A boy (17-year-old high school student Joe Tignangelli), and a man (Red Hook, NY resident Pat Hirsch) and a horse (now named Patty, after Mr Hirsch). Put them together and you have a fantastic story that you couldn't make up nor be believed if you did. Joe is an enthusiastic and talented rodeo-style rider. Last April, his mother died. In June, he and his horse, Gator, qualified for summer High School Rodeo nationals. Then Gator was injured in a car accident and had to be put down. But Joe rallied again and competed on a borrowed horse, qualifying to compete in this fall/winter Rodeo Association season. But it seemed irrelevant since he had no horse of his own . . . until Pat Hirsch played white knight riding in on a horse, and gave Joe a quarterhorse. Can you imagine such generosity? These days, Joe gets up at 4:30, tends to horse chores, goes to school, comes home, does homework and rides Patty. They have lots of practicing to do for January's calf-roping competition but who can doubt they'll do well?
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