Willie Nelson is one country artist that truly lives a life congruent with the country music genre.
Not only does he reside on a ranch out in the Texas Hill Country, but he also lives a real Western cowboy lifestyle. The things that he talks about in his songs, you can bet come from real life experiences the singer-songwriter has had, and one subject that comes up a lot in Willie Nelson tracks are horses.
His love for the majestic animals is extremely evident in his music, but recently he also put his money where his mouth was.
Nelson rescued 70 horses that were due to be sent to the slaughterhouse and gave them a new life on his 700-acre property he named โLuck Ranchโ.
Now, the horses can live out their lives in peace wandering the vast expanses of his property without any fear of ever being sent off to the glue factory.
The coincidence of 70 rescued horses living on a ranch named โLuckโ is not lost on Nelson.
โMy horses are probably the luckiest horses in the world,โ Nelson told ABC News.
โThey get hand-fed twice a day, and they were just ready to go to slaughter is probably the last thing they remembered, so theyโre happy horses.โ
Despite the fact that Nelson recently turned 87-years-old, he is showing no signs of slowing down.
He still spends about 200 days per year on the road on tour.
With so much time away from home, it makes sense that when he does get a chance to take a break, he appreciates the relative tranquility of the laid back ranch lifestyle.
We imagine that hanging out with the horses on his remote property far away from the hustle and bustle of the city is a great way to recharge the batteries.
His new song โRide Me Back Homeโ just about says as much with his beloved horses and quiet ranch being a big focal point of the track.
The chorus is as follows:
โRide me back home to a much better place
Blue skies and sunshine and plenty of space
Somewhere where they would just leave you alone
Somewhere that you could call homeโ
Yet, retirement is still out of the question for Nelson.
In addition to horses, his other true love is music, and playing his shows is something he will continue doing until he canโt. For now, at least, it seems that time is still a long way in the future.
โI retire after every show,โ Nelson said. โI say, โThatโs it, Iโm not goinโ no more,โ but then we hang out awhile and people (his band) feel like playing, and so we go play again.โ
Willie Nelson is a man that proves your career isnโt over until you say itโs over. His dedication is truly inspiring.
Watch the full video of Willie Nelsonโs interview with ABC News below where he discusses his rescue of the horses.
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