Horses And Wild Roses by Nancy Brannon Mike Elder says he “grew up on the back of a horse,” first in Rossville, Tennessee and then growing up in Bartlett, Tennessee. He has an interesting family history related to horses, too, as his great-great grandfather was the blacksmith for Nathan Bedford Forrest. The Nicholas-Gotten House in Bartlett, which now serves as a museum, was his great-great-grandfather’s house. His grandfather, D. H. Gotten was born there. I call Bartlett “my town,” said Elder, especially since his grandmother’s little brother, O.T. Yates, was mayor there for 18 years. Now he and his wife have a quiet place with their horses at the end of the road in a remote section of Burlison, Tennessee, not far from the Mississippi River at Randolph. Elder named his farm Wild Rose Meadows Quarter Horses for all the wild roses that grew in the area. “It’s as close to heaven on earth that you can find. It’s 15 acres and a lot of work” to go with the pleasure of having horses in your back yard, Elder said. Elder and his wife got married last October in a cowboy wedding at their farm. “The women came in on a wagon through the pasture. It was just a beautiful day!” he recalled. Elder is also starting a breeding program at the farm with his Quarter Horse stallion TAR BABY, who is by DOC’S LOOBA BAR, and is a grandson of THREE BARS. His first foal is on the ground, born in May, BILLY’S CUT’N SPUNKALON, by SPORTALON and out of TWO-TIMING BILLIE. A lot of the Elders’ equine time is spent at the Dacus Riding Club in Brighton, Tennessee. Mike is President, his brother-in-law is Vice President, and his wife is Secretary. Shows are held every Saturday night at 6:00 p.m. May through June. The point shows are in May. In the fall, they have a camp-out and hay rides. “The Board of twelve people all work together well; they all pull their own weight,” he said. In addition to the breeding program, running the Dacus Riding Club shows and doing every chore that needs to be done, Mike has even more equestrian plans. He wants to start a therapeutic riding program and get certified through NARHA. The inspiration for doing this came from his uncle, who had Downs Syndrome. “But first I have to get the facilities built, get certified, and getsome very broke horses to minimize the safety issues,” he said. Those are ambitious goals, but Elder is determined. “You can have the worst day of your life, but come out here and place your hands on the horses, and nothing matters after that. They’re my therapy!” Mike said. Back to his great-great-grandfather: “There’s a family story about him,” Mike said. And he proceeded to tell about the time “he was captured by the Yankees” in the Civil War. “They found out he was a blacksmith and told him he had to shoe all their horses. My great-great-grandfather told them that he would shoe the enlisted men’s horses, but he wouldn’t shoe the officers’ horses. The Yankees said they would hang him if he wouldn’t shoe the officers’ horses, too. He still refused and said, ‘Well, we’ll see what Forrest has to say about that.’ When they learned he was Forrest’s blacksmith, they let him go because they were so scared of Forrest. He returned to Forrest’s troop.” And by the way, Mike’s distant cousin is Rossville farrier Harold Elder. That story is probably what inspired Elder to join a Civil War re-enactment group. He is color sergeant for the battalion; he carries the colors in the field. I asked if he was in a cavalry regiment. “No, I’m in the infantry,” he replied. Wild Rose Meadows Quarter Horses is located at 448 Murphy Lane in Burlison, Tennessee. For information about breeding or foals, call 901-475-9597.