A Simply Great Man

I first met Carl years ago while I still lived in Nebraska and Leon Olsen introduced me to  him and another great man John Hoyt.  We didn't become friends but when I would see him again at big shows he would always say "hi" and ask how things were going.  Some time later when I landed in Oklahoma and was training horses on my own I again ran into Carl at one of the shows in Duncan.  I had lived there all of three weeks and didn't know hardly anybody else.  At the end of the day I wandered to one of Duncan's finer motels and there was John and Carl sitting on the 2nd floor balcony drinking beer.  The air conditioning wasn't working and there weren't any more rooms and they were outside trying to keep cool.  Carl invited me up for a beer and we sat and talked until the sun went down.  It was probably the first time that I ever felt like I "belonged" being a horse trainer. 

Years went by and I would see Carl and then Karen at shows and we became horse show friends.  I was always showing too many horses and doing too many events and from time to time I would volunteer to show in the cow horse to make the numbers work.  Slowly while showing Carl would give me pointers and I learned to show a cow horse and later reiners without being embarrassed.  From time to time if I had a good one Carl would be kind or professional enough to tell me so.  No matter what event I was showing in. 

Many years and moves and horses later I was showing in Paso Robles to Karen and when the driving class was over she said my husband would love that tie.  I frequently wore a very colorful tie that Kathy Pettit had given me of the cartoon Tasmanian devil shredding a bunch of balloons.  It was one of my favorite ties.  At the end of the day, when the show was over I gave that tie to Karen to give to Carl.  Sometimes especially in the horse business its fun to pass the fun things along.  Knowing Carl how I did, I could see him liking that tie.  Two years later while showing in Bakersfield CA I saw Carl walk in to the arena to judge wearing that tie.  It made me smile.  For me some things bring back great memories and that was one of them.  I wore that tie, and another colorful tie exclusively the year I showed The Wild West Show to the High Point Driving title.  Interestingly at a show earlier in the year another judge, Alan Mitchell's had criticized the very tie I gave Carl for being inappropriate. 

Since I've stopped training I've only seen Carl one other time at the world show.  I had been waiting in line for about an hour at the check station leading to the main drive to load up and go home.  The line of trucks and trailers was around the corner and down the drive towards the street.  In typical Carl fashion he took control of the situation, closed the cattle panels and let us all down the drive to load up to go home. 

Rarely do you get to go through life and have the privilege to say that you knew someone who always treated you as and equal, with respect and as a friend.  The horse industry, humanity and mainly Karen have lost a simply great man. That hollow feeling inside is going to last a long time.