The Outlaw, “Silver Mane”
- July 23, 2025
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- Jan Swan Wood
Posted in: Featured, Horse Training, Ranch Life, Rodeo
In the 1920s my grandad, Bill, was what would be described as an all around type of cowboy and
rancher. He was a tough bronc rider, due to the fact that the horses he traded for were usually outlaw
types. He could ride horses that other men couldn’t work in harness, plus he could work them in harness too. He was also a skilled roper and could rope any critter, going any direction, according to my Dad. So, I consider that to be a pretty handy feller.
In those days, county fairs usually had horse races, relay races, bronc riding and roping. Along with the regular bronc riding, there would be exhibition horses that were so tough to ride that the contractor
would pay mount money to anyone who would try them. Grandad Bill did all of the events, rode for
mount money, plus snubbed the broncs for the bronc riding. He used his relay horses for that and for the roping too. Any money made in the events was set aside for buying winter supplies. He followed the
eastern Colorado fair circuit and rode to them, riding one horse and leading the others.
One of the horses that he encountered in the bronc riding was what they called a “silver maned buckskin” in those days. Now we call them palominos and they were pretty uncommon in that era. This
horse was a beautiful color and a really good looking horse, according to my Dad. Grandad Bill could ride the horse if he drew him in the bronc riding most of the time, but not always. He always thought what a shame such a good looking horse was a bucking horse and not a saddle horse.
After a season of watching the horse buck and getting him ridden whenever he drew him, he got the
idea to try to trade for him. It took quite a while, but he finally wore the owner down, made a trade and
took the horse home. He called him Silver Mane.
It’s my understanding that this worried his wife, my grandmother, very much, because the horse was a
definite outlaw. He was dangerous no matter what you did with him and was wise to the ways of cowboys. A horse bucking scared is a whole different breed of cat than one who is not scared and has the intention of doing a man in, so I can sure understand my grandmother’s concern. Even my grandad
referred to him as a “curly wolf”, according to Dad.
I don’t recall now how long it took or how many bronc rides Grandad took on him, but he finally started getting through to Silver Mane. Just plain wore him down, perhaps. It would seem that the wearing down would have been mutual, but Grandad was young and tougher than rawhide. Apparently he was tougher than Silver Mane.
He rode him for several years and got him very well broke, but he was never a trustworthy horse that you could let your guard down on. I’m sure it was with great relief to my grandmother when a man came
along with more money than good sense who paid a hefty price for the unusually colored horse.
Amazingly, the man had the horse for years and got by him, though he was surely no great horse hand
himself. Maybe Silver Mane realized that he could have a life of ease and abundance with the man and
decided to spare him. I know my grandmother and my dad always spoke with amazement that the guy
survived Silver Mane.
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Posted in: Featured, Horse Training, Ranch Life, Rodeo
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....