A decade of fascinating folks

Yesterday I wrapped up another story for the Appaloosa Journal. It's a high-quality, full color magazine that goes to Appaloosa lovers around the world. Each issue usually has about 250 pages, many of which are advertisements from breeders or horse-related businesses. I get to write stories about people and horses from around the world.

This most recent piece dealt with Royce Crosby from Lawton, Okla., a "Pillar of the Breed" who's been showing and breeding Appaloosas for nearly 50 years. What sets Royce apart from most folks in the Appaloosa big-time is that he does all his own work rather than hiring trainers and throwing big bucks out for big-name horses. Royce is a common man who works for an hourly wage as a floral designer. Unlike Rodney Dangerfield, he's earned more than his share of respect because of his steady, helpful nature, his success with horses and, above all, his honesty.

I enjoyed doing Royce's story and especially enjoyed the hard time he gave me over the phone yesterday over some wording in some of his direct quotes that I'd used in the story. Royce agreed that I'd certainly typed what he said, but as he listened to some of his phrasing within the paragraphs of the story, he didn't like what he said. So, we worked over a few sentences, and all was well.

That situation is to be expected with telephone interviews because people don't have time to organize their words quite like they can while responding to an email interview. The deadline schedule for the Journal offers plenty of time for working out the kinks, so now I'll be filing a story that makes both Royce and me look okay. Well, maybe I'm speaking too soon; my editor hasn't seen it yet. She's usually pretty kind to me though.

Working with Royce and his cadre of admirers was a pleasure. That's pretty much how it is with the stories I do for the Journal. Diane has already sent me my assignments for 2007, which will mark a full decade of freelancing for the magazine. The assignments include Appaloosa owners from Maine to Mississippi in the east and California and Oregon in the West. I'll also be interviewing a group of riders for a feature called "Faces of the Chief Joseph Trail Ride."

Ten years later, I'm still pinching myself about the good fortune of this writing gig. I have my dad to thank. He was my first subject back in May, 1997. Since then, I've written approximately 70 stories for the magazine. I've met Cotton Yancey, a rodeo announcer from Mississippi who rides an Appaloosa while announcing.

Once, I wrote about a group of highly-disciplined "Cowboy Girls" who've performed for Olympics. Several stories have featured dedicated trail riders from states across the country. Many have dealt with a variety of talented Appaloosa horses which have distinguished themselves in disciplines ranging from reining to barrel racing.

Early on, I wrote about a young woman who had become a quadripalegic after a cart accident. She didn't let that stop her from showing horses at halter in her wheelchair and even riding them with the aid of a hydraulic lift in her pickup. One of the more compelling stories I wrote involved another young lady whose eyes were destroyed when a playful colt kicked up and hit her squarely in the face. She wears prosthetic eyes. She resumed her passion for barrel racing, and last I heard she's graduated from college and gotten married.

The stories and the people in Appaloosa land, whether they're in Sweden, Australia, South Africa or the United States generally have a common thread. I get to meet and interview, via computer and telephone, some exceptionally nice and really fascinating people. Generally, when I'm all done with each piece, I've acquired yet another new friend.

The job of freelance writing couldn't get any better than that. So, I'm happy that a decade later, the editors are still sending me assignments.