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‘Til We Run Out
Of Road?
It was not so long ago when the old-time working
cowboy was kissing his sweetheart goodbye and he
would head out on the open trail. These drifting
cowboys commonly signed on to drive thousands of
head of cattle long distances without modern
conveniences and working from the back of a horse.
Those incredible drives could take as long as one year.
The pace was slow, averaging two or three miles per
hour. A 1,500 mile journey might take 4 months and
then a cowboy had to trail the entire distance back
home.
The trail was hard work with no Sundays or holidays.
A buckaroo was up before the sun and still in the saddle
many times after dark. He took his meals, sleep,
bathroom breaks and small comforts in the open and
on the run. Wind, rain and sun were unavoidable and
met head on. The trail hand also took his turn “night-
hawking.” This chore meant babysitting the cow heard
at night which boils down to a great deal less sleep.
Trail herding as you can see was a tough row to hoe
with hard work and low pay. It was also a lifestyle. It
was a lifestyle of freedom where the best cowboys took
pride in their work and in their dress. For the top cow
punchers it was about being the best at a trade, a trade
we call “cowboy.” Top hands from Texas, the Southwest
and including the Vaqueros of California developed an
art form of cattle handling, roping, bits, saddles
clothing and equitation that we call horse-man-ship.
From this old time pride the modern equine events
have evolved. Bronc riding, roping, cutting, barrel
racing, dressage, jumping, pleasure classes, trail classes, ranch rodeos and more. It is about being the best and
each one revolves around the horse and great
horsemanship.
It still goes on today although the modern cowboy has
made some changes. The modern day cowpuncher,
Rodeo hand or horseman is in many cases as apt with
his cell phone, fax or computer as he is with his rope or
his horse. Many top hands are computer literate and
sell themselves in magazines and websites. Although my
cowboy pride keeps me from it, many cowboys ride
with their cell phones as handy as their reins.
In the old days the country was open and unfenced. A
man was free to ride when and where he pleased. The
only unfenced and open range today is the highway and
the sky. Modern day traveling cowboys make the most
of both of them in private and commercial jets or in
trucks and trailers that easily value over $100,000.00;
he racks up and logs thousands of miles in the air and
on the road.
It is not uncommon for me to do a demonstration in
front of 1000 people in California on Friday and be
giving a private clinic on a ranch in Texas on Saturday.
So goes the life of a cowboy gypsy. It is a fast-paced
quick moving lifestyle that sometimes seems like a blur.
It is motels, sleeping bags and all night drives. It is
photo finishing into your destination with just enough
time to “chap up” and work a rank old colt in front of
an enthusiastic crowd. What a life!
But in the long run and in the end it is still about the
same thing it was about 150 years ago. With all the traveling and all the exposure to radio, TV and
magazines the bottom line is still like the old days; it is
about the quality of a cowboy’s work that counts. The
work only continues to come, not by just “talking the
talk” but you need to “walking the walk.”
The tradition of horsemanship and its way of life is
about an individual’s work and the horse being a
reflection of that individual. The horse is only as good
as the trainer and seeks the level of the rider, be it good
or bad. The best cowboys accept the challenge of
horsemanship and rise to the occasion. Doing things
right is not always the easy trail, but just like the old
times it is the tough trail that teaches us the most. The
toughest horses are the best teachers. The old navy men
used to say, “A calm sea never made a great sailor.”
Cutting legend Pat Patterson said, “The horse and cow
business is a workhouse everyday.”
Great and aspiring horse
people keep an open
mind and a positive
attitude through
good times and bad,
through highs and
lows. Cowboying
is still about a
solid work ethic.
It is about your
word and your
reputation and
being able to
honor both with a handshake. After all, honor is a principal that
builds great relationships like a relationship bond
between men, women, horses, livestock and the land.
Whether you are on the ranch, the road or in the office
a guy can still be a cowboy because being a real cowboy
is a way of life and about keeping this way of life alive.
It is a tradition the old-time cowboys fought for and
believed in. It is our turn to keep it and preserve it.
Some people say cowboying is extinct. I think it is
growing! In the sixties and seventies it might have gone
into remission but thanks to people like Roy Rogers,
Casey Tibbs, Larry Mahan, Ray Hunt, Tom Dorrance,
Ty Murray, Red Steagall and thousands more it has
comeback. I think the old-timers would be proud and
happy to know how cowboys and horse are going
strong and getting better.
In the spirit of the old cowboys, I challenge
you to keep the tradition and “cowboy-up”
in what ever field you choose. Like the
singer-song writer Jewel says in one of
her songs, “Keep on going till we run
out of road.”
Keep on riding!
Please contact us at:
Craig Cameron
PO Box 50
Bluff Dale, TX 76433
800-274-0077
www.craigcameron.com |
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| On Now |
Julie Goodnight/Horse Master |
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| Followed By |
Farm Bureau Today |
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