Welcome to Awe, Nice! where we highlight moments of wonder while working outdoors. My name is Maddy Butcher and this week we are giving a nod to the 2026 Lunar New Year. It's the Year of the Horse.

Jeremie Forman returns with a story that's fitting to the celebration. Aside from his work in law enforcement and his running a horse facility, Jeremie is mayor of the small town of Francis, Utah. Population about 2,000. Every year for many years, Jeremie has run the town's summer rodeo.

One year, as he recounts, he wanted to do something special as a presentation to open the rodeo. For his idea, he needed a lot of horses and riders. So, he put the word out on Facebook. But, Jeremie told me, he had to be a bit secretive about his plan. Their rodeo is the last one of the summer in the region. It follows the Summit County rodeo. There's a Fourth of July rodeo and a Pioneer Days rodeo. He's found that if he has a good idea and shares it openly, other rodeo planners have copied it and done it before the rodeo in Francis.

So, on the QT, Jeremie recruited dozens of volunteers to be part of this production. He borrowed scores of American flags from a local church and made sure everyone could be safe with carrying a flag and riding their horse. His son, Jayce, who stands about 6'6'', rode a big Percheron gelding and carried an extra large flag.

I know there may be listeners for whom patriotism is a challenging idea at a moment when our country is so fractured, but I hope you all listen with an open heart.

I was thrilled to hear Jeremie mention Joel Nelson's poem Equus Caballus, which Wylie Gustufson crafted into the song of the same title. Joel is a horseman from Alpine, Texas, a Vietnam vet, and in 2009 received a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. He was also nominated for a Grammy in the spoken word category some years ago.

Watch and listen to Joel perform Equus Caballus here.

The line Jeremie mentions is this:

I have suffered gross indignities from users and from winners,
I have felt the hand of kindness from the losers and the sinners.
I have given for the cruel hand and given for the kind.
Heaved a sigh at Appomattox when surrender had been signed.

Awe, Nice! welcomes interviewees. If you have a moment you experienced while working outside and would like to share it, contact us here.

Our music is by my friend, Forrest Van Tuyl. You can find a link and a donate button here.

We'd like to thank Redmond Salt and Kershaw knives for their generous sponsorship. Keep your eyes, ears, and mind open. Until next time.