Patton, Mo., man relies on horse for transportation

PATTON, Mo. — Normally a trip between Marble Hill, Mo., and Patton might take about 20 minutes. But when David Field of Patton needed to make the trip, he spent the night so he'd be fresh for his five-hour ride home the next morning.

Field, 46, goes everywhere by horse, an 8-year-old Missouri fox trotter stallion named Sunkissed Cheyenne.

"I quit driving in 2001," Field said. "I got tired of it and started riding horses everywhere."

So when Field had some business to take care of in Marble Hill, he saddled up his horse and made the trip. He slept overnight under a pavilion in Twin Cities Park in a sleeping bag he brought with him. It was an uneventful night, he said, adding that he didn't attract any attention.

"Most people just want to see the horse anyway," he said.

The horse — Field calls him Colt — loves attention and is not shy about letting anyone know he'd like to have his nose stroked, he said. Field, a former animal trainer, said Colt is intelligent and is not fazed by traffic or inquisitive people.

"He's smarter than I am," Field said. "I learned any time I have a Dr Pepper I have to give him one, or I will have to give him mine."

The horse also loves Snickers candy bars.

"He's pretty high maintenance," Field said. "He's extremely spoiled."

Field said he didn't give up driving because of the cost of gasoline. Feeding the horse costs more. He just likes the slower pace.

"It works for me," he said.