How a Cisco Kid trick at age 10 taught Lindy gravity always wins

Saturday-morning TV was gospel in the Burch house. One episode showed Duncan Renaldo on his black stallion galloping from the posse. He reached up, grabbed a branch, hoisted himself into the leaves, and let the horse run on. Lindy, age ten, decided that was the move to master.

The TV Move I Had to Try

Cisco Kid made it look easy. Lindy had the perfect tree, the perfect wash, and the perfect horse.
“I thought that was a great idea, and I was pretty sure I could do that, too. It couldn’t be that hard.”

The Perfect Branch and the Perfect Plan

She rode the washes of Chino until she found the branch—low enough to grab, thick enough to hold. Full gallop was next.

The Crash, the Silence, and Three Cop Cars

She hit the spot, reached, grabbed, kicked loose. The horse kept running. Lindy somersaulted over the branch and landed flat on her back.
“Everybody thought I was dead, because I couldn’t get up for a minute, and couldn’t get my breath.”
One friend sprinted home. Mom, working dispatch, sent three cop cars and an ambulance. Everybody got grounded from that wash for weeks. The story never gets old.

11/23/2025