“Tending Cattle, Nurturing the Ways of the Past”

As the United States and the ways of the past slowly evolved into more advanced and technological practices, one lifestyle has been all but lost to the history books and encyclopedias: cattle ranching and the way of a cowboy. Since the dawn of the 1800s, cattle ranching took form as settlers moved out of the east and into the west to stake claim on a piece of land and grow their cattle herds. With the lack of automobiles and other handy contraptions, working livestock still had to be done and thus it dawned the era of the cowboy and all the skill developed from those operations. Everything from rope and tie brandings, cattle drives, and doctoring atop of a horse now merely a dream for those wishing they had been born a hundred years ago.

Today, part of this enriched cowboy tradition can be found hidden in the last little crevices of rural land and it truly is one of the most amazing, yet exhausting, (but always rewarding) operations to date. In the spring, calving out cows and heifers is the focus. Pulling calves in the freezing conditions certainly proves to be a difficult task. Nursing cows tests the patience of an individual with the rejection of her calf or lack of milk and tolerance. Calves often find themselves in the grasps of death from sickness and arid conditions. However, above all else, life is born and by the time that branding comes around, spring is rewarding. Summer, raising calves and grazing the cows is a slow pace for some, but in reality there is never a dull moment. From fixing fence to driving cows to and from different pastures, the ranch operation is at its peak. Come fall the hard work of the summer is finally paying off as cattle make it to the market and small mom and pop meat counters fill their coolers with fat cattle harvested from the local operations. By the time winter rolls around, it is ready to reset and start all over again.

The cowboy: full of grit, but someone who has a heart of gold. It certainly is no easy task to do things they are asked. Long hours and short pay is nothing new to the desperado; however, never will they ask for it to change. The work is honest and good. In the end they are making wages doing what they love. The serenity one finds upon a horse cannot be fulfilled anywhere else. It is where they do their jobs best. The cowboy has his way with livestock: gentle and understanding, yet firm and controlled. They take pride in their horsemanship skills and will not be opposed to helping another with the perfecting thereof. You can bet his dogs are some of the best around and will do whatever asked of them. The cowboy’s dogs are brilliant and athletic, bred to bring the balance of a working tool and companionship. I suppose it can be said that the cowboy is a master at his job at hand and no less. Early mornings and late nights sure make the day long. Work must be done.

Everything that makes a cowboy what he is, down to his boots and spurs, holds some kind of purpose. His hat is to keep the sun off his snow-burned face, the gloves and coat protect him from the cold, the chaps hold the same purpose and you can always expect that they are one of a kind and tell a story. As for the Wrangler™ jeans and worn out boots, they too can tell you where all he has been. Many individuals will try to mock the cowboy and his attire, mimicking it with clothing sold at designer stores, but they lack the wear and tear only hard work, sweat and blood can do to a ranch hand wardrobe.

As for my time working amongst the cattle, I will not trade it for all the riches of the world. I find value in working with my hands and as I have said before, holding life in my hands. I spent a summer in the San Juan mountains near my hometown tending cattle and doing what had to be done to maintain the livestock on the mountain terrain. Packing salt, fixing fence, checking creeks for water was certainly something I could do for days on end. There never was a day on that mountain permit that I saw the same country twice. Do not get me wrong, the work was dangerous at times and nightfall was always welcomed, but I still took every day with a grain of salt. I did enjoy every minute of my ride up and down the canyons.

That summer I worked alongside some of the biggest blessings in disguise: Grace and Charley Pargin. Barely fifteen and thirteen, one could understand when I said “what am I getting myself into here?” but there was so much more that God had in store when he put those siblings in my life. Charley is as ornery as they come, sometimes to a fault. He was always asking me to help him make grand schemes for silly interventions and constantly made a laughing stock of himself. However, there is one thing that Charley always did that I look back on and find appreciation in: asking questions. He would ask “why?” probably one hundred times a day. At the time this got on my nerves, but now that I have pondered it I have come to realize that he was just simply trying to be the best version of the cowboy he could possibly be. Grace was the difference of night and day. She was quiet and reserved and her name says it all about her. She is very graceful in everything she does. There has always been something about her that I admire. That is her big heart and her passion which is all paired with her kind soul and intuitive outlook. She would spend days on her horse chasing cows and doing all that was asked of her all while ponying her younger siblings behind her. Above all I admired Grace’s patience. Those two little ones were no easy task to take to and fro all over the mountain trailing cattle to different pastures, but she sure did it.

Anymore, it is hard to find people that are like Grace and Charley, let alone operations that still hold true to the values of traditional cattle ranching and the ways of the cowboy. The economy certainly has made it nearly impossible. No doubt though, those places that value that kind of work are hidden gems tucked away in nooks and crannies. With the help of all terrain vehicles and tractors, it is hard for some to want to saddle up and start the day managing the cattle, especially when it is cold. The nostalgic moments that I so dearly love covering country horseback are not for everyone, although I wish they were. So to those cowboys, ranchers, cattlemen and women of the world, let us tend our cattle and nurture the ways of the past. Shall we preserve our heritage and stay true to our morals and beliefs.

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