Evening star., 1925-07-19

made one by too rough or not rough
enough handling, and spoiled either
by the bronc peeler what started to
break him or else turned loose on the
range before he's thoroughly broke, to
run for months before he's caught up
again.
There's a difference in horses ma
ture and very few can be handled
alike. Some. are kinda nervous. and
full of life. Them kinds got to be
handled careful and easy, or they'd
get to be mean fighters as a rule.
Then there's what we call the jug
head" He's got to be pulled around
a heap, and 1t takes a lot of elbow
grease to get him lined out for any
thing. And there's another that as
soon as feller gets his rope on him
makes him feel that either him or the
bronc amt got far to go. He's the
kind of horse with a far-away look
some folks call 'em iocoed.
But whether he's that or not, he'll
sure take a man through some awful
places, and sometimes only one comes
out. Such doingS would make a
steeplechase as exciting as a fat mans
race. That horse is out to get his man
and he don't care If he goes himself
while doing the getting. He's out to
commit suicide and make a killing at
the same time.
I pulled the saddle. off such a horse
one time after a good stiff ride. OF
sudden he flew past and kicked at me
with his two free legs, swapping and
biting at the "jakama" (hackamore
rope), heading straight for the side of
the corral, when he connected with ii
and fell back dead with broken neck.
1 felt kinda relieved. cause I knew
it was either him or me or both of us
had to go. He'd tried it before.
X x x
A ND then there's a horse what keeps
= his brain a-working for some way
to hang his riders hide on the corral
or anywhere it'll hang, and save his
own hide doing it. He's crooked any
way you take him, and will put so
much energy in his bucking that when
he's up in the air all twisted up he
don't figure or care about the coming
down.
He'll make his cowboy shake hands
with St. Peter, and won't worry
whether the ground is under or on the
side of him when he hits. When he
falls, he falls hard. and the rider has
little chance to get away. That pony
seldom gets hurt. He's wise enough
to look out for himself. What's on
top of him is what he wants to get rid
or, ana ne won De on the square try
ing 1t.
Out of every 100 buckers of the
arena there's only about 10 that are
square and will give a man a fair
battle. Old Steamboat was that kind.
He was gentle to saddle and handle.
but when he felt the riders weight and
the blind was pulled off it was second
nature and fun for him to buck, and
he knew as well as the boys did that
he could buck.
Horses have a heap more brains
than some folks would like to give 'em
credit for, and if they want to be
mean they know how. The same if
they want to be good. The kind of
Introduction they get with man has a
lot to do with it.
In all the cowboys I've met and
buckers I've handled and seen on the
open ranges or arenas of the United
States. Canada and Mexico, I've still
got to see the rider what couldn't be
throwed and the horse what couldn't
be rode.
There's horses. though. that has to
be rough handled - born fighters
whatIl do just the opposite of what
they should do to be good. They
want to be ornery. and them kind calls
only for the real rough bronco fighter
what1l fight 'em to a finish.
Them's the kind of horses what