This is yet another excellent episode! Shane goes to work for Ryker in order to give Joey a pony. Shane is such the father figure for Joey, and knows what an eight year old boy is thinking. He loves Joey so much that he's willing to sacrifice a month of his life to work for a man he hates.
When Shane's breaking the horse, you can tell, again, that Ryker has a respect for Shane. I think Ryker is a lot of talk - deep down he respects and admires Shane for what he does. And when Joey makes the final decision at the end, I often wonder why Ryker didn't leave the pony. Perhaps it's because he's selfish and isn't willing to give anything up. Perhaps, though, it's because he'd have to swallow his pride to do such a thing, and that's something Ryker isn't willing to do.
When Shane's breaking the horse, you can tell, again, that Ryker has a respect for Shane. I think Ryker is a lot of talk - deep down he respects and admires Shane for what he does. And when Joey makes the final decision at the end, I often wonder why Ryker didn't leave the pony. Perhaps it's because he's selfish and isn't willing to give anything up. Perhaps, though, it's because he'd have to swallow his pride to do such a thing, and that's something Ryker isn't willing to do.