In the nineteenth century, before “Bob wire” certain cowboys had the lonely job of “riding line.” They lived solitary lives for months on end at the periphery of a ranch for the sole purpose of daily riding out to push cattle back onto the home range as they grazed and strayed off into neighboring territory. Now, over a hundred years later, we still “ride line.” We are now checking perimeter fences to make sure that the good neighbors that are made by good fences, stay that way, and aren’t having unwanted visits by our heifers, or vice a versa. Since a lot of our country is cut up by ravines which are deep and sometimes have flowing water, and sometimes not, our water gaps are a source of worry for keeping cattle in. Also trees get blown over by the wind, or drop limbs which take down fences. Many of these fences are really only accessible horseback, as even a four wheeler can’t really always get up close and personal with some of the places our fences go. At the same time as we check fences, which is about weekly, we also ride through the cattle. We look for health problems, feed problems and any new baby calves. Riding through the herd “prowling” also keeps our cattle tame for being managed when it comes time to pen them. It’s also good for young horses, just walking in uneven terrain and passing through cow herds. They have to learn to deal with all kinds of things that they won’t see in the arena. They learn to be a calm reliable mount, just doing ranch work and putting down the miles of “riding line.”

Here in central Texas, your hat can be more than something to keep your “lil’ ol’ball haid” from getting sunburned. It is, in a way, a sign of your character, how you feel about yourself, what group you claim to be a part of.

For instance, there are people who wear ball caps, or “ gimme” caps. Some wear them backwards, some sideways, some mould the bill like baseball players, while some keep the bill flat, like rappers. I’ve seen old Vietnam era floppy jungle-hat on people mowing lawns, and even Chinese “Coolie umbrellas” on women weeding their flower gardens. Cowboys wear hats that vary from sombreros made of palm fiber to imported fine Shantung straw, to thousand dollar felts from Stetson, Resistol and a host of custom hatters. There are weekend cowboys who will pick up a hat and jam it on their head with no regard for style, or if it fits their face, shoulders, personality or even the season (such as wearing a straw hat in February, for Pete’s sake!). 

But then, our cowboy fashionista will spend half an hour over a steaming teakettle shaping his felt and looking in the mirror, to get just the right dip in front, the right swoop up to symmetrical wings of brim, with just the right angle, and a crown crease to make his statement. North Texas and Panhandle cowboys to wear felt, even in the summer. If they’re day working for a neighbor it is pretty “punchy” to have a nice sweat stain around the base of the crown. However, on Sunday morning, or at a “daince” on “sattiddy e’nin’” he wants a pristine “ice cream” felt or a not so dusty black. And woe unto the kid or a girl who accidentally sits on it. Speaking of which, I’d quickly extinguish any desire you might have to touch, pick up, or “God forbid” wear another man’s hat. That would be as much a transgression as riding his horse without his permission. Even though “himself” might use it for fanning a fire or carrying tomatoes to the house. (By the way it’s pretty much a fable to water your horse out of a hat. It’s unlikely the horse will drink out of it and it spoils the shape of the hat.”)

My neighbor, Roy, once walked by the Cattlemen’s Restaurant in Fort Worth at the stock show searching for a friend. He took one look at the hat rack, shook his head and said “He’s not here. I don’t see his hat.” That’s how specifically unique and individual the shape of a rancher’s or cowboy’s hat can be!

Meanwhile back at the ranch…

I’ve been working with a young quarter horse, starting him under saddle. He comes from the bloodlines of famous cutting horses, and his life’s goal is to become a ranch using horse. In case you aren’t familiar with cutting horses, I’m going to try to introduce you to the character and nature of that famous subtype of quarter horse. You see before you the mature cutter working the cow, with the reins loose leaping and cavorting to block the cows movements, much like watching a cat work a mouse. Every eye movement, every year twitch has the potential to signal an explosive escape dive by the cow, and the cutting horse must react with lightning swiftness. You can well imagine that this type of horse notices everything! He also reacts to everything! And when he reacts, he moves!

Well, I’ve been working on developing his confidence in me so that he allows me certain movements that he doesn’t feel that he needs to respond to. He is largely “despooked” now, and I can saddle him and get a Hackamore on him and climb aboard without undue reaction. He’s learned not to disagree with the big rawhide noseband of the bozal and we are even beginning to lope circles in the training pin. If I had jumped on him in an attempt to “buck him out,” I would not be here, writing this to you! But slowly, smoothly, methodically, he’s beginning to develop confidence and trust, and to become that good ‘ol ranch horse.