Lone Cowboy

There’s no one better to lead a horseback ride than a cowboy. We pulled up to his red barn and saddle/hat shop with the stables nearby and a pick-up truck parked in front. Music that sounded like it was from an old western film blared from hidden outdoor speakers. He sported his Wrangler jeans and cowboy hat, spoke with a true southern drawl and had a dog named Rosco (pronounced Roscoo). He plopped cowboy hats on our heads and horses under our butts. Now, we were cowboys too. Wait…pose for the picture. Okay, so it was a little hokey, but he was the real deal.

Originally from Texas, he seemed kind-hearted and soft spoken and took an immediate interest in Adam and his health. He was interested in natural remedies and didn’t believe in modern pharmaceuticals. I gathered he thought they were for the weak. He was strong. At 65 years old working these horses didn’t seem to be difficult for him at all. Hard work seemed to come to him naturally. We learned that he built his own home across the street from the barn, though the barn still appeared to be his home, work and play area. Riding a horse was effortless for him. He broke almost all his horses himself. Now that takes a strong person to survive the bucking of an unbroken horse. We should all be as hard a worker as this cowboy. [On a side note, did you know you can buy a mustang in Canon City for $125? It is almost worth it if you weren’t going to get your neck broken yourself teaching that horse to allow people to ride him. The cowboy said they are on the small side but are sturdy horses. You don’t have to shoe them because they already have tough feet. Species so systematically adapt to their surroundings. Course, if you didn’t want to break the horse yourself, then you could always buy one that a prisoner has broken for you.]

We continued our ride up the mountain and down the gullies yelling “yah” to our horses to get them to “lope.” In Cowboy’s vocabulary “lope” was another word for canter. I would have guessed it was derived from gallop, but he said it was actually slower than a run/gallop. He inquired some more about Adam’s health, complimented him on having a good spirit, and was impressed that Adam wanted to get out and see the country instead of “staying drunk all the time” as he knew many others would have done in his situation. I don’t think that idea even crossed Adam’s mind.

We came to know about his outfit from a woman we met at the hot springs. She was an attractive, single mother of three travelling with her disabled daughter. Once the cowboy learned her marital status he told us he set her up on a dinner date with a “wealthy cowboy” down the way. I thought how sweet and endearing he was to think about her happiness and try to connect her with a gentleman! I guessed he himself did not have a lot of money because he made another comment during our ride that his wife cleans houses for some “rich folk.” He also revealed he had previously come upon hard times and had to sell the home he built. Now, he lives in his barn looking at his house across the street. That must be heartbreaking to have to look at his sweat equity each day. Though the cowboy did not seem bitter, but rather he appeared content with his life.

He could also appreciate our RV experience because he and his wife used to travel by RV to the nearby Indian reservations selling saddles and trading for horses. I had no idea that way of business was still going on in the Native American culture. As I looked closely at the barn I noticed he had camouflaged his trailer and RV behind panels and now cleverly used them as part storage and part home addition. To the outside world he was still the authentic cowboy with a big red barn. His home kept up the outward appearance of the true rustic lifestyle with the internal look of a log cabin that was recently modernized. Again, as I looked more closely I noticed he had all the comforts of home. It was just covered by the rustic exterior. It appeared as if he had recently installed electricity with only a single light bulb on one wall. He told us he keeps up on current events by listening to talk shows and is a self-proclaimed Republican. I assumed this was on the radio, but then I noticed a large TV and VCR in the corner and a computer on a desk hidden behind a couch. He even had a dishwasher and a refrigerator but it looked like an old ice chest. He was a real modern-day cowboy: horse-trading, RV driving, trail-ride leading, matchmaking, current event following, computerized cowboy.

I took from this man’s story that even though someone’s life may not always be initially accurately portrayed, it can still be a good life. The cowboy exuded a horse-whisperer calm demeanor even after experiencing life’s pitfalls. He continued to show genuine kindness to others and to his animals, but more importantly he seemed happy. Our challenges come in different forms, and we consciously try to appreciate each and every day not in spite of these challenges, but because of them. We were fortunate to have been able to sustain a two-hour horse ride when there are days that it is not even a possible for Adam to sit upright in a chair. So, for that I am grateful. The scenery was gorgeous, the air smelled fresh with pine tree scent, and I was reminded how perseverant and resilient my husband is by a man whose stamina could outlast us both. I thought I was just going out for a leisurely horseback ride but instead I was reminded how life is difficult for many people, but what matters most is how you live it.