Brannon’s Horse & Flight Fear: Ridin’ The Beach Ain’t Ridin’ The Range

Tres Vientos, Stuart Brannon’s horse

Flight Fear … Ridin’ The Beach Ain’t Ridin’ The Range by Janet Chester Bly

In Stuart Brannon’s Final Shot, Stuart Brannon and his horse, Tres Vientos, leave the comfort and security of Brannon’s Arizona ranch to head to Oregon. From the moment they leave the train to find Brannon’s missing U.S. Marshal friend, the black horse faces flight fear. In strange terrain, from desert to city sounds and smells, Tres Vientos wants none of it.

It’s now 1905, the 20^th Century, modern times. It’s the close of the frontier times. Brannon’s in his late fifties and not used to the culture and geography of this coastal region. Neither is unhappy, cantankerous Tres Vientos, his trusty black horse. Brannon is forced to take on the challenge of a flight fear cure.

After being cooped up in a train car on the long ride north, Tres Vientos rears up and storms through the Portland city traffic. He takes Brannon on a wild ride through the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition, where he riles up tourists, stirs out fire trucks and captures the attention of the world’s fair authorities. Then he lands Brannon smack in the clutches of his old nemesis, Hawthorne H. Miller, the author of the outrageous dime novel series that feature Brannon and have caused him much consternation over the years.

The beginning of flight fear issues.

When they reach the Oregon coast, Tres Vientos balks again. Once the horse is delivered to a well-stocked and cared-for stable and barn on the hotel grounds, he doesn’t want to leave. When Brannon needs him to investigate the beach, hills and forest areas for clues of the whereabouts of Tom Wiseman, Tres Vientos refuses to cooperate. Flight fear kicks in again. Brannon’s forced to find other means of transportation, such as a bicycle or a motor car, with humorous results.

Brannon tries to recover from the slap of humiliation that he was unable to control any horse with flight fear. “I guess I finally found a bronc I can’t ride. . .my own.”

Tres Vientos had been a sturdy horse for Brannon. One time Tom Wiseman had helped Brannon round up some stray cows that stampeded in a thunderstorm. He rode Tres Vientos a hundred miles that day. Only a fit horse could complete such a ride. But Tres Vientos, like his owner, had aged. He needed extra care and patience.
(from Stuart Brannon’s Final Shot)

But his need for flight fear help cause him to befriend a horse savvy orphan named Bueno. He also comes in contact with an old Clatsop Indian, Catcher-of-the-Sun, who entices Tres Vientos to run with the wild horses, “to join the ancient race, run with his kind,” along the beach one night. Both of these characters provide crucial twists in the story.

Stuart Brannon and Autos

Lord & Lady Fletcher’s 1905 Buick in Stuart Brannon’s Final Shot

Brannon muses about the new-fangled invention of automobiles and their use of ‘horse power.’

Brannon marveled once again at the beauty, the grace,
the prowess of a horse. A motor car is a poor imitation.
(from Stuart Brannon’s Final Shot)

Both horse and owner want to be back at the ranch. But Brannon’s got a duty to perform. And Tres Vientos finally finds his beach stride in the nick of time. Brannon concludes, “When he is good, he is very, very good. But when he is bad . . . .”

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Find The Stuart Brannon Series at this link: http://www.BlyBooks.com

The family project story of the writing of Stuart Brannon’s Final Shot: https://www.blybooks.com/2013/11/western-book-series/

For those interested in knowing more about horse behavior, including flight fear, check out Training Horses Naturally site: http://www.training-horses-naturally.com/horse-behavior.html

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YouTube video book trailer for western novel series, Book #7 Stuart Brannon’s Final Shot:

[youtube]http://youtu.be/Pd6mvfeX8Fo[/youtube]