Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Flying Devil.....



This photo is printed in the book “Let’er Buck” printed in 1922. The story in the book says, Lee Caldwell was asked, “How about Flying Devil, was he as bad as he looks?” Lee answered, “Well, I’ll tell you---I consider him the hardest horse I ever rode. You see it isn’t the horse that sunfishes or twists that makes it hardest for one to ride, it’s the punishment he gives the rider. Flying Devil was an outlaw and came from a mountain range either in Montana or Idaho and I consider mountain---bred horses the strongest. Until Flying Devil was broken down in his knees there was practically no direction. You know a bucking horse’s muscles will indicate his action----if he is going to sunfish to the right for instance his muscles will contract accordingly and give you the cue, but he didn’t, he was all pure strength and speed--every move he made was just so sudden, there was no spring, no cue.” Caldwell pointed to the extreme southwest corner of the photo, “You see this is where he was when he started this buck but facing the other way---you see how he is and how he is facing now. He is the only horse I ever rode that could apparently jump straight backward as far as he could forward.”

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