I Like 'Em Fat 'n Sassy

One of the simple pleasures of life is watching horses at play. There is nowhere on earth that our horses would rather be than at our place in Island Park, Idaho. There they have room to stretch out and run themselves out of breath. When the bunch of them hit their stride at a full run through the water and buffalo grass and then pause long enough to rear up, to buck and to nip at one another before they hit the run again, it is enough to take your breath away. You can feel the ground shake with the thundering hooves and you ask yourself - And I actually climb aboard those horses and ride?

One of the things they are telling you is that they are healthy; that their lungs are clear, that their joints are free from arthritic pain and that they are sound. When this happens, you know that vet bills are some distance away. Another thing is that be being allowed to horse around you can pretty well count on the fact that they are mentally healthy as well.

This poem is about horses that bring beauty of motion into view and are still able to to put in a hard days work.

I Like ‘em Fat ‘n Sassy
by Paul Kern

I like ‘em fat ‘n sassy,
Don’t like ‘em tired ‘n old,
I like ‘em with a springtime buck,
Just after winter cold.

I like ‘em fat ‘n sassy,
‘Fore the risin’ of the sun,
When they’re playin’ raw ‘n rough,
An’ rear an’ fight for fun.

I like ‘em fat ‘n sassy,
In the early mornin’ light,
When they’re runnin’ fresh ‘n free,
It’s a cowboy’s pure delight.

I like ‘em fat ‘n sassy,
When they’re full of spit ‘n spat,
An’ they’re flyin’ on the wind,
Out there upon the flat.

I like ‘em fat ‘n sassy,
When they’re jingled in ‘n gathered,
Sass turns into workin’ hard,
An’ fat burns off all lathered.

I like ‘em fat ‘n sassy,
No achy joints or heavey side,
‘Cause then I know then they’re good to go,
From dawn to dusk on a workin’ ride.