He explains it better than I can. For Cal.

[Red Robin]

[BRG]

I do remember when I was a little guy getting crowhopped off, and thinking he was bucking like crazy But honestly, I have never broken anything, or got hurt somehow. Maybe just lucky.

I did however get a cuncusion, bruized some ribs, and spent a couple days in the hospital from a 3-wheeler when I was about 12 or so.

[Cal]

Our friggin' internet's been dead about 90% of the time lately....but anyway, Tap, that shore was thoughtful to post a poem just for me. LOL And a couple weeks ago you were pushing the "efficiency" thing.

I was thinking back about some of the posts on here over the last year. I believe there were two fatalities involving horses...terrible accidents happen. I also know of someone else that was in critical condition from being kicked in the gut, and if you ever take a ride with me down in the Sandhills I can show you where they found a guy that died years ago from being kicked in the head.....not that bad accidents don't happen on everything.

Anway, around here being horseless has improved our efficiency and cut back on the labor expense considerably...and according to our veterinarian that's the big trend in the whole country. Operations of every size maybe not even having one horse left on them. Each to their own, but it's always interesting hearing about what "won't" or "can't" work, but BRG, you got us on that deep water thing.

[Ltdumbear]

Cal: over the yrs I have signed on to help alot of outfits like yours

"The HELL with saddlin' a horse...Heyl...we can git it ALL done ALOT quicker on a 4-wheeler"

...and I could'nt wait to move on, even if it meant tuckin' my tayl, and checkin' into a motel room, with less than $400 to my name, hopin an' prayin' to God that I'd find another outfit to work for.

Oh sure, me an' those bosses sure got alot done on any given day, but there just was'nt anything 'rewarding' about it. Nothing at all...I felt 'hollow' inside. Another bunkhouse, a steady paycheck, yadda-yadda-yadda. So fast...no room to even 'enjoy' what I was doing with my life. And I doubt that any of them enjoyed thier life, or sharing it with anyone.

Help a young man learn to toughen-up and stand a little taller, knowing that he's keeping a tradition alive ? ? yeah, right....

I've also thrown my saddle on my fair share of 'dingy' horses down in Tuscarora NV for all three 'Buckaroo' outfits, I've cowboyed on the Padlock, and actually learned how to work cows by myself on horseback in linecamp for the first time in 95'. I rode my ASS off on all those jobs, and alot more that I never mentioned...talk about 'not being able to walk at the end of each day ? Gettin' yelled at daily by fellas who I wanted SO much to learn from ? You don't wanna know...

You know what ? I DREADED the day I'd be handed my final paycheck on ALL of those jobs. If only I had a time-machine, and had a way to 'loop' those moments so I could relive them, over and over again.

Cowboy's DO cry...but I 'spose that some of them retain just enough self-less pride to not allow anyone else to see it.

[Tap]

[Cal]

[Cal]

[TWOROPES]

Thank God for the brush pastures in our area, a 4 wheeler wont penetrate second growth mesquite, nor could you hear your curs baying.

[DJL]

Same thing here. We have trails to pack salt on a quad, but the hills are steep and treed, so quads are limited in where they can and should go. As to riding one fifty miles and being able to walk at the end of the day.... Cal must have a lot nicer riding quad than I do! Of course after dumping mine on it's side last week, then having to roll it the rest of the way over to right it, I'm a lot more sore than I have ever been riding horses.