"He is trained to be a lead horse, and no 'naked' horse passes Elmer," says Wood. "If they try, the first thing he does is lay back his ears, then he snakes his neck out and shows his teeth and, if they don't stop, then he bites."
That attitude came in handy when Wood entered Elmer in the Ten Sleep fun rodeo one year. "He won the boot race on strategy," says Wood. In this event, contestants drop one boot off at one end of the arena, come back to the start, and at the judge's signal run back down, dismount, put on the boot, remount and head for the finish. After Wood got her boots on, Elmer just moseyed toward the finish. A friend, Karen Jean Funk, came up behind him on Tucker, but Elmer laid his ears back, and no matter how much Funk whipped and spurred him, Tucker wouldn't pass Elmer.
In the barrel race, Elmer was a full 10 seconds behind the winning time, but then cantering and galloping aren't his forte. Trotting is. Elmer can trot at 12 mph and easily sustain a pace of 6 to 8 mph.
"When you think Elmer is maxed, Mary Anna gives him a little nudge, and he goes into 'turbo' and leaves you in the dust," says Hirsh. "He has one of the fastest trots of any horse I've known."
Sound Mind, Strong Body
Endurance and strength are in Elmer's breeding. The 15.1-hand, gray is the offspring of Wood's Appendix Quarter Horse mare, Dandy Lain, and an Arabian stallion, DJS Jameel Junaid. Elmer inherited his color, endurance and longevity from his sire. From his dam, who mixes Hancock Quarter Horse blood with a little Percheron, he inherited his good-size feet, bone, a bit of feathering and, says Wood, an "optimistic view of the world."
Exceptionally good health must also be in Elmer's genes, since Wood says he's almost never lame or sick; he's been pulled from less than a dozen rides. Last winter, he was sidelined for a week with a hoof abscess, the only serious lameness Wood can remember him having.
His only real sign of age is his teeth--his lowers are worn to the gum line, so Wood keeps him on pasture and feeds him alfalfa cubes. He usually gets grain only on rides. In caring for him, Wood says that the only concession she makes to his age is to separate him from the other horses to make sure he gets the extra feed she does give him. "He's been on pasture his whole life," she says, and "between the cubes, the dentist and a daily dewormer, he does fine,"
Their teamwork is another factor in Elmer's amazing health. After taking a short course, Wood even began shoeing the gelding herself. More important, she listens. "He's very chatty," she says. "When I'm mounted, he'll talk to me all day with body language."
When Elmer stops talking, she knows something is wrong. In 1998, Elmer experienced his only serious illness. A gray spot appeared in his right eye, and an ulceration developed. A tiny rupture occurred, and Elmer underwent surgery for a conjunctival graft to patch it. There is still a small scar on the cornea, but no one is quite sure how badly his vision has been impaired. "We're sure he can at least see light and shadow," Wood says. "He still mixes with the herd." And his hampered vision certainly hasn't hurt his performance; he goes down the trail as happily as he ever has.
For Wood and Elmer, riding the trail in 2000 will be no different than it was on their first competitive ride in 1976. Wood always has to make him walk the first mile. "I have to warm up his brain," says Wood. "If I just trot out of camp on Saturday, he will trot all day. But if we walk that first mile, it's a loose rein for the rest of the day."
If Elmer has a say in the matter, he will be performing for many years to come. "I don't think he wants to retire," says Wood. Just point Elmer toward Wood's trailer and watch how eagerly he leaps in.
