All right, now I'll ask the difference between a cowboy, and a beef producer?
wabi we have 3 cattle companies within 45 min drive of where i live , all 3 have from 1500 to 2000 momma cows, produce a lot of beef,not a cowboy in the bunch
I live in Central Texas their is a large ranch near me 38000 acres. Top cowboy which is a friend make 3000 a month with a older ranch home included.8 cowboys work all live stock on horses. The owners cow calf operation is 100k in Florida. Using the Texas ranch for cattle on the gain.
Barry, both my grandfathers, and grandmothers as well, could drive horses, ride horses. Milked cows, all of it.
I never saw any of them in pointed toe boots. Large brimmed hats, yes.
You'll never see me in pointy toed cowboy boots either...
Your comment reminded me of something. Back in the mid 90’s I was in my early 20’s living in Oklahoma. I did a little ranch work, rode horse, and played around at rodeoing a little bits. I was far from a pro at any of this, but I could fake it a little. I had a good opportunity so I moved to Washington state, about an hour from Seattle. I saw a local country club called Gerry Andal’s and thought I would give it a try. I was amazed at the number of men wearing cock roach killing (super pointy toe) boots with fake silver around the tip. That was my first clue to get out. I’m back in Oklahoma now and still own horses, but my “cowboyin” is mainly limited to Ranch Sorting on the weekends with my boys. I still don’t wear pointy toe boots.
with that user name theres no need to ask what line of cowpony you prefer,,,, growing up,my dad would bring home half the jackoff horses there were to be found,,anything with a bad habit,,,It got to where i always rode not in boots but converse all stars,,chuckie taylors,,, they made your foot thin, easy in an out of stirrup,and were better to walk in if you got tossed out of the round pen,, I mostly rode those dinks in the woods so they werent apt to act out as bad
Back in the '70's, Dad bought a "green broke" 3 Bars gelding. That horse was a bucker - could go 30' sideways if a rabbit jumped out in front of him - in one jump. Dad had me ride him out - made a damn good caballo, sure footed and loved mountains and brush. Good thing as we were turning out #1 Old Mexico steers out in rough country. He could cut cattle in a corral or in the pasture, and I wasn't afraid to rope anything off of him. Lord, how I miss my '20's! Life was one ball after another - and one wreck after another. Can't keep that pace anymore. But I consider myself a little smarter.
Last edited by mark shubert; 03/22/21.
I've always been a curmudgeon - now I'm an old curmudgeon. ~Molɔ̀ːn Labé Skýla~
I swore when I left the farm,I would never milk another cow. I don't consider a cow a companion animal. I have worn hats, boots and wranglers since I was a youngster.I could rope when I had to but my shoulders don't work so good now. I have trained more than a few horses or mules and have had my head augured into dirt more than once, I shoe my mules even at 77.The last steer I roped was a 2 yr old 1200 pound angus and I was riding a 14hand , 800pound horse.The steer won. That was at least 40 years ago Even the last bovine I was involved with was a big whiteface bull that got out and wondered 3-4 miles. The neighbor asked me to help drive it back.When a green mule I was riding got to within 50 yards, it started to buck and we left the country a mile or so.We got the job done ,but it took awhile.That was over 25 years ago
I guess I am more than a horseman than a cowman. Not even that as I gave up horses years ago for mules. Heck most who call themselves cowboys nowdays ride ATV's and wear base ball caps today.
I guess I would call a cowboy a way of life or a way of living ones life.
If God wanted you to walk and carry things on your back, He would not have invented stirrups and pack saddles
There's a joke about the old cowboy and the lesbian that I posted before..
Short version- The lesbo asks him if he is a cowboy, and he enumerates all the things he does that makes him a cowboy. She then explains she is lesbian, and "thinks about women all the time", and enumerates.
Then a young man comes in and asks the old man if he is a cowboy.
He thinks a moment and says "I always thought I was, but I just found out I'm a lesbian."
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 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.
There are lots of real cowboys in central Idaho. They are pretty easy to spot by their old worn out boots, used up Wranglers, raggedy shirts and jackets and an old dirty sweat-stained worn out hat. They usually drive a 30 year old pickup a bad muffler and have 3 or 4 dogs in the back, and maybe one or two of their favorites in the cab. The bed of the pickup usually has numerous empty Keystone beer cans and Copenhagen cans in it. The place they generally live in is the old home place from back in the 40's and the dirt yard usually has a couple of wrecked or broken down vehicles in it. They are getting by on a $1000 a month and a beef a year. Unfortunately for most of them this is as good as their life is ever going to get, there are no retirement plans or pensions for old cowboys.
drover
223 Rem, my favorite cartridge - you can't argue with truckloads of dead PD's and gophers.
24hourcampfire.com - The site where there is a problem for every solution.
First off I don't consider myself a cowboy. Not a roper, not a bronc buster, never rode in an arena.
But I've been around horses and cattle and cowdogs since old enough to walk.
That said days horseback are sorta like A Tale of Two Cities.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times....
We lease pasture in big country and you'll be away from the pickup and trailer for 8-10 hours or longer per day. Gather and push for 2-3 days and never open a gate.
Coldest I've ever been in my life was horseback. (several times)
Thirstiest I've ever been was horseback. (a few times)
Most frustrated I've ever been was horseback. (played out horse)
Feeling like you've got the world by the tail.....horseback. (about 1000 times....grin)
