Run Cow, Run!

So my equine education has moved on to roping. I've been there and done that with my gymkhana observations, (yes, I know what it means now for real! *see cowgirl post from like May*) so now I'm moving on in my attempts to learn all I can about horses and the stuff that people do with them. I have to say that roping looks the coolest, though I don't see myself moving into it myself ever since I'll be lucky to keep my seat period, let alone work a lasso while chasing a cow at breakneck speed. After I heard that some of the guys that were practicing the other night had won pots that totalled over twenty thousand, I'm thinking that I need to prod Jack into being a roper or something. He seems like he could be the cow chasing sort.

Here is Roy. Doesn't he look like a real cowboy? He's a really cool guy that owns the ranch that my friend Stacey boards her horses at, and he's been trying to teach me a thing or two about riding horses. The man has a long haul in front of him.

Here is Roy dealing with a horse that doesn't want to do what Roy says. Check out the look of determination on his face as he makes the horse back up and obey. Check out the look on the horse's face. You can almost hear him saying, "Fine man! Whatever you say! Just cut me some slack!" I and the horse that I ride have identical expressions, only the horse has the confident look and I am the one pleading. Therein lies my problems. That's why I have Roy teaching me stuff, cuz I don't want to die.

So what they do is back their horses into these little u-shaped areas where they wait at the ready for the cows in the waiting chute to be set free. Here is a cow that was waiting for its turn.

_-^-__-^-_ "Nobody knows the trouble I've seen..."_-^-__-^-_

Then the gate is lifted and cow and horses jet off. Next thing you know, the person called the "header" has, well the head, and the person called the "heeler" has well, the feet and the cow is spread-eagled and I'm guessing, not real happy. Here's the deal though, I was most impressed with how when the cow shook off the ropes that it just wandered right back to its pen. Trained cows. Never woulda thought. It's a wild world man!