Elephant Speak: A Devoted Keeper's Life Among the Herd Interior Layout

episodes continued to exact an emotional toll on the family.
Roger grew adept at keeping his feelings submerged, but
grieved for the one thing he wanted most and could never
seem to achieve: his father’s pride.
That spring, Roger fell for a new girl in town, a two-year-old
bay mare of mixed ancestry named Lady. The young neighbor
who’d received the green-broke, headstrong horse as a gift had
no interest in riding and was perfectly happy to sell her for
twelve dollars. A huge fan of the Old West, Roger rode Lady
everywhere and soon had her trained to herd cattle.
During a particularly dry summer, the family owned more
cattle than they had pasture, so Roger put them out to graze
beside a roadside ditch while he watched from horseback.
Along the fence line, there was an area of washed-out ground
where he could ride Lady beneath the bottom wire if he bent
low against her neck. One day, as they passed through and she
lunged up the opposite slope, the saddle horn caught beneath
his sternum and instantly dislocated six ribs.
The pain was indescribable, white-hot and sharp. Each
step Lady took felt like knives driven into his chest. Unable to
ride and barely able to breathe, Roger dismounted. He tied his
wrists together with the reins and looped them over the saddle
horn, which lifted his ribcage and eased the agony somewhat.
Slowly, he began to walk. Lady matched his steps and never
faltered, spooked, or stopped to graze. They reached home and
Myra came running. Roger refused to go see the doctor until
the mare was settled in her stall. It was weeks before he could
ride again, but he never missed a day visiting Lady to thank
her for helping him.
His affinity for animals didn't go unnoticed in the family
and there was much speculation about whether he would
attend veterinary school. Roger yearned to go, but a lack of
confidence kept him from pursuing college at all. Roger always
28 ◆ Elephant Speak: A Devoted Keeper’s Life Among the Herd