Cowboys can be quite creative when hard times cut into the daily operating expenses. Take Roy’s cousin BB. One of BB’s heifers had come off his badlands and crossed onto Roy’s pasture.
On that fateful day BB had driven his pickup and gooseneck trailer to Roy’s place to pick him up Roy wasn’t quite ready. His cinch had worn down to two flimsy cords. “Did you happen to bring an extra cinch?” he asked.
“No,” said BB, “But I can make one out of a gunny sack.” He dumped the tire chains out of a greasy tow sack. Roy thought he had been around, but this ingenious thinking was a new wrinkle to him. Roy watched his cousin slip-knot one end through the offside cinch ring, then fold the other end over the tongue and through the ring on the left side ring and stitch it.
“This baling wire makes good thread,” he explained.
Half an hour later they were pushing the heifer back toward BB’s piece of the Pine Ridge Rez.
“Keep her to the bad land side,” instructed Roy. “Don’t let her get over on the prairie dog side or we’ll lose her!”
Of course, the heifer took off in the direction of the prairie dog town!
“Rope her!” yelled Roy.
BB missed but Roy was right behind and caught her. He was tied hard and fast!
“See if you can catch the heels,” said Roy.
BB missed several times, but in his defense the heifer was windmilling like a carnival ride!
“Hold up,” yelled Roy. “Swap horses with me and hold the head. I’ll take your rope and heel her. We’ll tie her down and go get the trailer.” A great plan.
BB eased over and they traded horses. Just about the time Roy started building a loop, the heifer, tired of the harassment, started up BB’s rope! “Pick up yer slack!” yelled Roy, “Pick up yer slack!”
Too late! The heifer rammed into BB, still on Roy’s horse, more importantly still in Roy’s saddle, bounced off and headed straight away from the scene of the crime!
The gunny sack cinch had slackened considerably. BB reflected later that they do stretch for a couple days. When the heifer hit the end of the line, the saddle slicked off right over the horse’s head with BB still in the stirrups! He hit the ground, made a couple bounces, grabbed the horn, lost his stirrups and started spinning like a broken lure in a bass pond as he sailed along behind the galloping heifer! He made one gallant effort to pull himself back in the saddle but stuck his boot toe in a prairie dog hole and was peeled off like a booster rocket from Apollo 13!
Back at the ranch later that evening BB decided he would discard his patent application for the gunny sack cinch repair kit.
“Probably wise,” said Roy, “but it did make a handy sling for your dislocated shoulder.”
u
Black may be reached at e-mail coyotecowboy@theriver.com. Columns submitted to The Weatherford Democrat by guest writers reflect the opinions of the writer and in no way reflect the beliefs or opinions of The Weatherford Democrat.
Farm & Ranch
A cinch in time
Baxter Black, Syndicated Columnist
- Farm & Ranch
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Cattle Raisers host ranch gathering in Decatur
FORT WORTH — Come join the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) for a ranch gathering Thursday, at the Wise County Sheriff’s Posse Arena in Decatur. The gathering will begin at 6 p.m. with registration followed by a beef dinner and presentations.
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Katrina’s good sports
In the fall of 2008, before the election, as the recession crashed down around us I gave up on politics.
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Planned grazing course with Kirk Gadzia this April in Fort Worth
FORT WORTH — Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers and Holistic Management Texas team up to offer a new “Planned Grazing” course at the Will Rogers Memorial Center April 21-25.
The emphasis for this five-day course will be on grazing planning, but instructor Kirk Gadzia will cover rangeland monitoring, financial planning and land planning as well. The content will be relevant to both managerial and operational level employees, with varying levels of formal education. There will be a lands-on Learning aspect if weather permits. Class runs from 8am to 4:15pm each day. -
One more for the tourists
Moira and Clive, British tourists, had taken in the Arkansas attractions of Eureka Springs, the Chuck Wagon races in Clinton, the sale barn in Green Forest, and now found themselves in Fort Smith for the Arkansas Cattlemen’s Association Trail Drive.
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Cowboy ingenuity
Cowboys are nothing if not ingenious. It takes that sort of out-of-the-box mentality to allow them to solve the myriad of problems that arise when you combine horse, cow and rope!
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Local wins at San Antonio Stock Show
SAN ANTONIO — The Junior Market AOB Steer Show was held Feb. 19, at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo.
Taylor Cody won the honor of Breed Champion AOB with her 1334 pound steer. -
Olympic distraction
You know the inmates have taken over the asylum when you’re turning to PETA as the voice of reason! These are the animal rights extremists who compared eating chicken to the Holocaust, compared the murdering cannibal Jeffery Daumer to butchering hogs, and once proclaimed that it would be great if Foot and Mouth Disease infected animals in the U.S.
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Scholarships awarded to Parker County youth
SAN ANTONIO — Cade Hansma and Alannah Chalmers of Weatherford, and Jens Rudibaugh of Poolville, were the recipients of scholarships from the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo at this year’s horse and llama shows.
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Jake working overtime
In an effort to make managing the 20 section ranch more efficient, the boss bought Jake a Ranger, a four-wheel drive muscle car ATV.
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Local student wins at Fort Worth Stock Show
FORT WORTH — Dylan Mask, a 4-H member from Weatherford, exhibited a First Place Medium Weight Hampshire Barrow in the Junior Barrow Show at the 2010 legendary Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo Feb. 4. J
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