Here is a Muleman (Wally Hendricks) story about a young mare he was training, Smudge.

The Crash

I took a young mare out for her first long ride
She’d seldom been out in the open.
All in all I’d say Smudge took things in stride
After fifteen miles and some lopin’.

We were cruisin’ along by a good side road
That had lotsa room for maneuver
In case she’d get spooked by a big truck load
of coal, I’d be able to move her.

We were lopin’ along without a care in the world
when a horrible sound came behind us.
I told her to whoa, we stopped and then twirled
to see so much smoke could’a blind us.

A woman screamed, then silence – I grabbed my cell,
and dialed the local dispatcher.
I kicked Smudge to a run while I identified myself
This mare had never run faster.

She decided that galloping was nothing she liked
as we got to the intersection.
She commenced to full blown bucking and spiked
the Richter scale at about an “eleven”!

My phone goes one way, my stirrup another
I’m trying to regain control
when Smudge suddenly decides “you want to run, brother?”
and blasts off for the North Pole.

This is a full-blown suicide, runaway ride,
we’re putting the wreck far behind.
I finally get her stopped, go back, get her tied.
There’s only two victims I find.

They’re both okay thanks to seatbelts and bags,
a lady had passed out, though.
When she grabs my arm HARD, looks up and then asks,
“Where’d the guy on the bucking horse go?”

“He’s around here somewhere, I’m sure he’s fine.”
I reply as they hand me my phone.
Seems the sheriff’s dispatcher was losing her mind
wondering why I’d left her alone.