October 2, 2005, Nathan was back in an arena barn giving a concert. Unlike the spit and polish Barns of Wolf Trap, this arena has real dirt and real horses!

Concert in the Corral started with Granner's mother, Susan Engle, riding her famous horse, Velvet. Nathan read the humorous script as Engle and Velvet performed a bridleless routine showing the versitility of the Missouri Fox Trotter in reining, jumping, dressage and soccer. Soccer? Yes, soccer (you had to be there!).

Susan and Velvet have performed this routine at Equitana, The Kentucky Horse Park, Missouri Equine Festival and numerous horse shows. Velvet has also performed in front of large audiences with Jennifer Vaught on Pat Parelli’s Natural Horsemanship Tours. Velvet has been seen by approximately 15,000 people!

On the reining pattern gallop from the rear of the arena to the front...the first time...my umbrella (drag) opened AFTER we stopped. So we did it again and this time I got the umbrella to open just before we came to a screeching halt. It was great. People laughed outloud!

At the end, I had to hold a Winnie's Cookie in my hand before Velvet agreed to lay down. Then she let me sit on her while Nathan finished up explaining about how horses really have to trust you to lie down in front of 100+ people.

Now the great part...

Nathan's entrance into the arena: He got on Velvet out of view of the crowd in the barn aisle. I had her decked out in her silver bridle and silver breast collar. She looked magnificent. I had found a Kansas City Chief's red felt cowboy hat in a shopping jaunt. It had a metalic silver hatband. It was stunning and vibrant! (Red is both Nathan and Velve't favorite color!) Nathan put the hat on and by golly, it fit him and looked good! He had tall cowboy boots on up right below his knees. His jeans were torn at the knees. He had a red bandana on and a black western coat. Nathan and Velvet looked sensational.

With only a little bit of fear, I let Nathan head out into the arena. Tumultous Cheering! Then he sang Garth Brook song and rode Velvet around in a medium circle besides the platform and behind all the wires! I do remember hearing the song..cowboys something. Then he got off and I came and got Velvet.

He sang and sang. At one point, Joe, the Barn Dog, wandered into the arena behind the platform, and peed right right on the plywood platform that Nathan and the Beau, the guitarist, were on. Nathan said he heard the pee while he was singing. That brought the house down! You just don't get this kind of all-around entertainment in stuffy concert halls!

I had told Nathan that it was my friend, Barb's birthday and to sing Happy Birthday to her. At the end of his show, he had not sang the song, so I yelled at him "Happy Birthday". "Oh!" he said. Then he called me out to the stage! Wow! I thought "What will I get to do?" We did the ENCORE!

He told me and the audience that this was going to be a mother - son duet! WOWSA, I thought! So, I let him start and then tried to match his tone. You know how you stand next to someone and tune in on their pitch and then you can sing in key? Well, that did not work. His voice is so vibrant that I couldn't get the tone. So, I just repeated Happy Birthday after he sang it...and I said, Happy Birthday BARB! Then I noticed that my voice didn't seem to be conflicting with his voice, so I decided to join in ...in an effort of harmony. I then decided that I WAS harmonizing! I got carried away and sang the ending of Happy Birthday at the top of my lungs. WOWSA!!! Nathan said, Wow! My mother has a voice! I floated on air back to my seat.....

The next day I called him and asked if I really did sing pretty good. He told me Yes...but the real reason that he called me out on stage was that he couldn't remember Barb's name! He knew that I would say her name and save him.

a budding talent crushed.....