Disposition, is it Heritable or Learned
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Faster horses
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leanin' H said:I gotta stand up for the Cowboy some of ya'll keep bashing. You can call somebody who doesnt know cattle anything you want, but it irks me when you throw cowboys under the bus. I get what you are trying to say, but in our country, to be called a cowboy is a pretty dear honor and not taken lightly. A cowboy is the guy who can do anything with cattle. On the desert, in the working corral, in the calving shed or loading alley. With a rope or with a chute. I understand what ya mean by saying stockman but if you ran cattle out here you'd see some fine cowboys who have forgot more about cattle than some folks will ever know. :? What i'm saying is being called cowboy shouldnt be derogitory. Call those folks who whorah cattle and screw things up a dude or a greenhorn or a dirty sun of a gun.
I have the ultimate respect for the TRUE cowboy!! And we have been fortunate
to know some. When you run cows on a huge ranch and put up or feed
basically no hay, you
better be a cowboy/cowman, and a good one. We have a wonderful friend
tht grew up in Wyoming on a 72,000 acre ranch. He's 54 now and has
always been a cowboy and a horseman. I have watched while he and
his dad rode a mature horse and led a colt so they wouldn't ride the colt
too hard. They'd tie the colt up near where we were gathering to and
when we had the cattle gathered and held, they would get on their young
horses to sort cattle. Then they led them home again. They had some
of the best horses in the country. The Powder River ran through their place,
no bridge, so you better know what horses are the best 'river horses' cuz
you can really get into a jam as the bottom changes
daily. And there are times you have to ride across it when the
ice is rotting--and you better know what horse can stand that, or he'll break a leg in it.
Talk about a thrill!!!! :shock:
The river was a huge problem in itself. That Powder River country is some pretty rough and
unforgivable country, but it sure makes good cowboys.
These guys know how to keep a horse 'fresh'. They ride both sides of
their horse; something I never thought about til we were around them.
I've learned you can look
at your stirrups and see what side of your horse you are riding by seeing which side is the more worn. I'm serious--
and I don't know very many people who even know about that, let alone
put it to use.
Once, when the son was not very old, say 9 or 10, he helped a rancher
trail about 300 head to the Big Horn Mountain pasture which took a
couple of days. There was just this young fella and the middle-aged
rancher (who was a COWBOY with capital letters). Anyhow, when they
got close to town, they were in a pasture with other cattle in it. The other
cattle ran over to see the new cows going through their pasture and of course,
got all mixed up. The young fella got pretty shook up and
wondered what they were going to do, beings there were only two of them.
The owner of the cattle said, "I don't know what you are going to to,
but I know what I'm going to do." And he got off his horse, unsaddled
him and laid down with the saddle as his pillow, pulled his hat over
his eyes and took a nap. When he got up about an hour later, the cows
that had mixed with theirs had all gone on, leaving the cows that were
being trailed very clean. So the 2 guys, one young, one older, proceeded
to trail thier cows on out of the pasture with no dust...
At a branding, you really know you are watching professionals
when they pick the calves off the outside of the bunch and the calves in the middle
LAY DOWN, they are so undisturbed...and that's a true story. When
ropers ride into the middle of the bunch to rope a calf, it just tells
you they haven't watch how a cowboy does it, or else
never paid attention to how it was done.
Usually who we used to brand with, there are 3 ropers. 2 in the pen, (or
maybe 3, depending on the size of the pen) one
watching the gate; when one roper rides out with a calf and the
ground crew take hold of the calf, that roper rides to the gate, and
the other guy rides in the pen. Goes like clockwork. There usually
is someone else on foot watching the gate as well.
These guys have spent most of their life horseback, not on tractors,
balers, farm equipment but on the back of a good horse. I'm not putting
anyone down because of haying or farming, after all we need that too.
Mr. FH has enjoyed puttinh up and feeding up hay every year except the years we spent on that
Powder River Ranch. We leaned a great deal from that experience.
Those kind of cowboys are few and far between now and partly
because ranches aren't so big anymore in most places; but some are
still there, luckily. I have no doubt there are cowboys left in your country,
'H. That's some big country you run cows in. You are blessed to know
some, I think. I know we were!
The son I mentioned in my story understands animal behaviour, as I
believe Mr.FH also does. I've heard them talking and our young friend
has said more than once, "If you've got enough crew you can do
about anything with a cow eventually, but if it's just you, your horse and
maybe your dog, you better know how a cow thinks."
Another thing a good cowboy does, is not stress the cows any more than
he has to,in order to get the job done.
Some people get what I call 'their radio turned up' when they have to
work cows. They must have had some fustrating times to get so anxious
about something that can be so enjoyable.
Personally, I think there can be good cowboys that ride a 4-wheeler.
"Cowboy" is as much a state of mind as much as anything.
Sorry this got so long... :?
I walked a heifer up to the barn to pull a calf on friday about a 1/4 mile on foot away from all the other cattle just needed a little patience.I'm by myself 99% of the time so I better not cuase a uproar otherwise nothing goes right.My son Lane is pretty good help but he's been helping me sort since he was a toddler. My father in law would have a fit sorting bulls with a 4 year old I told him he's better help than most adults.
Faster horses
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Denny said:
:clap: :clap: :clap:
flyingS
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Leanining H, no doubt being called a Cowboy should be an honor. The problem is everybody wants to be one and nobody wants to learn what it takes. There are more dudes anymore than anything. Very few people ride in our part of the world anymore, unless it's a japanese horse. Hardly anyone can rope and if they do they can't catch one with out running the wind out of them and stirring things up. I am not saying I have never run one but you have to learn how to set yourself up so you don't stir the whole bunch. As you know it takes more than a hat and boots with a saddle and fat horse to make you a cowboy. Anybody that's been around a good one can pick one out wear'n a ball cap and loafers, he'll just wreak of a tradition. One of his greatest attributes is humility and confidence bundled together. I have met very few Cowboys who are arrogant, even though the may seem that way before you get to know them.
My wife picked me up a dart gun at Stockmans suppley in Fargo Saturday me and my green car will be ready for action this summer.Problem lies in no help to be found when needed when I have the time I have no help when they have the time I'm baleing hay.I like doctoring in a pasture horseback but for one guy with alot to do I don't have that kind of time.And I'm not that handy.You can call me a farmer or whatever it does'nt matter I'm happy.I can check,put out mineral and doctor in one fail swoop otherwise the doctoring gets put off until the stars align which could be a week later.Having had a bad horse wreck and $40,000 in doctor bills and a few months in a wheelchair I'll safety up when ever I can. Damn Sodbuster :wink:
Being a cowboy is more than wearing the hat and having the horse.
Being a cowboy is more than wearing the hat and having the horse.
flyingS
Well-known member
Denny, nothing wrong with knowing your limitations. I broke my collar bone a week and a half ago, not my first wreck but my first medical bill of any amount in 35 years. Never used a dart gun, I know people that do and they like them.
For the first 60 years I felt there were no limitations - - - but in the last 5 I've had my ticker worked on, back surgery, massive hernia, broken shoulder - - - fighting a knee replacement and another hernia.
I still get a lot of work done but I am asking for help with things I never would have asked for a decade ago!
I have tried to take care of my body non smoker, very little alcohol, no recreational drugs ( very limited prescribed drugs ) walk every day but I seem to have put a lot of miles on this chunk of flesh!
I still get a lot of work done but I am asking for help with things I never would have asked for a decade ago!
I have tried to take care of my body non smoker, very little alcohol, no recreational drugs ( very limited prescribed drugs ) walk every day but I seem to have put a lot of miles on this chunk of flesh!
flyingS
Well-known member
I should have added medical bill that was horse related. It seems like the extremes are cattle that are handled poorly or cattle that are handled with kid gloves. They both have something in common, they have no respect fot or response to their handlers. It is nice to work a set that have been handled properly. I mouthed a set of cows for a neighbor a year ago last fall, most of the cows had been purchased over the years, one set of particular ownership stood out. It wasn't for their bad attitude but their ease of handling, every cow walked in the chute calmly and let me check her mouth without throwing her head. My hats off to you and your crew Soapweed, your cows handled quite nicely, I had no idea where they had come from until we were finished and I mentioned the difference noticeable by tag color.
leanin' H
Well-known member
Denny said:
Not sure what world you live in? :? I am a proud COWBOY. Just a cowboy. :roll:
WyomingRancher
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Denny said:
You'll love that dart gun Denny. I just use drop off needles and A180 on anything needing treated, and it works like a charm. The cattle don't even notice anything is going on, and the project is done in a matter of minutes. The hardest part is keeping track of the needles when they fall back out
.:tiphat: :tiphat: :tiphat: :tiphat: :cboy: :cboy: :cboy: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:WHR said:*It all depends on perspective. I've always thought that a good cowboy was also a cowman, but a cowman isn't necessarily a cowboy. That would make cowboy the higher calling.Jake said:
I have seen lots of people that DARN sure weren't COWBOYS who THOUGHT they were cattlemen. They were neither!!
gcreekrch
Well-known member
LazyWP said::tiphat: :tiphat: :tiphat: :tiphat: :cboy: :cboy: :cboy: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:WHR said:*It all depends on perspective. I've always thought that a good cowboy was also a cowman, but a cowman isn't necessarily a cowboy. That would make cowboy the higher calling.Jake said:
I have seen lots of people that DARN sure weren't COWBOYS who THOUGHT they were cattlemen. They were neither!!
Still not sure who in their right mind would want to be one or the other. :wink:
I know I've been infected Infectious Bovine Interaction since I can remember so my right mind must never have existed.
Hayguy
Well-known member
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjZWKLP_fvg
cowboyup
Well-known member
leanin' H said:
My sentiments exactly H. Cowboy is a name to be proud of. A good cowboy is a good stockman because he cares about the cows he takes care of, the horses he rides and makes them his life he sure doesn't do it for the money. The world is full of wanna be cowboys and thats not all bad, with a little training and if they are willing to listen they can become cowboys too!
This post drifted off coarse by a long ways ...........there are ranchers & there are cowboys & there are cowboy ranchers . The people that can do it all are all of these things rolled into 1 . What I would call the top hands of the industry you know who you are & so do others .
Disposition in cattle I would say is half breeding & half environment
Disposition in cattle I would say is half breeding & half environment
flyingS
Well-known member
Lefty, maybe it didn't drift so far of coarse as you think. I would say by the responses that disposition is more a factor of environment and handling than heritable trait. No doubt there are some animals that are born with bad dispositions and need to be culled. On the other side of the coin, maybe if we would take a look at how we handle something that we have a preconceived notion of, we can change that disposition. You can take a good protective mother that blows snot and raises heck but will not hurt you and turn her into one mean rip if you are scared of her and treat her like she is going to eat your lunch. We were at a neighbors working cows my inlaws cows through his facility. We had to sort a few of his cows out and pen them seperate when we were done. I don't remember what we were doing exactly, but we had to walk through those cows to get where we were going. One old girl was high headed and had run my brother in law out of the corral several times and seemed pretty serious. The neighbor came by and walk through the corral like he owned the place, I followed thinking he might be in trouble. The cow raised her head but never bothered either one of us, my brother inlaw started through and damn near didn't get back out the gate as she beat the hell out of it. Neither one of us were scared, he was from the beginning. His own cows act the same way, I have been around them for better than 10yrs and never had a problem with cows he won't get in the same pen with.