Gentlin’ was what Buck called it.  We never broke colts, we “gentled” colts.  It sounds better, even though the truth of the matter is that sometimes the schoolin’ that took place was anything but gentle, especially for us cowboys.

No, we never bucked one out.  He always said,

“they don’t learn nothin’ from buckin’ but how to buck.  If you want to ride buckin’ horses, go pay your entry fee at a rodeo.”

Buck would do a fair amount of ground work, what nowadays we call longing.  But when it came time for the moment of truth, he used an old method that the folks down south (way down south) called Padrino, which means god-father.  We call it dallyin’ up.

The young horse is dallied to the saddle horn of an older more solid horse, the ‘kid’ (me) climbs on the colt, and off we’d go.  Needless to say, your left leg took a worse beating than the colt ever did, as he repeatedly banged you into the older horse’s side.  But they didn’t buck!  And they got “gentled.”

Let us know your story about riding a new horse for the first time.  We’d love to hear what you have to say!  Leave a comment below or post on the Cochran Corral Facebook Page.

“Geez, it’s colder’n a well diggers…belt buckle!”

“Yeah, feels like there’s nothin’ between us and the north pole but a barb wire fence, and two of them wires is broke!”

“If you boys’d jest work harder, you’d warm up.  Come on, let’s get goin’, these cows ain’t gonna pen they’selves!”

This kind of conversation is common these days in cow country.  Around here, it only takes a norther with temperatures in the thirties to hear these sentiments.  Farther north, there are ranchers hooking up bobsled teams to put out hay in twenty below zero.  Now that’s really cold.

I remember the ‘ol boy who was moving from the high country of Colorado taking his leave of his neighbor.

“Carl, why did you tie that snow shovel on top of your car, you ain’t gonna need it down south.”

“Pete, when I stop for gas and somebody comes up to me and says ‘What the heck is that thing?!’, That’s where I’m stopping to stay!”

Let us know what your February has been like so far by leaving a comment below, or post a comment on the Cochran Corral Facebook Page.

When you have one of those days that nothing goes right and you can’t seem to get on top of it, I advocate a method used by cowboys to “get right.”  No, I’m not talking about resorting to guzzling “Panthers Pee.”  It’s more like the Buddhist monks “no mind” kinda thing.  Just remember, the truth is that probably nobody noticed how you messed up, because they were so busy covering up their own screw up.  So after fifteen minutes, you’re the only one who remembers or gives a rats behind!

So, kick back your hat on your head, look up at the sky, and put a smile on your lips and sing this verse from the song The Old Chisholm Trail:

“my boots in the stirrup
and my hand’s on the horn,
and I’m the best damn cowboy
that ever was born
come’a ti yi yipie yippie aye yippie aay…
          come’a ti yi yipie yippie aye yippie aay!”

It’ll make you feel better, and everybody around you. (as they edge carefully away from you)