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Horsin’ Around

Roger Thompson
Fort Collins, Colo.

It started out as just a conversation with my friend Cintia Armstrong about the First Annual Green River Team Penning that our old friend Cindy Brandjord was putting on June 30, 2007. We had known Cindy when she lived in Estes Park and put on Cow Catches there and in Fort Collins.They were a lot of fun and a good workout for our horses, but when she moved to Green River, no one else picked up the event so we just kind of lost touch with all our old friends.

As we talked, Cintia said she was going to pick up Susan Moore and take her along on Friday after her radio show on K99. Susan started working with us a number of years ago and at the time I didn’t know who she was. She had shown up at one of the first Cow Catches on her little Arabian mare and neither one knew much about what they were doing.

So, being the country gentleman I like to impersonate, I started coaching her and trying to help get her horse in tune. After that time we became good friends. Later I found out that Susan was Miss South Dakota and competed in the Miss America contest, but other than flaunting her good looks as a joke, she is as down to earth and good natured as the best, and a lot of fun to be around.



Cintia, on the other hand, is a real down to earth country girl who grew up on her dad’s ranch and rode horses all her life. Now that she is well employed and has an income tax preparation business of her own, she is able to ride for enjoyment and has won numerous trophies and buckles. Cintia is very competitive and a good partner to team up with. I didn’t know either woman very well before that weekend but was glad to have someone from Colorado to be with. As I got to know both ladies, I discovered how much fun it was to be around them.

The first night, Cintia made everyone sit up and take notice on her horse Banjo and I established myself on John, by winning second in the cow sort with a rancher from Utah. But Susan was the real kicker when she rode in on her little Arabian mare, Lilly. We later visited with some of the local cowboys and they told us everyone was shaking their heads wondering how good these people from Colorado were going to be, and especially that woman riding the little white Arabian. By the end of the second day, they were all saying maybe they should get an Arabian.



It was a long drive over there but I just hope we can team up together down the road again some time.

Roger Thompson is a CHA certified instructor of advanced Western horsemanship and beginning English riding.


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