Easy Days Don’t Make Good Cowboys
- June 22, 2024
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- Jan Swan Wood
Posted in: Featured, Ranch Life
We had branded the day before, and mid-afternoon, loaded the cows and calves on the truck to take to
summer pasture. Before going, my son and I’d talked about whether we really needed to take saddle
horses out with us, as we were unloading into good pens and then they’d be turned out once paired. We both agreed that it was best to have the horses and not need them than to need them and have the horses 50 miles away. So, Colin loaded up four horses, one for him and one for each of his boys.
It was drizzling with a fine mist as we unloaded at the pasture, about a mile off the gravel road. It was
after 5 p.m., and we let the cows pair up for a while, then my son Colin and his two biggest boys, Carson, 13, and Taygen, 12, mounted up and let the cows out. I stayed at the pickup with my daughter-in-law, seven year old grandson who didn’t feel very good, and yearling granddaughter. It was estimated that it would take less than a half hour for the guys to take the cows to water and make sure they were paired up.
It kept drizzling a little harder all the time, yet not quite raining. That bull rack was looking like it needed to be out on the gravel approach off the county road, but since neither Darcy or I knew how to drive it, it stayed there. Every little bit we’d say that it won’t be much longer. They’ll be back soon. Several times I’d walked up to the rise that looked out over the pasture where they’d gone, but never saw a sign of riders anywhere. There were several hundred head of two year old pairs in the pasture that my cows would run with over the summer but not a head of them could be seen through the heavy drizzle, either.
Hours went by. Concern had progressed to worry. Grandson Haiden and I were on the rise again, squinting through the heavier drizzle and fading evening light, when finally, way off to the north, I could
see the shadowy figures of three horses and riders. We hurried back to the pickup to report to Darcy and let her quit worrying. Yes, we were both worried as we both have been in bad situations where someone got hurt and things went bad.
So many scenarios had run through my mind, such as Colin’s horse taking a header and hurting Colin, and with few landmarks, the grandsons unable to get back to us for help. A Mom’s mind has no end of imagination. The boys, Carson and Taygen, are old enough to have lots of experience, but haven’t had the opportunity. They live with their Mom in a subdivision and don’t get to be out on the ranch as often as they did when they were smaller and spent lots of time with me. So, they like to ride but don’t have the miles on them like ranch raised kids would.
When they finally arrived at the trailer they were all wet and tired. But, those two boys were absolutely beaming. They were so excited about what they’d gotten to do that they were still exhilarated. I let their Dad explain what had happened before I heard the boys’ experiences.When they let our cows out, all paired up, there were a few of the two year old pairs there and they mixed together as they trailed them down a strip to the water tank. At the watertank were more pairs, and for some reason, probably the odd weather, they got all excited and started running around like ninnies, bawling and carrying on. That was too much for the calves and they left with their tails over their backs and no mamas. The two year olds all gathered at a mad dash from the pasture to “help”, making the wreck go faster. So, with cattle going in three different directions, each rider had a job. Colin went to turn the bunch with most of the calves while each boy was to bring the bunch they had back to meet their Dad.
With no cooperation from any of the cattle, it was quite a task to get them turned, slowed down, and back together. Carson and Taygen were sure put to the test to stay in the middle of the grand geldings
they were riding. Carson was on Rush, Taygen on Lakota, and both of those horses are cowy, quick, fast
and know their jobs, besides being big, stout horses. Carson said “I didn’t have any idea what to do at one point, but Rush just went ahead and did the right thing before I could decide!” Taygen said Lakota did that too, and that it was sure fun to get those cows turned. “He knew exactly what to do, so I just let him! He’s sure fast!”
My son wasn’t quite as excited about the wreck, but, when I pointed out how much those two boys had learned in those hours, he had to agree that it was a good deal overall. If the cows would have done what was expected, they’d never have gotten out of a trot and no one would have been challenged to stay in the middle of his horse and do a cowboy job. As it was, it lit a fire in two boys and they are now
infected with the cowboy bug pretty bad. Easy days don’t make good cowboys or cowhorses. His new horse was also challenged and came through without too many glitches.
Riding those great geldings, both 23 years old, taught them more than all the coaching by Dad, Darcy
or me could have. Rush and Lakota have both been pretty well retired as they’ve earned it. Rush is a little stiff in front, while Lakota doesn’t have as much strength on the horn to pull as he used to. But, that day, because they are the honest horses they are, they forgot their infirmities and were top horses again. They made hard runs, nose to nose turns with cows, and didn’t quit until the job was done, then proudly carried their young riders back to the trailer, still hustling along with ears up.
I believe strongly that those old campaigners get a big charge out of reliving their glory days doing a real job. It’s more fun hearing about the experience that the grandsons had than having it myself, as much as I would like to be able to do it all again. I just wish I could have been a bird on a hill watching it all happen!
Oh, and we were able to get out to the gravel, though it was sure slick and muddy. Darcy drove the dually with the trailer and only made a few doodahs out of the trail, and Colin poured the coals to the
Peterbilt and rocked and rolled that bull rack out of there while we hurried ahead to get the gates opened for him. It all worked out in the long run, though not the way it had been planned. It was still a very, very good day. A cowboy day.
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Posted in: Featured, Ranch Life
About Jan Swan Wood
Jan was raised on a ranch in far western South Dakota. She grew up horseback working all descriptions of cattle, plus sheep and horses. After leaving home she pursued a post-graduate study of cowboying and dayworking in Nebraska, New Mexico, Montana, Wyoming and South Dakota....