It was a lovely weather when the Cartwrights went to break horses. Of all present there were three who had the highest word.
Adam Cartwright, the oldest of the couple, said, “I dare to bet that pa can’t sit on it for one second.”
“That is still very much for someone of his age”, reacted his younger brother Hoss.
Their youngest brother Little Joe added something to it, “When that horse sees pa he runs away fast.”
All three were rolling on the floor laughing. Ben Cartwright and his foreman Candy Canaday came to stand by them but said nothing to the brothers.
“Mr Cartwright, your sons have a very big mouth for their age. Don’t you think that they must prove if they can break a horse?”, asked Candy.
“Indeed but I go first to show those three toddlers on the fence how it must be done”, answered the rancher.
He winked at Candy who understood it. Now the brothers became worried.
“Has pa given Candy more salary that our foreman is licking pa’s boots so?”, asked Hoss.
“Maybe promised”, Adam remarked.
“Or he still must get it. You know how sneaky Candy can be”, said Little Joe.
They knew that indeed. Adam was glad that his 5 month old son Mitch was too little and too young to get influenced already by Candy and/of his younger brothers.
In the meantime Ben walked to the corral and he climbed on the horse which had to be broken. It went alright for a while but the wild horse which had gotten the name Dynamite threw the rancher off its back. Of course the brothers were rolling on the ground of laughter.
“Mr Cartwright, you mustn’t pay 3 times wages this month”, Candy remarked.
“That is a good idea. The money I save is for my grandson”, reacted Ben.
Adam, Hoss and Joe heard this and stopped laughing at once.
“Pa, you can’t do this. You know for yourself how much a child costs”, Adam said protesting.
“I know that indeed. But Mitch is your concern and I am willing to look after him but only when you really must go away”, said Ben.
“And I need the money to be able to entertain the girls”, said Little Joe.
“You mean to waste your hard earned money on them”, answered Hoss.
Again everyone laughed.
“Adam, your turn to break Dynamite”, Ben said serious again.
“Your pa means: try to break him”, Candy corrected his boss.
Adam did his best but he also didn’t succeed to break the wild horse. When Dynamite threw Adam off its back Hoss and Little Joe fell off the fence from laughter. Candy saw that and with laughing eyes he looked at Ben.
“Must I do a attempt because your two youngest sons cannot even stand on a fence?”, asked the foreman.
“You just do that. Maybe Hoss and Joseph can learn something from it”, answered Ben.
He looked amused at his sons who just now noticed what had been said by Candy. Adam came to stand next to is father and looked at the actions of the foreman. Hoss and Little Joe had gotten up in the meantime but weren’t very pleased with the remark of Candy.
“Pa, we have a good asset in Candy. It is just a pity that he dares to make such sharp remarks against us”, said Adam.
“We do it to him as well so……..”, said Ben.
Hoss and Little Joe now stood against the fence and looked at the actions of Candy. They were silent of amazing when Candy came riding towards them on Dynamite.
“Mr Cartwright, I think that we must give this horse a new name because he is so tame a s a lamb”, said Candy.
“And which name did you have in mind?”, asked the rancher.
“Dynamic”, answered the foreman.
Ben thought for a second and answered then, “Then that is his name.”
“Pa, you are not going to tell us that Candy is now the owner of that horse?”, Little Joe asked amazed.
“Yes, that is so. I had planned to give Candy an attempt to break Dynamic. So that has succeeded”, his father answered.
“Candy, how do you manage to break that horse and we don’t?”, asked Adam.
Candy dismounted and led his horse to outside the corral.
“Well Adam, do you have a few hours?”, the foreman asked teasing.
“Well?”, asked Hoss.
“When you were in town for the groceries and Mr Cartwright was babysitting the little one I have trained Dynamic so that he went to listen to each command of my voice. So he only listens to me”, Candy said smiling.
“Pa, keep him away from the horses from now on because otherwise he will become a competition for us concerning breaking the horses”, said Little Joe.
“There is enough work to do for us so Candy just stays here”, said Ben.
Candy had made clear that he once again was a worth full hand for the Ponderosa and the Cartwrights knew that too. But teasing each other was fun too and good to keep the cozy sphere at the at the ranch.