Cowboys in front of Melville Hotel
The area Dude Ranchers had invested in some well-blooded horses in order to beat one another in the annual rodeo races. Thoroughbred and Standard Bred horses were famed and trained to develop their racing ability. Mrs. Franklin’s horse was bred as a draft horse. He was a valuable worker on a hay ranch. He was trained to obey “Gettup and Whoa” when on the tongue of a wagon or hay rake. But his heart was in beating his teammate to the oat box at the barn. The farm hands trained him for that, but they were so impressed with his ability that, CAN YOU IMAGINE IT, they entered their Dark Horse in the Melville Derby. And he won going away.
Fortunately the rider got him turned at the end of the track and he headed back to the rodeo stands and not to the can of oats in a barn a mile and a half away.
Some of the Melville Cowboys and my Grandmother Cowgirl