Out here in cowboy country

[SLW]

I live in the best horse place in the world, a perfect mix of hunt seat and western done at the highest levels competively and for livelihoods- riding schools & ranch work. Today a girlfriend needed help moving 7 cow/calf pairs out of a 40 acre lot into a pen up by the barns. So I loaded up my one riding horse, who is my one hunting horse, and off we went.

I met her at the agreed time and the three of us (an honest to goodness no-nonsense cow guy was with us on a horse w/ 30 days under saddle) headed to move the cattle- they were riding western (livelihood western) and I was the lone hunt seat rider (full time, casual rider) The guy on the green horse would hold the cows who didn’t break and my friend & I would go gather the ones who did and return them to the herd. It was such fun and my little mare was spot on.

Well, it was sunny and Friday, a job well done means a reward so a cold beer with my name on it appeared in my hand and off we went for a “walkie talkie” ride through the woods and pastures to cool down the horses. Remember, the beer was just a bonus and had nothing to do with extending our ride time.

Anyway, at one creek crossing in the woods my friends horse balked so I walked by and gave the lead only to find I had ridden my horse into belly deep, skin sucking mud! Yikes! My mare lunged out to the other bank, I stuck her lunge, held onto my beer and didn’t spill a drop. My friend, also a blonde, crossed exactly where I had as I was just ready to say “don’t cross there!!” and she ended up in well, belly deep mud! As her horse wobbled to make his lunge she came unseated, ended up in the mud and lost her beer. Once out of the gunk she remounted and we all giggled as the guy crossed in a better area.

This has a point…the no-nonsense “cattle are my livelihood, western riding guy” said “dang, you did good turning back cattle and now this, you hunt club riders are good.” That was better than winning first place at a show!

[BasqueMom]

Awesome!

[strawberry_roan]

You go, hunt club rider!! :D:D

[wateryglen]

Got-R-done didn’t ya!!??

Yessirreeee! Git R done my friend!!
Good cowponies and hunt horses don’t know what kinda tack they got on!! And whether it’s proper!! :winkgrin:
Most of my hunt horses have been qh or qh crosses. My current crop of babies are perch/qh crosses. I chose them on purpose for more of the “Duh” factor!!! :lol:

[Beverley]

@SLW;3270681

My mare lunged out to the other bank, I stuck her lunge, held onto my beer and didn’t spill a drop.

I tip my hat to you.

That’s up there with a proud moment for me…not spilling a drop of beer, can held between knees, while I paddled front end of canoe over a 6 foot drop on the Guadalupe River in Texas. Next canoe through, well, they spilled the entire contents of the canoe!

[Rainbow_Farm_Unltd]

Excellent story and well done!!

From western CO where we hunt coyote :).

[Beverley]

There’s hunting in Montrose? Tell me more…

[Rainbow_Farm_Unltd]

Oh,no, not here. Over in Carbondale, the Roaring Fork Hounds, Roaring Fork Valley, highway 82, north of Aspen.

[Foxtrot_s]

Girl after my own heart - my mare will go through fire and can turn five bulls.

[crosscreeksh]

The first time I was asked to help gather cows after we moved from the east coast to Oklahoma I got plenty of snivels when I showed up on my 16.2 hand hunt horse and Stubben saddle. By the end of a long day dealing with attitudinal mama cows and calves the cowboys weren’t caring that I was an “English” rider. We actually got compliments on our skills. My TB and I got a first hand introduction to western bogs the first time we went hunting in Kansas. Crossing an innocent looking dried mud coal pit, my horse walked about 15 feet across…others had taken the same route before me…but my horse dropped to his breast bone in goo. When he rocked back on his hocks to free his front end…his rear end went in to his stifles then he flopped over on his side with me still in the saddle. I scrambled across the mud as he fought to his feet and firm ground. No harm done to either of us, but I do try to stay out of suspicious looking mud holes now. This is very extreme, unfriendly horse country!! But fun!!!

[BigHorseLittleHorse]

My last boarding barn also had a pasture of about 15 Black Angus. One day I was leading my 14.3 Arab to the arena for our dressage workout when I happened to look over my shoulder and see cows in the BM’s backyard, happily tearing up his lawn after breaking out of their field. There was no one else around, so I hopped on and herded them back in. Sasha didn’t really have any idea what we were doing, but he seemed to think it was a lot of fun that these cows who weighed twice as much as him were running away from him. He even stared down the bull! We got the cows back in their pasture with no trouble, and I was so impressed with how he handled himself. Maybe he’ll be a cow pony in his next life…

[Plumcreek]

Other side of the coin… went trail riding with a friend and her boarder, who recently moved from Texas on a horse that had primarily done arena cutting - what some would call a cowhorse. Crossed low water river (big creek to you eastern folks) with algae covered rocks. Cutter horse slipped all over the place, lost his footing and fell over unseating rider. Horse scrambled on algae covered rocks a brief moment, then just gave up and went limp in 2 feet of water. Limp horse then started to float slowly down stream, with owner scrambling alongside, holding his nose out of the water with the bridle and yelling like crazy. Shortly horse grounded in very shallow water, tried again and was able to regain his feet. A dude is a dude no matter what the breed type.

[Foxtrot_s]

That’s pathetic!! but funny.

[birdsong]

Where are you SLW? I would love to live in such an area!! SW Fl leaves a lot to be desired.

[SLW]

Beverley- now that’s impressive to keep the beer as you decend rapids!

Foxtrot- your brave as is your mare!! There wasn’t a bull on site that day! I respect those suckers, a lot and yet know a Momma cow can get real onrey when she is concerned about her calf!

Oh dear on that cutting horse Plumcreek! Maybe she needs to put swimmies on him next time.

Birdsong- I’m 30 miles south of Kansas City, not out in the complete boondocks unless you consider living on a gravel road & having a volunteer fire department boonies. The funny thing is my friends farm is up in the swanky section of the yummy county just next to me. We’re talking pillared security gate, cement driveway and the house isn’t visable from any of the three barns. Yikes! It’s one of the places city folks drive by on Sunday afternoon and go “gaa-gah”. Well heck, I go “gaa-gah” there thinking “all this REALLY nice stuff for cows???” though these are high dollar show cows.

It was fun and I’m glad my brethren in hunting enjoyed it for what it was, hound walking with a kick!! Next time I am taking my hunting whip because that would help turn back the cows, a lot!

[SEPowell]

Dang! Good story.

[WSL]

SLW - Where are you from?! I grew up in that area and graduated from Paola High School. I’m actually moving back to the area this winter. Back when I started, I was riding with Bev Chester at Knauss and was in the Mission Valley Pony Club so we may have some mutual connections. I used to lurk on here quite a bit and just recently started again but I remember you from before. I knew you were from KS but didn’t realize you were so close! I believe you were an inspiration for me because at the time I was working with a gorgeous!! foundation QH gelding that we got as a weanling and I saw pictures of your mare (I think it was a mare) looking fabulous! My guy didn’t work out though. He was good as gold 99% of the time but he would come unglued 1% of the time and its the 1% that can get you killed. He needed to go to some young cowboy that would put miles on him and make him an honest, working QH doing ranch work. Great horse though and I am a die hard QH fan until the end. A good one that is well built is hard to find sometimes but they can do it all. I jumped up to 4 ft on my old guy. He was in his early 20s at the time and I was just a crazy kid but he sure took care of me. I miss that old fart too! Lost him a couple years ago at 28 due to ehrlichia causing him to hemorrhage. Hardest loss of my life - no joke. I had him for 12 years and he took me from hopping over crossrails in PC and lessons, to XC clinics where we had to go over the jumps several times in a row to get the new to XC OTTBs enticed to follow, to a foxhunt (only one - long story but he liked it TOO MUCH.:eek: Would have been a good hunter for someone who knew what they were doing - bold and honest as the day was long but he could get strong for a 5 foot nothing kid:D). He put up with me going through the stupid invincible phase that kids who grow up on horses inevitably go through. He would jump anything I pointed him toward from any distance and he would rescue me every time. The best compliment I ever received on him was from Eddie Chapman. He is a well respected JRT judge and hunt rider/terrierman from GB who was judging a JRT show over here years back and stayed with us at the time. He said “I like that horse - he is bold!”

[WSL]

Sorry for hijacking the thread BTW!!

[SLW]

If the Bev of whom you speak now has a different last name, a fellow Hunt Member, when told of my skills holding onto my beverage while getting out of the creek said “That would make B.E. most proud!”

Your former horse sounds like he was fabulous and fun. I’m trying to place you w/ a weanling. Did you show 4-H in Miami County or do only Pony Club? I was a county horse project leader off and on for a few years.

I’ll catch you via PM for more details. I’ve hunted a bay mare and a white gelding over the years though currently ride a small chestnut mare that some members called “Ms. Teddy”. I’m useful at gate crossings and when hunt whips are dropped because it’s “easy on, easy off” for me.

The west side of the county is still the same! The central and east side has grown by leaps and bounds.

[WSL]

I don’t know if Bev hunts still. She is a bit older and she is very involved in PC and the American Royal. She always wore hats with the tags on like Minnie Pearl!:lol: I actually did both PC and 4-H but by the time I was in Paola I only did 4H. I rode a buckskin QH who was in his 20s at the time. I never did anything show-wise with my colt. I believe I might have posted pics on here at the time but I can’t recall. He was black and very slowly going grey. Neat horse and a beautiful mover but he just didn’t work out. He would have been great for the cowboy type though that had the time to just put miles on him doing ranch work. Potential out the wazoo but just not quite consistent enough even after being with a few different trainers. I remember when my old guy and I went to our first Miami Co show (the fair), they didn’t have jumps for the hunter hack class so we had to bring a couple from home - quite different than PC for us! It was nice though - we ended up tying for first with a AQHA type english horse - head down to its knees but thats what QH judges tend to like and he and his rider were very well turned out so I was pleased enough. LOL about the easy on comment - I am now getting more accepting of smaller horses too! I like that I can actually reach the stirrup from the ground with my short legs! The guy I will be riding back home is pretty much a hony but he’s very easy going and a real sweetheart.