03/03/2021
I have never liked bucking horses. I know, as a fella making a living punching cows, you’re supposed to “crave it”, or at the very least, not be worried about it. But, I just have never found much sport in it. Not out of a chute, not in the bronc pen, not in the jig line, not in a stall, not in the arena, not any single place have I ever been on one where I really enjoyed a horse pitching. I’ve never been a hand at it, either. The only advice I got much about riding them was you get better the more you hit the ground, and I was never too excited to bounce that much in order to ride the bad ones. I’ve always respected the guys that were good at it, and I enjoy watching a good bronc ride as much as anyone, but I always tried to avoid them. With that being said, I’ve had to get on more than some that I knew were going to buck. Every cowboy knows that feeling, when you pull his head around and feel your right foot leave the ground, and you know when your butt hits the seat, you’re going to be tested. Sometimes, you win. Sometimes, they lead him back to you as you find your hat and shake the sand out of your leggins. I’ve been on both sides, and I have to say, you can really tell what someone is about right before they swing up. I’ve seen guys shake their head and lead them back to the trailer. I’ve seen guys with a big smile just itching for the fight. I’ve seen guys sigh, shake their shoulders, close their eyes, and swing aboard. And for some reason, those are the guys I’ve always respected the most. I don’t really know why. They don’t ooze that bronc rider confidence that some hands have, who seem to not be burdened by one leaving the ground. They actually have more in common with the guy leading his back to the trailer. They don’t want it, and they’d rather it be someone else standing at that horses shoulder. And yet, they toe a stirrup and swing up. There is something to be said about being scared and going ahead with your task. It’s the ultimate test of your guts. You have weighed the unpredictable elements and you know they do not favor you, but you wade into it because it is your duty. I have found being a husband and a father are much the same. I think living life in general can be summed up in this manner. We’ve all heard the quote “Courage is being scared to death, and saddling up anyways.”, and it rings infinitely true the older I get. I’m mostly venting, but I just want anyone reading this who is facing hard odds and uncertainty to know, the only way back to the trailer is to get aboard. There is no shame in dreading the hardships to come, and it is sensical and understandable to ride the good ones all you can and make life easy. But when hardships come, and you’re trying to get your hat sucked down, it is more honorable to try than it is to lead one back to the trailer. Good ones are made through hardships and trials, and fearing the unknown is natural.