Part End

I wrote these reminiscings because I wanted people to know that the life of a “cowboy” is far from glamorous or as it is portrayed in the movies. But it was, and still is, a unique way of life. It is a great life, for those who wish a certain freedom, to work in this great outdoor world, to do a job that many others either cannot or will not do. Just to be able to say “I did that” when other’s could not is a reward in itself.

I attempted to point out some of the more humorous incidents in my experiences, but also the more mundane, everyday type work. It was not all exciting, though there were some incidents that got the heart pumping. Mostly it was the same old routine, just like most jobs, getting up every morning, doing the same old chores, fixing the same old fences, working the same old cows.

Also, to be honest with myself, to re-live those days locked in my memory, to once again feel like that young man, setting out for adventures, ready to prove to the world that he could be a “top-hand” in a world of automobiles and jet planes. To ride the west, seeing the world from the back of a fine horse, showing he could indeed get the job done, regardless the hardships, the pain, the heat and the cold, working for low wages, long tedious hours, and not a lot of future.

Even in today’s world, there are those out there living the life of the cowboy. With the Internet, ATV’s, modern veterinarian sciences, ever-improving breeding practices, etc, there is still the need for the man, or woman, on a horse, doing some of the work in the same manner as the vaqueros of long ago.

I don’t know what the future will bring, but I do envision a need, long into the years to come, for that horseman to ride the mountains and desert, bringing in the beef to feed this nation. As long as mankind continues to eat beef, there will be a place for the cowboy.

The End.