A young boy goes to a horse auction with his Dad. As the boy's Dad looks over the horses, he stops every once in a while, and runs his hand over the horses legs, chest and flanks... This gets the

         A young boy goes to a horse auction with his Dad. As the boy's Dad looks over the horses, he stops every once in a while, and runs his hand over the horses' legs, chest, and flanks... This gets the boy extremely curious. He watches, fascinated, as his father feels every muscle, every bone, every inch of the majestic animals. He wonders if this is some secret rancher handshake or a way to communicate telepathically with equines.

Finally, unable to contain his curiosity any longer, the boy tugs on his dad's sleeve. "Dad, what are you doing? Why do you keep feeling all those horses?"

His Dad, a seasoned rancher with a weathered face and a lifetime of horse sense, pauses, his hand resting on the muscular flank of a magnificent stallion. "Well, son," he explains, "I'm checking for lumps. You see, a good horse needs to be smooth, without any strange bumps or swellings. Lumps can mean old injuries, bad bones, or all sorts of problems. You always gotta check for lumps before you buy a horse."

The boy nods, taking this wisdom to heart. He spends the rest of the auction imitating his dad, stealthily approaching horses and running his little hands over their legs and chests, looking very serious and important. The other ranchers chuckle, finding his imitation endearing.

Later that evening, after they've returned home, the boy's mom is bustling around the kitchen, preparing dinner. She's humming a tune, clearly in a good mood. The boy, eager to show off his newly acquired equestrian knowledge, walks up to her.

His mom, still humming, turns her back to reach for something in the cupboard. The boy, remembering his dad's lesson, silently approaches. He then proceeds to run his hands methodically over his mother's legs, then her back, then her arms, feeling for anything out of the ordinary.

The mother, startled by the unexpected tactile inspection, spins around, dropping a pot lid with a clatter. Her eyes are wide with surprise and a hint of alarm. "What on earth are you doing, young man?!" she exclaims.

The boy looks up at her, completely innocent and earnest. "Just checking for lumps, Mom! Dad says you always gotta check for lumps!"

The father, who had just walked into the kitchen, promptly choked on his glass of water, while the mother's face turned a shade of crimson that rivaled a sunset over the Arizona desert. The boy, utterly confused by their reactions, just shrugged. He was pretty sure his mom was a good horse.