Cowboy Artists

  Cowboy Artists 

     by

                                                             Mike Capron 

Cowboys who are artists have to be able to ride and rope, know how to handle cattle of all kinds and enjoy living outside in all kinds of weather conditions. Nothing to it……..???????   Several masters come to mind.  Each was very comfortable in his home country.

 I have worked around Mexican cowboys for a long time. The one I have in mind was the best I ever came across. He was a horseman, a roper, great crew member, gentleman and a pleasure to all.   If a cow left the herd while driving or left the hold up, he would ride up and forefoot the bovine. All his horses would stop when he roped and he dallied his rope making the cow stand on her nose or flip and do a somersault. He could hold his dallies and make the cow stand on her nose before tipping her all the way over. He could let the bovine up and see if it was interested in going back to the herd. He would hold his rope on the front feet until the bovine proved it was headed back to the herd, at which time he would let it go to the herd.  He used a poly rope that was at least 60 feet long. He dallied slick horn with no rubber. Rubber was hard on poly ropes. I never saw him miss a loop. 

I worked with another hand from the brush country of South Texas. This has been some years ago back before the screw worms had been eradicated. Screw worms made riding and roping a full time job.  This cowboy was mounted also, but on a different kind of horse. A brush horse  was a tied on horse, not a dally horse. If you  built a loop and pointed him towards a cow or calf or a bull, you were going to go to that animal no matter what came between you and the animal. If he ever missed, I never heard about it. 

I knew a cowboy who turned camp cook. He didn’t let his love for the lifestyle change any. He was just as much an artist with the skillets around the fire as he was with a cow and a horse before. I never saw him turn out a bad meal no matter the weather or any other adverse conditions. The meals were always excellent. He always had a great attitude and never missed the chance to show a little fun.

As I look back on these great individuals I can see some common traits in all of them. They were naturals.  Yes they had to practice their arts, but it was no chore. They enjoyed their natural abilities and never felt any pressure to do them.