Any Real Live Cowboys out there ?

[Iggy]

I can readily see there's several old hands posting here.
They, like me gimp around on bad knees and take 5 minutes and 50 yards to work out the kinks in our bodies to git goin in the morning.
I've got 27 broken bones to show for various disputes with 4 legged critters.

As Dave Keith often says, "l wouldn't take a million dollars for them days, but I wouldn't give a nickel for some more."

 

[Gulfecho]

When I was a kid I set out to ride a friend's horse. The horse and I were doing fine until I decided I would run him back to his stable. Big mistake. The darn thing wouldn't stop. I remember grabbing the saddle horn, mayne, neck, anything to hold on. He took a corner at 3/4 speed, the saddle slipped to the side! Now my head is a foot from his front leg. One impact and I'd be nocked cold. He finally stopped. I slid my shaking body off of the saddle and walked the rest of the way.
Lesson learned I'm no cowboy!

 

[arjay]

My sister had horses and I rode old trail nags here and there growing up.My first time,maybe 4 years old,I was plopped on one with a little girl behind me.It went nuts, but I grabbed on and dug my heels in.The little girl grabbed me and screamed her lungs out and he/she couldn't get us off [emoji12].Ive been wary ofboth ever since lol

 

[Houlton]

Bull Riding

Got on my first bull at 14. Went over his head and he butted me like a soccer ball. Had back trouble since then. My first date with my wife was a Rodeo. Wasn't sure what she was getting into. Been married 44 years. Rode semi regularly till I got out of the Navy. Rode twice after I joined the P.D. Wife decided the Dept. didn't have the same sick leave as the USN so I quit. 68 and would still like to get back on the "Hurricane Deck". Feeling you can't describe. About the same as searching a building where you know there is an armed suspect.

 

[chaparrito]

Been around horses and cattle; both beef and dairy my whole life. Still am, just got done feeding. Bullriders are as batspit crazy as the critters they ride IMO.
In my early teens I worked for the fellow who provided stock for the Payson, AZ rodeo. One of the longest continuously operating rodeos in the world. Those were the days before OSHA and lawsuits. At the very end of the rodeo on the last day, they'd take the worst bull of the season; the one nobody'd rode well and tie a hundred dollar bill to his hump and turn him loose in the ring. Any rodeo employee, not just the pros, could get in the ring and try to snatch that C note.
Imagine the rage of those animals, completely surrounded by 30-40 guys all intent on sneaking up and grabbing that money. Usually, nobody got the payoff. I can only remember once when three guys teamed up together; two hazed the bull while the faster one snuck up behind, hopped on, got the money and then immediately got sent skyward. 33 bucks and change was a lot more money in those days but still.... I don't follow pro rodeo anymore, too much money and advertising. There are still some great unadvertised small rodeos held on the Navajo Nation. They're still fun.

At the tender age of 19 I was in Pamplona, Spain and ran the bulls. Sort of. After about 36 hours of partying some friends convinced me it was really easy and no big deal. I started out at the head of the pack and in about a hundred yards looked back to see nobody behind me but a wall of bugeyed beef. Dove for the nearest barricade and got pulled out of harm's way. At least I can say I did it, sort of.

 

[the ringo kid]

Have lots of scars from some end over end horse wrecks, that was both of us going end over end in the same place at the same time.

When we were young my Bro and I thought we might like it, but sometimes life gets in the way. He stayed closer to true than I and until his rotator cuff gave out a few years ago the 60 something pup could still heel very well.

No Bulls for me I applaud the few above who tried it. We did ride some 800 pound steers, it isn't the same as a killer bull, except for the quick flight to the ground.

We broke horses for a genuine old horse trader that lived 3 farms over and across the river. He hit all the horse auctions and there were many more back then.

We'd hustle over on our horses, swim the river, swim not wade, and see what he brought home. Some were tame, some were green, some didn't know who in the heck we were and didn't want to know. Then there was the real walleyed, loco weed eating ones. Most of them had a psychosis, crazys, not safe to be around. Got a couple of remembrances of them. We would get them to a point where they would shake and tremble, roll their eyes around and wouldn't bite or kick to hard and there was always some one wanting a good cheap horse. Boy did he have a horse for them.

One fine Friday night we went to the rodeo in town for the weekend. Bro, me and an older neighbor, I seem to remember alcohol being involved, he signed us up, he went first, this is a real rodeo bull, brahma dna and all.

My bro and I were saved, about at the O of the oh shoot word one utters when you discover you have erred our neighbor went flying off into the night stars. He hit on the point of the shoulder and broke his clavicle. As fate would have it we were tasked with taking him to the hospital. We said oh darn, our turns coming up, it sounded more like kids whistling by the cemetary.

I still have a quarter mare, my knees have gone bad, I need a 5 gallon bucket to cheat my way on. Man I hate this part of old age. As a little kid we rode grandpas mules and work horses. They were as tall as a sapling, we had to pull them up next to the wagon or a pond bank to jump on bareback. Well I've made full circle.

The best I ever did ( and this is no horse-hockey) I decided to go riding Nellie, one if our Arabians, and she knew my mother was preparing her dinner. We went out maybe a mile and she bucked me off and I landed partly on some cactus. Nellie ran back to the stables to get her salt, apples, oats and hay. I remember my dad pulling out the cactus needles with pliars.

 

[walkin jack]

I love the clothes and the music but I don't expect anyone ever mistook me for real cowboy.

When I was 10 we went to visit my aunt and uncle and cousins on their dairy farm. !60 acres. 120 head of milk cows and 2 or 3 bulls. They had a couple or yearlin' bulls in a pen and my cousin (2 years older and considerably bigger and stronger) Said he thought we should ride them. They didn't look too dangerous so I thought it'd be fun.

Not so much...

With nothing to hold onto but a rope around the neck my cousin put me on one of them. The dang thing went crazy. The only reason I was not immediately thrown off was that I was so scared I was holding on for dear life with every thing and to everything I could. He finally went to the 5 rail log fence and proceeded to scrape me on the right side all along the fence. Lost some skin on that one but he never threw me. My cousin really enjoyed watching all that. But karma was my redemption. Remind me some time to tell you what I did to him a few years later.

When I was 12 we went to a dude ranch somewhere in the Texas Hill Country for a week and rode some of their horses a few times. The first day of riding my mother got a horse named Frosty. He had gas...rilly bad. Dad renamed him something more appropriate that started with an F. We made Mom ride behind us. But you know those old livery horses, old and slow and thoroughly lacking in excitement.

When I was 14 we went to visit family friends that had a ranch just east of Paris Texas. Had horses and cows and a huge pond full of bass, crappie, bream, and catfish. We would ride out to the peach orchard every morning on horse back and pic a plump juicy peach right off the tree from the saddle. Best peaches I ever ate. And the horses there had a lot more spirit. They could all still run.

So then, I'm a city boy and proud of it. Way too lazy for a rural life style. But I love that I've always had access to that kind of people and that kind of life if only for the occasional vacation situation. I'm quite content to live in the city...I never have to worry about what to do when the tractor breaks down or the bull breaks through the fence into the neighbors pasture.

 

[Iggy]

I remember my dad pulling out the cactus needles with pliars.

Been there, done that.. Then you had to let the little ones you couldn't see fester enough that you could dig them out with a pocket knife.

Then there's porkypine quills in critters noses. If you don't get them out they keep working their way deeper and deeper even to the point of blinding or killing them. Never seen one that was grateful when you was done pulling them out though.

Seems like ever thing in this part of the country either bites, stings, sticks, or kicks. It do make for an interesting life, that's for sure.

 

[Jinglebob]

Seems like ever thing in this part of the country either bites, stings, sticks, or kicks. It do make for an interesting life, that's for sure.

When I was growing up out in west Texas scorpions were everywhere. You never wanted to go to bed without shaking the sheets and blanket. I was stung more than once. The most painful was when I stepped barefoot on one.

We kids would catch a scorpion, pull out its stinger and tie a thread to the critter and then pin the thread to our shirt. We didn't have a whole lot to entertain us back then.

 

[J. R. WEEMS]

Tried it at camp Pendleton when I was 18-- didn't go so well-- darn board fence got in the way. Still watch the bull riding though. Of course these days it is big business.

First time I ever tried such a thing, it wasn't a bull but my Grandpa's milk cow when she walked under a cedar tree where I had place a arm full of fresh hay. That ride did not end well either. As luck would have it, Grandpa viewed that ride from the kitchen window-- that didn't end well at all.

 

[westy39]

I too have been there done that. I finally got tired of looking at the backside of a horse's head and moved to town. I loved my Cowboy years, I got green stock every spring and rode them out till the fall. The Winter set in and you were busy feeding, calving, doctoring, and trying to stay warm. I still remember moving cows off the winter range to the creek bottoms to feed. Martin said to me " Can you believe that some people actually pay money to ride a horse?" It was blowing and snowing the temperature was about 10 above. It got soo cold we got off our horses to walk so we would warm up... Oh the good old days. It was a great way to live and a lousy way to make a living.

 

[tops]

In a past life I was at a local jackpot roping and dogging. After it was over we got to laughing about how big one of the steers was and wondered if anybody could ride him. We got a piece of old grass rope and made a homemade bull rope (didn't have a bell). I was one of the idiots that tried. It was one of those deals where I had him rode until some fool opened the gate. I have never hit the ground so flat and hard in my life. Every part of me from my heels to my head hit the ground flat all at the same time. Everybody got a good laugh out of it and that was the end of my cow riding. Larry

 

[LostintheOzone]

We used to have amature rodeos in highschool. The local ranchers kids would bring in some steers to the local fairgrounds. If you couldn't rope (not everyone had a horse) you could ride a steer. These steers weren't bulls but they were pretty wild range cattle and plenty hard to ride. The real difference was they didn't try to kill you. I rode one and that was enough for me. 8 seconds seemed like a lifetime.

I always heard from the rodeo riders that broncs were harder to ride but bulls were way more dangerous.

 

[model70hunter]

It sort of veered from the bulls to include horses. The wild west of Missouri did not have cactus then, it does in places now, brought in by Texas cows digestive system is what we were told.

I will say the Missouri Hickory and Oak trees are as hard as stone. My brother and I were racing home, I was leading, my horse started veering off the trail to the left of a big Hickory that leaned left, I neck reined to correct. While at full speed just a step from the tree he leaned left. I corrected harder and leaned right. The Hickory caught me across the chest, I don't remember anything past the moment of impact and both hands had deep Hickory bark bruises just like my chest.

My Bro said I spun like a frisby for a ways then hit and bounced for a ways and rolled to a stop. I don't remember leaving the saddle, he thought I was dead. I woke up with him shaking me.

And this was one fast horse.

When my bro quit roping he tried to give me his ropin horse. I said no thank you, don't want any rockets at my age. For those that have not ridden some fast ones or roping horses for example, that are at full speed in a couple or 3 steps and never forget they are picked for speed.

 

[Old TexMex]

I've ridden bulls in the Maverick County buckout. Everybody looks good coming out of the chute, and that was a short ride with a hard landing.
But rodeo and cowboying are different things for sure. I spent some days and nights on the border with tick riders, and I never heard it calling my name.

 

[Nevada Ed]

Riding was ok..........................

but the Two step, Swing, Cowboy Cha and West coast with a sweet little thing in your arms and a cold drink at the bar was a LOT better back in the 90's, for me, than even thinking about getting back in the saddle again.

I like that 5 gal. bucket mention..........
along with, a while to get all the kinks out...........
I will add, the pause after getting down after a long day.......
and your horse looks at you as to say......... "What" !!

 

[Cyrano]

When I was a kid I set out to ride a friend's horse. The horse and I were doing fine until I decided I would run him back to his stable. Big mistake. The darn thing wouldn't stop. I remember grabbing the saddle horn, mayne, neck, anything to hold on. He took a corner at 3/4 speed, the saddle slipped to the side! Now my head is a foot from his front leg. One impact and I'd be nocked cold. He finally stopped. I slid my shaking body off of the saddle and walked the rest of the way.
Lesson learned I'm no cowboy!

Had something similiar happen to me. I was at summer camp. They had horses and the group I was with went riding one day. All was well until we started home. The big brute I was on wanted in the barn and he lit out for it as fast as he could go. I was yelling and pulling on the reins, but nothing an 11 year old could do slowed him down. The barn kept getting closer and closer and the lintel kept getting lower and lower. I figured he was going to scrape me off so I bailed just before he went through the door. It hurt when I lit, but not as much as that lintel would have. The guy leading the ride was petrified: he thought I'd been scraped off. I told him no but I was through with horses. Figured they were hazardous to my health and haven't been on one since.

 

[CajunBass]

No. But I do listen to Chris LeDoux a lot.

And Misty says I won her the moment I tipped my Resistol and said "Howdy Ma'am."

But there was a time when this song haunted me. I hadn't thought of it in years until tonight. Glad to find it on youtube.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W75maJCQreA[/ame]

 

[Iggy]

Caj,
Fellas like that was the guys I growed up around. They were the dreamers that filled in the vast open spaces of America turned us into nation.
We need another generation just like them today.

 

[CajunBass]

Caj,
Fellas like that was the guys I growed up around. They were the dreamers that filled in the vast open spaces of America turned us into nation.
We need another generation just like them today.

Iggy, I used to listen to that song when I was courting Misty. I'd ask her, "Can you imagine the courage it takes to do that?" I knew I didn't have it.