Fred Bohm, Horse Enthusiast
Fred Bohm on his horse Socks in 1938.
Fred Bohm, Horse Enthusiast,
Buyer, Seller & Trader
by Deneen Hansen
The following story appeared in the Enderlin Independent, Enderlin, North Dakota, January 19, 1984.
To his friends he is known as “Tex,” which is probably an appropriate nickname for Fred Bohm, Jr., a man who has bought, sold or traded over 500 horses in his lifetime. Tex is a self-described avid horse lover who says that there are two kinds of people in the world: those who love horses and those who don’t. As anyone who knows Tex can testify, much of his energy is devoted to his horses and much of his conversation centers around his horses, donkeys and mules.
Tex’s earliest recollections involve horses and he says he got his first pony at the age of 5. When he was 15 he worked hauling threshing bundles to buy his first horse which was a bronco mare. He says that he has raised seven generations from his first mare and still has some of her descendants. For Tex, the trading of horses is more of a hobby than a business and he admits that he sometimes becomes attached to favorite animals. In fact, Tex jokingly said his horses have become his family since his children no longer live near Enderlin.
At the present time Tex and his wife, Alma, live on his father’s home place, but there was a time when the horse lover from North Dakota had to set aside his hobby. In the late 1940’s the Bohms moved to the West Coast, but Tex didn’t forget about his horses—Alma’s cousin kept some of the horses and when the Bohms returned to North Dakota in 1969, some twenty years later, Alma’s cousin gave Tex a colt from one of his original horses with which he resumed his hobby. While living on the West Coast, the former wrangler for the Bohnsack Ranch near Sheldon, was employed by Boeing as a flight repairman and Tex also worked in the shipyards. During this time he traveled to Europe, Asia and Africa, but throughout his travels, he never lost his interest in horses. Now, 15 years after returning to the Enderlin area, Tex is known in North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota for his knowledge of horses.
Upon the Bohm’s return to Enderlin, he began working for the Soo Line. A hip injury he received while employed by the railroad has limited his horse riding, so he spends more time now driving horses, mules, and donkeys hitched to his collection of wagons and buggies. Tex said, “Driving strung out horses is a lost art. If people think its easy, they ought to try it. Just hitching up a team is a big job.”
Tex takes part in almost every conceivable activity that has to do with horses. He rides in wagon trains, drives his teams in parades and never misses the regular monthly horse sales at Sisseton, S.D. and Fergus Falls, Minn. Great pride is taken by Tex in his horses. He takes care to see that the teams are well matched and that his animals are well cared for. Bohm cannot stand to see his horses mistreated. He says that he would rather take a loss selling a horse than to sell it to someone who would treat it cruelly. Unfortunately Tex sees many good horses go to slaughter and he feels that because the role they played in building this country, horses don’t deserve such a cruel end.
“I’m not a wheeler dealer horse trader. If I buy a horse, it’s for my own use. Not to make a profit on the deal. After I get the horses home, sometimes I can’t part with them.” In one case, Tex sold a small mule that was his grandson’s favorite pet. When the grandson learned of the sale, he was so heartbroken that Tex had to buy the mule back.
Fishermen are known for fish stories, but Tex is a horse man and he relishes telling horse stories. “One time,” he says, “someone talked me into putting a pair of old mules into a pulling contest. I finally agreed to do it. I hitched the mules up and they pulled so hard that they walked right through the harness. I got a lot of applause for that.
He also tells of another incident when he was driving a team of horses in a parade at Milnor. Along the parade route somebody threw a string of firecrackers beneath one of the horse’s feet and the horses took off at about 25 m.p.h. and ran right into a tree.
Tex raises registered Appaloosas, registered quarter-horses and some Belgians. His six-hitch team of Spanish donkeys receives a lot of attention in parades and he believes that his miniature mule, which stands only 31 inches high, is one of the smallest in the area. Recently, Tex has been searching for a mate for the miniature mule.
Tex’s love for his animals is not one sided. The donkeys make a deafening honking racket whenever Tex drives his red pickup into the yard. And, on occasion, the entire menagerie has been known to break out of the fence and follow Tex and his pickup down the highway.
Tex and his grandson, Freddy (Fred IV), in July 1985, just as the two are getting ready
to drive out of the yard on their way to attend Freddy's first horse sale.