City Slicker Cow Horse
Shane was his name. To look at him you would peg him as a savvy ranch horse. Shane was a Big, handsome, tough sorrel with hind-quarters to stop and turn. Alert eye, never missed a thing, willing and fast. He should have been fast, his great great grandfather was Man O’ War one of the great old race horses of our time.
Yes he looked the part, but when he and I stepped on the Ritter Ranch back in 1973 I barely knew a thing about herding cattle and Shane had only seen a few over the pasture fence. But there we were, signed on to help round up and work the Ritter cattle herd of 200 plus cows, calves, and 9 tough lookin’ bulls. Shane was about 9 years old and I was 28.
Shane and I first met 6 years before in my home town of Baker City, OR when a rancher friend and mentor of mine, Dan Warnock called up to ask if I would like to start a nice 3 year old gelding for him. Dan was a fine horseman and life long friend of Tom Dorrance. He and Tom grew up riding horses together as kids and young men in Enterprise, OR. Dan, like Tom, was a fine man and I respected and cherished the knowledge he passed on to me. So I was honored to start the colt for him.
Dan delivered the young gelding with only this description of him, “Well there he is Barb. The boys roped him, halter broke him, but other than when they castrated him he ain’t been touched.” Just after a few weeks however it was clear to me this was an exceptional young horse. Dan agreed to sell him to me and that was the beginning of deep and very special partnership with this amazing animal.
The stories I have to share about my partner and friend Shane span the time from age 3 to the day he died at 29 years old. The stories are many but I will just share one today. I call this story “Bull or Bully”.
We had worked by this time on the Ritter Ranch off and on for about 2 years. Mr. Ritter was a fine gentleman rancher in his early 80s when we started working for him. After a year or so he seem to depend on Shane and I a lot and we often worked by ourselves, just Shane, me and the cattle. This was one of those days I recall very well.
It was a lovely warm early summer day. The sagebrush scented the air, the sunflowers were blooming and I could hear a pheasant calling to its mate in a near by field. Shane and I were ambling down the “driveway” taking bulls to the cow herd on the hill pasture.
A driveway is a strip of public land between two adjacent pieces of private land. This narrow strip of land is fenced on both sides so you can drive cattle between pastures without being on private land.
This day we were trailin 9 head of bulls. And for the most part it had been uneventful up to this point. Eight of the bulls were lined out and seem to know where they were going. The ninth one however was not impressed with the walk up this hot, rocky, dry ground after having come off some very lush green pasture where he was very content and as well as soft footed.
Now for those of you who may not know much about bulls they sometimes are very cantankerous and very opinionated. Bulls can weight close to a ton. Add to that the fact that the more dirt they can dig and throw on their backs with their font hooves the tougher they seem to appear to other bulls or anyone else they want to impress for that matter. They have impressed me often with very little effort. They especially don’t like being made to do things on hot days.
So it was no real surprise that as Shane and I were walking up the left side of the drive way, I saw #9 bull turning to face us on the right side of the driveway several yards ahead.
I was enjoying the ride that beautiful day, relaxed with the reins in hand resting on the saddle horn. Shane too seem to be in heaven doing what he had come to live for, working cattle. Shane seemed not to notice the bull facing us, but as I watch the bull I felt Shane very casually changing course. It interested me to observe Shane as he seem to zero in on the bull but made very subtle changes indeed. His head began to lower a bit and his ears started turning back ever so slowly. He began to drift at that same steady pace across the driveway to the same side as the bull.
Shane’s action, independent of my direction intrigued me, so I just stayed quiet and watched.
The bull now had made a definite stand and he was digging in to stay. He was not going any further as he saw it and to make that point perfectly clear he began a low bellowing growl. He swung his massive head and horns from side to side. With this guttural bellow came slobbers, dirt and snot which flew as he slung his head and dug up earth to throw on this back. Was this impressive, You Bet! I was very impressed, Shane was not!
Shane just stayed steady as you go, but his muzzle started reaching out, his neck got flatter, as his ears pinned closer to this neck, but his pace never changed.
I had great confidence in this horse and counted on his agility and speed or I could never have sat there so quietly and let him play out his game. Who was bluffing? The bull out weighed us by about 800 pounds and he was very set on not moving one step further on this hard ground.
It was just as apparent that Shane was not wavering as he had set his course and was closing in with only a few yards to go till we were in the bull’s lap or horns in this case.
I of course was secretly hoping it was the bull that was bluffing and would show us his tail end very soon. My hand remained quiet on the saddle horn but I began to take a deeper seat in the saddle as we closed in to about 20 feet, and “steady as ya go”.
The bull was very agitated by now and threw his head up to appear even bigger. It worked for me! But Shane just pinned his ears even flatter, snaked out his head and kept walking. At this point I am trying to decide when or if I should pick up the reins and suggest a graceful retreat. Maybe then we would live to move bulls again another day.
But I must say my curiosity went wild at this point to see just what Shane had in mind. He, unlike the bull has no real defense such as horns for example. But what he does have is a strong confidence built from his own abilities developed over the years and our partnership which has great trust. I am sure as I sat there quietly allowing him to play his game that trust was growing even deeper by the moment for both of us.
At this point Shane is still on course walking the same casual speed. However, trust can only go so deep, I was wondering if mine had hit bottom. We had just gone another 10 feet while I was contemplating. Ten more feet and we’re toast.
As I start to lift the reins and ask Shane to change course, in the next breath the bull threw his head up slinging snot and slobbers, lets a blood chilling bellow out, but Shane never flinched. I Did! Shane just pins his ears even flatter if that’s possible, I’m sure his teeth were showing but he just keeps walking, Ten feet and closing.
In that same instant I think I’ve waited a mite too long to pick up those reins. Then with another bellow, the bull whirls, the dust fly’s, he… runs up the hill to join the herd.
Shane is still ambling, same course, same speed, but ears are up, neck back in original soft carry and relaxed at the poll as though not one thing out of the ordinary had happened that day. I on the other hand sat on this amazing beast with tears running down my face. Tears of joy, adrenalin, relief mixed with gratitude and an undying love and respect for this gift, this “City Slicker Cow Horse” named Shane.
As my dear old friend Leland Ritter shared with me one day as we shared stories about Shane, he said “If’n a man was to deserve anything while he was on this earth, and he Don’t,… it would be one good spouse, one good dog and one good horse, then he could die happy”. Well I guess I can die any time now cause I’ve had all three. And to you my old pal Shane, I hope your happy too across those rainbow pastures.
-Barb Apple |
