He explains it better than I can. For Cal.

[Tap]

I have been too busy lately to post much. I thought late calving was easier. :???: :???: :???: :wink: Kinda runs into haying and fencing around here.

Back to the subject at hand. :wink: We were discussing why some of us prefer working horseback a while ago in a thread, vs. other methods, and I thought this poem by Waddie Mitchell pretty much sums it up for me.

Commutin'

There ain't nothin' like the feeling that you get down deep inside,
As you trot out in the morning, when you've hired on to ride.

When your mounts enthusiastic, and the air is crisp and new,
And there's lively conversation goin' on amongst the crew.

There's some bridle crickets chirpin',
Jinglebobs tap out a tune on one side,

The sun is risin', just ahead there sits the moon,
Shadows hightrot there beside you, elongated, keepin' pace,
Reassurin' you ain't hobbled by restrict of time or space,

Out in front the boss is postin' to the same beat as a song,
The realization hits ya', you're right where you belong,
It's then you start appreciating, you're on trails where few have trod,
And you wonder how you ever doubted if there really is a God.

Atop a ridge the boss reins in, so we all gather up around,
It's from here he'll call the circle,

So you step off to the ground, loosen up your latigo, air your pony's back,
You arrange again the blankets, realign your kack,
Then you mount back up to get dropped off,
Check to see who's on each side,
Your glad that you're a cowboy, and you feel this twinge of pride.

You ate breakfast by the Coleman, hurried round to beat the sun,
You've got eleven miles behind you, but it's here the works begun.

Now in town when folks must travel to their workplace everyday,
It's said that they're commuting to their job to earn their pay.

They'll choke in crazy traffic jams, fight for seats on bus or train,
It's a wonder that this ritual doesn't drive 'em all insane.

We too, I guess, commute to work as the job at hand dictates,
But we COMMUNE while we're commuting, and what a difference that makes.

 

[DJL]

:agree:

 

[Shortgrass]

Nice poem. I couldn't have said it as well either.

 

[Jerry H]

godd poem tap
that's the only way to comute
until later
jerry

 

[Faster horses]

Good one.

I always enjoy Waddie's poetry. He gets to making the words rhyme
sometimes in the middle of the sentence as he did here. I really
like that. (Here he did it in a couple of places; I only caught it because I have learned to watch for it in his works.)

I'd like to have the words to his, "The last longhorn's gone and the
campfire's gone out." It is so haunting...

If anyone has it, I'd sure enjoy seeing it posted here.

Do you have a book or something of his, Tap?

 

[Cal]

You ate breakfast by the Coleman, hurried round to beat the sun,
You've got eleven miles behind you, but it's here the works begun.

Eleven miles, huh, and it took how long to get there? How many "11 miles" that old horse got left in it today? And how many are on the payroll? :roll:

 

[Jerry H]

You ate breakfast by the Coleman, hurried round to beat the sun,
You've got eleven miles behind you, but it's here the works begun.

Eleven miles, huh, and it took how long to get there? How many "11 miles" that old horse got left in it today? And how many are on the payroll? :roll:

cal
ya'll exuse me for butting here
but 11 miles on a good saddle horse is nothing
i have seen days when we rode evry bit of fifty miles and more while working
when i was in nevada we trotted out by 4 am and we might trot 15 miles before the sun came up and then 4 or 5 of us would fan out gather 20 or 30 sections
and be back at the wagon by 12 or 1
as for any other method of transportataion
it just wouldn't work out there the sage brush and gulley's would not let you manuver any othe form of trans fast enough to gather cattle
unless maybe it was a helicopter
down here in places the brush is thick and the country is rough so the most effecient way to handle stock is horseback with hands that know cattle and the country
just my 2 cents worth
jerry

btw
i just read this again but i can't ramember whitch president said it
but he said "there's somthing about the outside of a horse that's good for the inside of a man"

 

[Soapweed]

btw
i just read this again but i can't ramember whitch president said it
but he said "there's somthing about the outside of a horse that's good for the inside of a man"

It was Sir Winston Churchill.

Mechanical stuff boggles my mind. As long as motors work, they are fine, but when they need mechanical attention, in my book at least( :roll: :? :wink: ), it is a greasy detestible job. With that in mind, I could construe Sir Winston's statement to say, "There is something about the inside of a motorized vehicle that is bad for the outside of a man."

Just my personal opinion, of course. :wink:

 

[Julie]

Faster Horses...is this the one?


The last breathin' longhorn
Lay dyin' by the river
For the lack of vegetation
The cold wind made him shiver
The cowboy sat beside him
With sadness in his face
To see the fatal passing
Of this last and noble race.
The longhorn quivered
And raised his shaking head
Saying, I do not care to linger
When all my friends are dead
These jerseys and Holsteins
They are no friend of mine
They belong to the noble man
That lives across the brine
Tell the Durham and the Hereford
When they come agrazin' round
And see me lyin' stark and stiff
Upon the frozen ground
I don't want them to bellow
Because I am dead
For I was born in Texas
Near the river that is red
Tell the coyotes when they come at night
A' lookin' for their prey
They might as well go further;
They'll find it will not pay
For if they attempt to eat me
They very soon will see
My bones and hide are petrified
They'll find no beef on me.
I remember back in the 70s
For many summers put
When there's grass and water plenty
But is was too good to last
And a little dream came to me
Some twenty summers hence, here
Come the farmer with his wife
And kids, his dogs and his barbed wire fence
The cowboy rose up sadly
And mounted his cayouse
Sayin' the day has come
When cowboys and longhorns are no use
He rode off a-gazin' backward
Upon the dead bovine
His bronco stepped in a foghole
And fell down and broke his spine
Now, you'll miss him at the round-up
It's gone, his merry shout
The cowboys' left the country
And the camp fires' gone out.

 

[Cal]

You ate breakfast by the Coleman, hurried round to beat the sun,
You've got eleven miles behind you, but it's here the works begun.

Eleven miles, huh, and it took how long to get there? How many "11 miles" that old horse got left in it today? And how many are on the payroll? :roll:

cal
ya'll exuse me for butting here
but 11 miles on a good saddle horse is nothing
i have seen days when we rode evry bit of fifty miles and more while working
when i was in nevada we trotted out by 4 am and we might trot 15 miles before the sun came up and then 4 or 5 of us would fan out gather 20 or 30 sections
and be back at the wagon by 12 or 1
as for any other method of transportataion
it just wouldn't work out there the sage brush and gulley's would not let you manuver any othe form of trans fast enough to gather cattle
unless maybe it was a helicopter
down here in places the brush is thick and the country is rough so the most effecient way to handle stock is horseback with hands that know cattle and the country
just my 2 cents worth
jerry

btw
i just read this again but i can't ramember whitch president said it
but he said "there's somthing about the outside of a horse that's good for the inside of a man"

Fifty miles on a good ATV is just getting warmed up....and you might be surprised where some people can make one go....and still feel like walking at the end of the day.

 

[Cal]

But we COMMUNE while we're commuting, and what a difference that makes.

Tap, I sort of figured you were a communist.

 

[BRG]

Cal,

Our pastures in the grand river breaks are made for a horse. Their are places you can't get across, the horse has to either walk in water that is shoulder deep, go through standing and fallen trees, or climb hills that are to steep for an ATV, and then last summer when it was so dry, you didn't dare take a machine with a muffler out unless you had a fire truck following you. 4 Wheelers have their place, in big open country when you just send them out to gather a herd, but when it comes to sorting pairs, or working with the terrain that some of us have. They just don't work.

Our next door neighbor is a big 4 wheeler man, but about 3 times a year he calls to bring our horse to help him Dr something.

A few years ago, a neighbor rented a big chunk of ground next to us, and he wrecked his 4 wheeler 3 or 4 times that summer climbing the breaks and the final time, he one was hauled out with a helicopter to the Bismarck hospital. I don't remember the last time I got hurt on a horse.

But, some people are way better on a horse than the next guy, and I am sure it is the same way for a 4 wheeler. Tap, JB, and Soap are better on a horse and you are better on a 4 wheeler. Just the way it is.

 

[Red Robin]

Cal,

Our pastures in the grand river breaks are made for a horse. Their are places you can't get across, the horse has to either walk in water that is shoulder deep, go through standing and fallen trees, or climb hills that are to steep for an ATV, and then last summer when it was so dry, you didn't dare take a machine with a muffler out unless you had a fire truck following you. 4 Wheelers have their place, in big open country when you just send them out to gather a herd, but when it comes to sorting pairs, or working with the terrain that some of us have. They just don't work.

Our next door neighbor is a big 4 wheeler man, but about 3 times a year he calls to bring our horse to help him Dr something.

A few years ago, a neighbor rented a big chunk of ground next to us, and he wrecked his 4 wheeler 3 or 4 times that summer climbing the breaks and the final time, he one was hauled out with a helicopter to the Bismarck hospital. I don't remember the last time I got hurt on a horse.But, some people are way better on a horse than the next guy, and I am sure it is the same way for a 4 wheeler. Tap, JB, and Soap are better on a horse and you are better on a 4 wheeler. Just the way it is.

BRG them licks to the head from being bucked off sure hurt a mans memory don't they. :lol:

 

[BRG]

:lol: :lol: :lol:

I do remember when I was a little guy getting crowhopped off, and thinking he was bucking like crazy :shock: 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. :wink:

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. :wink:

 

[Anonymous]

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 ash 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]

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. :wink:

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. :wink:

Cal, you are a stubborn, stubborn man. :wink: ALMOST as stubborn as me. :roll: :lol: :lol:

 

[Cal]

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 ash 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.

See how everything works out for the better? We've gotten efficient enough that we no longer need to hire anyone that doesn't want to work the way we do, either. It's good for the bottom line all the way around, not to mention everyone's attitude. Good luck....and hope you've found your niche.

 

[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. :wink:

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. :wink:

Cal, you are a stubborn, stubborn man. :wink: ALMOST as stubborn as me. :roll: :lol: :lol:

Cool, huh? LOL So are you gonna hit Sturgis this year... for the Rally? Probably incognito

 

[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.