VIDEO EXPLORERS®

Adventure · Research · Production

"Dedicated to preserving culture, history, and tradition"

A TRIBUTE TO SPECK

written by: Gary Bain

(See list of videos below)

This is a story that personifies all that is meaningful in the relationship that man has had with horses. Since the primitive days man has held the horse in reverence as evidenced by the cave paintings in various parts of the world. The horse has played an integral role in the development of civilization, first as a food source, then as a beast of burden. In the early days of discovery, horses were transported wherever man dared to go, even across the great seas and oceans. They were bred to perform certain work tasks, used as a means of transportation, and in recent years as a source of pleasure. And only in recent years has the horse been given due respect as training methods are now emphasizing a more kind and gentle methodology. With over twenty million horse owners in the United States alone, there are many stories to be written. This is one of those stories, about a life-long commitment between A. J. Nicholas and his horse, Speck.

After our, "Stranded in the Pacific", adventure, my wife, Barbara, and I relocated to her home in Oklahoma City. She then started pursuing her life-long dream of riding and owning horses. I could hardly spell horse, let alone ride one. This fantasy would soon play itself out, I thought, so I went along with the idea, never realizing a few years later we would own forty acres, have four horses and spend all our idle time enjoying trail riding and the pride of ownership and training horses. This is how we met A.J. He was a neighbor of Barb's uncle, Art Eckroat, where we rode his horses and later, stabled our own. We started trail riding with A.J. on the river that borders the 320 acre Eckroat ranch. My first impression of his horse, Speck, was that it was just a beat up old nag. I wondered to myself why in the world he didn't get a decent horse. 'Ol Speck would just plod along, never showing any excitement or emotion about anything. But, as I found out, Speck was indeed, an incredible animal.

As a note of interest, not related to horses, and to establish a time line, A.J. entered the Army Air Corps in December, 1941. He served with the 5th Fighter Squadron of the 52nd Fighter Group which was flying the famous British "Spitfire". He left the service in July, 1945 after a distinguished tour which took him practically around the world.  We salute his service to our country as we do all veterans that served in that most critical era of our history. They were the real heroes, for without them, we would not be here today. Now on a lighter note, A.J. will not tell me how old he is and when I ask him about his service during the Civil War, all I get is a grimace and a shrug!!

Then in the  year of 1974, A.J. purchased Speck as a two year old.  They worked and trained together and over time, A.J. and Speck became a fixture at the Oklahoma State Fair, riding and patrolling for twenty one consecutive years. In 1981, A.J. formed the Oklahoma County Mounted Patrol. In that capacity, they participated in parades, body hunts, missing persons searches, and a variety of other civic actions. They also patrolled at airshows where Speck actually entered the huge Russian transport aircraft, the Sukinov 225, and I believe, is the only horse to have such a distinction. Other activities  included many Veteran's Day parades, patrolling Bricktown and many out of town parades. A.J. estimates that over the years at least 10,000 children have petted Speck.   On October 26, 2000, A.J. and Speck were given an award and recognition for twenty years of dedicated and loyal service to the citizens of Oklahoma County and the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office. Of significant note is one patrol and search they participated in. When the Murrah building was bombed in 1995, A.J. and Speck participated in crowd control and assisted the F.B.I. in their search for evidence. They found the axle of the truck that was used in the bombing about five blocks away. They also assisted in the highway search for the missing license plate and wallet of Tim McVeigh.

When off duty, trail riding was a means for A.J. and Speck to enjoy the great outdoors and the camaraderie of other horse persons. This incredible team rode the Continental Divide trail at least five times. Speck has been trailered all over Oklahoma and neighboring states, searching out new destinations for other trail riders and include such places in Missouri, Arkansas, and Texas. Barb and I accompanied them on many of the adventures and that is where I learned just what a cohesive team they were. It was always comical to observe them on the trail. When Speck would venture just a little bit off the trail, A.J. in his gruff voice would command, "Git back on that trail". Speck would begrudgingly comply. When it was time to put Speck back in the trailer for the trip home, we would always watch in amazement as A.J. threw the lead rope over his shoulders and commanded, again in a gruff voice, "Git in that trailer".  Speck would slowly saunter into his place and await the trip home. On the trail, when we would stop for lunch, everyone would tie their horses to a tree, everyone except A.J. that is. He would simply take Speck's bridle off, and set him free to graze. If Speck started to wander off, a simple, "Git back over here", from A.J. would bring him back to the area. If I tried that with my horse, I might, just might, see him a few days later!! The teamwork that existed between these two was obviously the result of the trust built up over the years and is the epitome of what a relationship between a man and his horse should be.

There is no way  in this short narrative that I could relate all of the humor, the expert horsemanship involved, or the love that existed between A.J. and Speck. It is fortunate, however, that I did videotape some of our experiences and am now able to provide the public with some of the memories that we have. The most memorable is Speck's heroic efforts to thwart Father Time. It was a cold snowy day in December of 2000 that Barb and I got a call from A.J.  Speck was down and he couldn't get him up. It had snowed all night and somehow during the wee hours of the night Speck had gotten tangled in the fence and laid there until the morning came. We jumped in the Suburban, put it in four wheel drive, and drove through the snow the forty miles to A.J.'s house. With the help of a veterinarian, friends and neighbors, Speck was finally prompted to his feet and coaxed into the barn. He did well for a few days but finally succumbed to his years and went down again. A.J. then did what he knew was best and I'm certain it was a heart rendering decision, he had Speck put to sleep. Behind the scenes, A.J.'s wife, Margie, probably loved Speck just as much as A.J. did. I am certain that for the two of them, losing Speck was no less traumatic than losing a child. As was said about our soldiers, we can say about Speck, he didn't die, he just slowly faded away. Speck will always live in our memories and be a tribute to the bond that exists between a man and his horse. Live on Speck, and Happy Trails always.

THE END

Video  1: Cooling off  - A.J. and Barb cooling it in a creek after a hot trail ride at the Ponderosa Ranch in Missouri.

Video  2: New Tack  - A.J. getting ready for a parade to show Speck off.

Video  3:  Saddle up - A.J. trying out the new tack.

Video  4:  Maneuver - A.J. testing Speck with new tack.

Video  5: Ready for patrol - A.J. and Speck along with the Oklahoma Mounted Patrol, putting on an exhibition for A.J.'s Army squadron mates during a reunuion.

Video  6:  Speck getting up - This scene was shot just after Speck had made so many gallant efforts to get himself on his feet.

Video  7:  Soothing Speck - Trying to keep Speck on his feet.

Video  8:  Speck walking - Getting Speck to walk to the barn.

Video  9:  Speck in the barn - Speck was finally coaxed into the shelter of the barn.

Video 10: Speck grazing - This scene could be what horse heaven would be like. Speck grazing on plush green pasture with A.J by his side, taking it easy. "Happy Trails" sung by Barbara Bain and Doug Odom,   with Doug strumming the guitar.

Video Explorers® Copyright 1983-2009. All rights reserved