I work cattle for a living. Scratched out a decent way of life for me and mine doing so over the past 25+ years.
When I was just out of college, I cowboyed for the better part of a year. Calved out hundreds of heifers and 3 year olds. Every day in the saddle. Not a particularly great horseman or a roper. But good with stock. So I actually did put on my tax return, which was pretty pathetic, where it asked occupation, cowboy.
Reality is, I was never a good enough hand horseback to really qualify. Everything else as far as working cattle, understanding them, reading them etc. I would be considered damn handy. But cowboy, no.
And I don't want to be. Seen the life that real cowboys live and I am good not going there.
I hear ya.
I used to be damn good with horses, but I look at them as work. Not with a passion like lots of folks do.
If you look at the old ranch hands, cowboys, and ranchers that grew up and spent their lives ranching, and you notice their hands... Bent, crooked, rough... missing fingers from slammed gates and missed dally while roping, it'll make you sit back and re-evaluate things.
Like mentioned earlier... Everyone wants to be a cowboy until it get time to do it.
