When the ranges were first being fenced up, and big ranches
divvied into smaller ones, the second-biggest indignity a cowboy could endure
was to be placed on a tractor. The biggest indignity? Being killed on one. And
really, that possibility was no joke the early days of farm machinery.
Today, machine operation is a ...
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Despite the COVID-19 lockdown, the cowboy countdown continues. People are realizing that life must go on in some form or fashion. For cowboys, the social distancing and shelter-in-place orders are probably somewhat moot. By definition, cowboys are isolationists and homebodies—not often crossing the cattleguard.
...
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Originally, the 24th best reason to be a cowboy was slated as: a short commute. In light of the COVID-19 health scare, I feel it’s only appropriate to spin it a bit to this new (temporary?) reality.
For 15 years, I endured a two-hour-each-way commute. In full disclosure, it was just one day per week, so I had six ...
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There are two songs rolling around in
my head as I think about the COVID-19 outbreak and the subsequent reactions:
Hank Williams Jr’s A Country Boy Can Survive, and Alabama’s Song of
the South.
In Williams’ song, he croons, “The interest is up and the
stock market's down” and later, despite all the ills of ...
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In honor of the 25th anniversary of the Working Ranch Cowboys Association World Championship Ranch Rodeo in November, the next 25 blog entries will count down the top 25 reasons to be a cowboy. Of course, this is not an exhaustive list, nor will everyone agree on the items chosen and the placement given. Nonetheless, with ...
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Living in the population boom of Colorado’s Front Range, most of the people I interact with know little to nothing about the ranching lifestyle. They might have had a grandfather who had a small farm, or an uncle who rode a couple bulls, but no real understanding about what agriculturalists do.
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Photo: Gary Bellenfant sorting dries at a Colorado branding on one of his ranch horses.
Perhaps the biggest reason that the ranch rodeo movement began (25 years ago with the WRCA, in fact), and has grown in the subsequent quarter century, is because many of the other performance horse and cowboy contests drifted so far ...
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When I walk through any cowboy trade show—but particularly
the World Championship Ranch Rodeo in Amarillo each November—I’m inexorably
drawn to the displays of bits and spurs. And I don’t know exactly why.
I’ve always had a good pair of spurs and more bits than I
use. What do I need with more? Truth is I ...
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How well do you know your world? Here are a few fun questions to test your knowledge on all things “cowboy.”
What famous Country/Western artist played a
Texas Ranger on the television series Miami Vice?Where is Buffalo Bill Cody buried?What model was Gus McCrae’s pistol in Lonesome
Dove?World Champion roper and ...
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edited press release
The Ranch Horse Association of America was proudly hosted in Amarillo, Texas, on November 8-10, 2019 at the 24th Working Ranch Cowboys Association World Championship. Held at the Amarillo Civic Center arena, the 2019 WRCA Ranch Horse Show featured a full slate of RHAA sanctioned classes for riders ...
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