Jenks Rancher Paints Signs To Send Message To 'City Slickers'

A growing area of Green Country is causing a growing problem for one ranch owner. His horses are out to pasture just a mile from Jenks' growing Main Street, but a couple of signs are sending a clear statement to some of the city slickers.

Wide open spaces, grazing horses, and an old red barn that's seen a century's worth of changes.

“It's country in the city,” said Jenks horse owner, Steve Eaton.

The land, all 180 acres, has been in Eaton's family for 65 years.

“There used to be about one car per hour come up the street, and now if you walk across the street you're gonna take your life in your hands,” Eaton said.

With all the traffic, Eaton's horses - Bandit, Mac and Roni - are getting a lot of attention, and even more when they're lying down.

Eaton said concerned citizens have called him, and even 911, thinking his horses were dead. So now he's painted a sign to let people know the horses are fine.

“The horses are fine,” Eaton said. “They lay down if tired.”

Eaton said the horses lie down to sleep sometimes, and when they're awake, they eat; which brings us to the next sign.

“Quit feeding the horses. It's costing me veterinarian money, but people don't realize that,” Eaton said.

He said kids will feed the horses candy.

“They only abuse they get is when they're trying to get a Milk Dud out of their teeth,” he said.

Adults are even guiltier; the horses' owner said apples seem to be the food of choice, and while they are a healthy choice, they're doing more harm than good for the horses.

“We'll have, all of the sudden, a bushel of apples dumped over the fence. Well, you know what's gonna happen if you eat a bushel of apples, you're gonna get sick. And that's happened,” said Eaton.

The fact is, the trio is living the life of retirement. They've got all the food they could ever need in the pasture, and all the love they could ever want from their owner.