October 31, 2023
Marisol Tarango
When I was in elementary school, I had an aunt who was still in college. She was more of a big sister to me than an aunt. Every summer while she was in college she would travel, and when she got back, she would tell me about all her adventures. When I was older, I […]
October 25, 2023
Jan Swan Wood
We had been day working steady all fall. Day after day of up before dawn, pack a lunch while eating breakfast, saddle and load horses and be somewhere far away by daylight. But, the season was winding down and it was becoming important to get any cows home from summer range before winter struck. On […]
October 24, 2023
Jan Swan Wood
Maybe I’d read something about it, or maybe it was just an idea that hatched in my own head, I don’t remember, but, the addition of an old gray mare made me put it into action. “Lou” was an old calf roping horse and quirky due to her opinion of people in general. Being a […]
October 23, 2023
Jan Swan Wood
I’d never met the lady who had called me about starting a colt for her, but I’d known her late husband and thought a great deal of him. What she had was a three year old Thoroughbred stud colt that was sort of halter broke and pretty gentle. I knew the stud he was sired […]
October 13, 2023
Marisol Tarango
If you took a cowboy from every region of the United States and lined them all up in a row, they would all look like a group of cowboys. Of course, on closer inspection you would notice differences in the style of their clothes and gear, and if you listened to them talk about how […]
October 11, 2023
Jan Swan Wood
Weeks of riding, combing brushy draws, timbered ridges, and gumbo breaks, had finally culminated in having the cows all, hopefully, gathered on the ranch where I was working. They were wild, snakey old rips who hadn’t seen a human since their calves were branded, if they’d gotten branded even, and they’d gathered hard. One at […]
October 5, 2023
Jan Swan Wood
We had gathered a big chunk of country that morning. The owner had made the outside circle and “rode” the canyons out in his Bell Jet helicopter. The New Mexico ranch was huge and rough, so that helicopter really saved some horse sweat when he was able to get in the air. We had the […]
September 27, 2023
Marisol Tarango
You have heard of the Florida Man, but let me introduce you to the Florida Cow. The first cattle in Florida were essentially feral cattle roaming around in the wild swamps and prairies of Florida. They were eventually domesticated over time, becoming known as Cracker Cattle. After the civil war, these roaming herds were gathered […]
September 25, 2023
Jan Swan Wood
For many years, I belonged to a group of women who went on a trail ride and camping trip every September. I’m no trail rider, but my sisters were in it, so it was nice to get to spend time with them and many of the other women who became good friends. My horses were […]
September 20, 2023
Jan Swan Wood
Fall was in full swing on the ranch. I was riding every day, checking through the big calves to make sure nothing was showing a droopy ear or a cough. They were all on pasture with their mothers yet, and it took a lot of miles to get a look at everything. It wasn’t a […]