Revolvers for the Modern cowboy

[David LaPell]

This one came up in one of the other forums, and I was wondering what revolver would you pick for a modern day cowboy. If I had to choose a couple in my inventory and since I would be on horseback (just because I am from NY doesn't mean I haven't ridden a horse before) I think it would be either one of the following.

My Model 27-2 because its my most powerful "short" gun

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss57/Smith29-2/rig2.jpg

My working gun, my Model 57 4-inch

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss57/Smith29-2/41Magnum2.jpg

Then my two long barrels

my .38-44 Outdoorsman

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss57/Smith29-2/Outdoorsmanmaple.jpg

and to stay somewhat traditional, my Vaquero in .45 Colt

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss57/Smith29-2/vaquero.jpg

[bhn22]

A four or five inch std Redhawk in 44 mag.

[Bass Ackward]

I love all my children. I enjoy doing different things with each of them. I don't ask them to do something out of their character / nature as it seldom turns out good for either party.

I think that is good advise for a handgun and bullet molds as well.

Right tool for the right job and all you need is enough.

[MT Gianni]

Guns for a modern day Cowboy? I will go with a 22-250 and a good scope. They pack real nice on a four-wheeler. Any good 40+ caliber handgun as they ride nice on the seat of the truck.

[Rio Grande]

Colt single-action in .45 Colt. Or clone.
Worked then, works now. Relatively light and handy, good power. Simple. Safe.

[August]

The cowboys I know -- the ones who ride and roam around in the desert -- carry small frame, double action revolvers. The ones in the pictures above are too big to haul around all the time.

The gun you might like to have and the one you're willing to carry all day are usually two, different animals.

[ReloaderFred]

It depends on the rig. A good holster and belt that fit both the carrier and the firearm can make all the difference in the world. For about 20 of my 26 years "on the job" I carried a 6" Model 57 S&W. It was in a Hoyt Front Break High Rise holster on a lined Safariland Sam Brown belt. There was also two pairs of handcuffs, two speed loaders and ammo, a double dump pouch with 14 rounds of .41 ammo, a Streamlight SL-20 flashlight and a standard baton on that belt. It was heavy, but comfortable, due to the design of the belt. I had to carry all that stuff since I worked a very rural area and my backup might be over 30 miles away, if he wasn't busy.

With that said, I'd probably carry my XD-.45 or XD 357 Sig pistols, but most of the time when I'm in the woods I carry my 2.5" S&W Model 66 in a pancake holster when riding my ATV on forest roads.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[Char-Gar]

I grew up among Texas ranch people, lived among them most of my life and that includes much of my family. I have never know a cowboy or rancher to carry a pistol on their person on a regular basis. They are no longer a significant working tool for cowboys, at least in Texas and among those folks I know. The damn things are heavy and get in the way when you are working hard.

There will always be a rifle or shotgun in the pickup or on the horse.

Cattle people like the general population contains a percentage of folks, like us, who are gun enthusiasts. I am sure those folks probably tote pistols on a regular basis.

Even on the cattle drives of old, handguns and belts were most often stowed in the Chuck Wagon, unless there was something afoot that might call for their use

Too much of our thinking of the old west and handguns has been formed by movies and old posed photos.

[Ziptar]

I'm not looling to be a cowboy but, I do have my eye on a S&W Model 25.Seems to dot the bill. (or 625 if you prefer stainless). Same cowboy 45 Colt bullet in an updated revolver.

[txbirdman]

I was raised by and have been around cattlemen and cowboys here in Texas all my life and have never seen one carry any kind of handgun. In fact very few had anything other than a .22 rifle referred to as a "target". I bought a single six when I was 16 and I thought my dad was going to kick me out of the house. His opinion of a handgun was that it was for killing people. Fortunately he modified his stance on the single six. We had 2 guns in the house when I was growing up. One was a single shot Winchester .22 the other an old Mass Arms single shot 12 guage. To the cattlemen I've know the gun was merely a tool that was seldom needed so it was left at home. About the only thing one would be useful for was an encounter with a rattlesnake and a stick; rock; or rope would do the job as well

[jmsj]

David,
I was a working cowboy and ranch foreman for a lot of years. Some guys did pack large pistols but most did not. For me, they were always in the way. They were either banging on the swells or cantle of the saddle when hitting a long trot or poking on you somewhere. You had to be careful when roping that the rope didn't catch on the grip if things a "Little Western". I went to carrying a Ruger Bearcat in a little crossdraw rig I made. Most of the time I never noticed it was even there. I carried that pistol for years and still have it.
I'm sure some have but I have never come upon a bear or lion killing livestock. Not that we didn't lose calves to predators. The predators would kill at night and would usually drag a calf off somewhere secluded. Killing a rattle snake, shooting a disagreeable bull that wouldn't come out of the willows in the butt with ratshot or putting a sick animal out of their misery is what I mainly used a pistol for. The little Bearcat served that purpose well.
jmsj

[West Creek]

I'd have to agree with birdman & charger that most workin folks dont usually carry a sidearm when working. They do get in the way now and did in the past. I do believe that most cowboys left their iron in the chuckwagon with exception of when it was needed like a feller riden the wire for a few days or riding point. When I'm close to home I don't carry much but if I'm gonna be away I'll carry something along. If I was a cowboy away from camp or the bunk house for a spell I'd have a carbine along or a big bore single action. Fewer parts have fewer difficulties and when your out and away it's best to keep things simple and light.

[btroj]

I am not a cowboy, modern or otherwise.
I agree with Bass, each gun has a personality and a use. Keep within the abilities of that gun and all is well.

[Matthew 25]

Just because real cowboys don't usually carry a revolver doesn't mean they didn't wish they had one sometimes. I know two fine men that almost lost their lives under two different bulls. One was a Holstein bull--they are notorious for injuring dairy men. He was saved by a trusty rusty pitbull that latched onto the bull's muzzle until he limped his broken butt to and under a fence. The other was pinned to the ground between the horns and forehead of a Hereford. He lived because his partner rammed the bull with the pickup. They both received a butt-whoopin and may or may not have been better off with a real revolver.
When I go on farm calls you better believe I always have a big bore in the vet truck. Either revolver or a lever gun. If you don't think really bad and unpredictable things can happen when working with either cows or horses, you haven't been around them very much. Especially nowadays with all the "help" that comes to work cattle.
I don't suppose I would wear a revolver if I worked a ranch every day (unless I was in the hills), but I know I'd have one in the truck/horse/4wheeler.

[frank505]

The cowboys I know in north Texas all pack a 44 or 45. Everybody I knew and worked on their place as kid on the Gulf Coast of Texas packed sixgun of somekind. All the buffalo ranchers I know and work with carry a sixgun.The cowboys up here all pack a 45 or bigger if they are any kind of a gun crank.

[Dan Cash]

Here in western North Dakota, the evidence in the form of surviving revolvers and gun leather from the 1880s through perhaps 1910 suggests that small frame guns, both single and double action were popular. .32 and .38 were very common. Many of the guns were rather cheap but there were a lot of Colts, Smiths and Remingtons. As the dangerous game such as grizzly bears, mountain lions and bad men dimenisihed, the frequency of cowboys with handguns and the caliber of the guns dimenished as well. Today, most ranchers have a rifle in the truck and a few keep a hand gun. I usually have a SAA in a shoulder rig and find it very comfortable and convenient. If I go to town where it is dangerous, a 1911 is my companion.

To answer David LaPell's question more directly, the old timers toted the most up to date weaponry they could afford but the small frame revolvers sure were popular.

[Thumbcocker]

Skeeter did an excellent article on all the working people who regularly carried sidearms when he was a kid. He said cowboys used a chaps pocket. I wonder if the fact that he was a kid in teh depression had anything to do with the number of folks packing pistols? Maybe looking for protien during the day?

[txbirdman]

If friend Cecil was in the army I sure wouldn't want to borrow his mess kit.

[Dframe]

Model 19 S&W. It's a near perfect balance of power and weight. Plenty powerful and still light enough not to be bothersome while being carried all day.

[Buddy]

My hat's off to all the cowboys out there. I doubt that I would make a good one even being a rider and being around livestock all my life. I do consider myself modern and carry a 1911A1 in condition 1 every waking hour.

[redneckdan]

I've never even been on a horse so I doubt I would know anything about being a cow poke.

I do ride my iron horse quite a bit, average in the neighborhood of 10,000 miles a summer, a pretty even split between highway and logging roads. My two main pieces are a 4 5/8 bisley flat top in 44 spl and a 4" model 15. The 44 spl usually is stoked with skeeters unique load and the 38 is is usually stoked with 10.5gr of 2400 under a RCBS-150 KT. The 38 rides in a hip holster and the 44 rides in one of freedom475's chest rigs.

[Potsy]

The second coyote I ever shot at was when I was about 18 off of a Massey 150 while plowing (cultivating) corn. I had no clue how to shoot a pistol then, I had just begged my Grandad into letting me tote it. I missed him, twice, standing still at about 50 yards. Today I like to think he'd be a dead 'yote.
Me and a few buddies often have conversations about "Farm Guns" which encompasses rifles on the 4-wheeler, or in the truck and pistols, in the 4-wheeler, truck, or on your person. Pistols do get in the way while doing anything much other than riding (truck, horse, 4-wheeler, tractor) but are handy.
Me personally, in the truck, my .25-06 gets the nod for far off yotes and groundhogs (in the rare event you see one anymore, per coyotes) and my Kimber .45 Eclipse when on the Tractor and 4-wheeler. Guess those are my current "Modern Cowboy Guns".
I don't get a chance to work or bum around the farm anymore. Miss it something terrible.

[MtGun44]

When I am hunting on horseback, a S&W Mountain Gun 629 (lt barrel contour 4") rides
really nicely in a crossdraw holster. I'd think it would do whatever you needed.

Bill

[DanWalker]

4 of my best friends grew up on a working cattle ranch and one of them was riding a horse before he could walk. One is a 3rd generation cowboy who's family homesteaded in Wy. All of them carry ruger blackhawks. Me and my one "enlightened" friend who also carries a 45 LC blackhawk, try not to rib the other 3 too severely about toting those puny 44's.

[Three44s]

I am a rancher and pack sometimes and not sometimes.

I own a lot of different guns and pick the one that fits the percieved need at that time and place.

My battery in short guns runs from .22 lr and mag. in DA revolvers to 9mm in an auto to .357, .41 and .44 mag also in DA revolvers.

The thing you need to understand is that nature of cattle and two legged and four legged predators has been evolving.

Cattle that get mean get weeded out ......... the cost of hospitalization is too much.

Predators ........ two and four legged has been first declining and now back on the upswing.

No gun is always favored -- what is not there can't get in the way ......... trust me ... any gun on a horse is a bother if you are actually working from a horse ... and not just trail riding.

But as the risks have been back on the rise ............ sometimes, it's well worth the added bother.

For years, the main threat has been the coyote (to the cattle) and just about anything will tune them. But lately, the two legged predators have made a comeback in the form of drugies out to produce their products on our ranges and the return of cat, bear and wolf ........ the chance of the rider coming to be threatened has returned and of course more danger to the livestock.

In a low risk situation, my pick is a Kel-tec PF 9 (9mm)

In a heightened situation ......... it's hands down a 629 MG .44 mag.

My other good medium choices include a SP101 and a Security Six both in .357. I have a first year Smith HP, also .357 but it's pointless as my MG is lighter and more powerful. My other revolvers, two .41's are 6" and 8 3/8 and two other .44's ..... 7 1/2 and 9 1/2 inch barrels are too cumbersome for working from a horse.

Long guns present a real problem with working from a horse. If you get into a nettlesome situation you need a gun that will be with you even if you suddenly find yourself on the ground ........ only a secure handgun fits this need. Also, the long gun is at the top of the list of "getting in the way" in the course of working with the livestock even though they are the best weapon.

It's also worth noting that cattle are just now getting meaner in areas where the wolf is prevalent again so even that is coming back around!

Working from a truck or ATV, the long guns come back into the equation and the ranchers I know are just as fond of modern varmint calibers or their favorite deer or elk rifles as they are traditionals like the various lever guns.

Three 44s

[Three44s]

Bill,

............ kind of blows a hole in the "kinder gentler country"!


Mark

[DanWalker]

Any low down, lousy bass-turd that would steal a man's horse needs a bullet in his guts. Stealing a horse from some horse people is a lot like kidnapping a child from them.

[Thumbcocker]

"Any low down, lousy bass-turd that would steal a man's horse needs a bullet in his guts. Stealing a horse from some horse people is a lot like kidnapping a child from them."


Could you maybe give us your straight from the hip unvarnished opinin there Dan?

[Doughty]

The first .44 Mag I ever saw was carried by a rancher in the late 1950s. He said that he had once been pinned under a saddle horse that had rolled on him some and stove him up pretty bad. He said that he wanted a gun that could shoot through the seat of a saddle and still kill a horse.

Another old rancher came to my house one spring morning in the late 1980s. He said that he wanted me to go to an area of his ranch and kill every coyote I could find. He was pretty crippled by this stage of his life and could not get off and on a horse easily. He said that he had been riding earlier that morning, looking for newborn calves, when he was confronted by a coyote which would not let him pass. He could not make his gentle old horse push the coyote. He said he drew his old H&R .22 revolver but it would not fire. He had to ride back to his truck to get off his horse. I took the .22 and fixed it as best I could. The next morning I went into the area were he had been and killed 4 out of 9 coyotes I found in one bunch. I never could talk the old rancher into getting a better hand gun.

Another old rancher who is still riding and working near Plains, MT carries a 3 3/4" Vaquero with the birdshead grip. He has me load strong .45 Colt loads for it using CAST BOOLITs.

Ahhhhhh. To be horseback again.

[Char-Gar]

I don't believe I would want to shoot a horse that rolled on me and pinned me. Do that and you will have a thrashing dying horse and then a dead horse on top of you. Much better chance to get out from under a live horse.

[Doughty]

Maybe so. I've never been there. But Rex Taylor, who had been there, thought it was a good idea.

[429421Cowboy]

I'm an 18 year old modern cowboy, i've been around cows my whole life and there have been plenty of times i was sure glad to have a gun. I carry a 4 5.8 Super Blackhawk .44 mag in a Galco SAO holster and a Browning BLR in .243. Still a single action and a lever gun but a pretty modern combo. I'll take 5 shots of .243 over 7 of .30/30 for most jobs. Our job requires us to work in remote areas with plenty of critters that would like to eat you as well as meth labs, pot farms, occult activty (don't laugh, serious as a heart attack) and the occasional wild man that would prefer to be left alone, (rememeber the Una Bomber??) . Therefore we all happily carry a handgun and usually a long gun. Dispatching injured stock is also a concern, you only have to use an ax or a knife (grizzly tools) once for that job to never want to do it again. Most of the cowboys i know are fellow gun nuts but we're all pretty poor, you'll usually find them carrying the gun that they own. I know plenty of guys that carry Rugers revolvers of every stripe, one of the best cowboys i know keeps a .380 LCP in his pocket strictly for putting animals down, up close a fmj will do the job just fine. I also know a kid my age that carrys a (formerly) beautiful S&W .22 17 target revolver with a 10" bbl with a full underlug and 4 other special order factory options simply because its what he owns. A gun is a working tool we put our lives on everyday and it does no good in the safe or unloaded.

[bigdog454]

My son is out in West Texas, (west of the Pacos river). ans working for ranchers out there, I've been out there a few times to visit and been invited to the ranches to hunt varmits, they measure ranches out there by sq miles not acres.
Ive found that most ranchers do not ride horses much any more, most use 4 wheelers or jeep type vehicles. Their gun of choice is either a 22 rf or 22 mag for general carry on the vehicle usually a rifle. Some ranch hands carry a 22 handgun when on a 4 wheeler. This is not to say that when the need arrives that they don't use larger guns, but that is there normal carry out there, that I have seen.
BD

[sixshot]

When I was younger & had horses & mules I always had a sixgun with me, usually in a Lawrence #7 shoulder rig. If I had to get off to work on something I usually took the gun off but it was never far away.
Many of the early cowboys hung their sixgun on the saddle where it could be grabbed quickly, as mentioned when the west started to tame down a bit the need for a handy sixgun wasn't quite as necessary.
I just don't feel comfortable with a sixgun either on me or on the truck seat. I still shoot almost everyday....when the Idaho weather lets me & can't imagine not having one.
David, love that 4" model 57 Smith, that was my first big bore sixgun, bought it used for $100 in Sherman, Texas in 1968. Shot many thousands of cast bullets through it, sure wish I still had it.

Dick

[Phat Man Mike]

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h130/ziggytrucker/the%20judge/101_1322.jpg


I think this would work on varmints big and small .. easy to carry and fun to shoot! [smilie=1:

[dk17hmr]

Guns for a modern day Cowboy? I will go with a 22-250 and a good scope. They pack real nice on a four-wheeler. Any good 40+ caliber handgun as they ride nice on the seat of the truck.

This is pretty close to what I would want. Im no cowboy but an AR15 and a 1911 go with me just about everywhere.

[Char-Gar]

As a Pastor in West Texas and New Mexico I have officiated at a number of funerals of cowboys killed in the line of work. The last one was killed when a cattle guard fell on him. He lifted it up and was cleaning out the pit with a shovel when the steel guard fell on him. He didn't secure it in t he up position.

The one before that was killed when a horse he was riding went off the trail and down a steep mountain slope in the Gila Wilderness of New Mexico.

The one before that had a high life jack kick back and hit him under the chin driving his jaw into his brain.

The others were mostly killed in horse wrecks or truck wrecks.

None of them could have been saved by having a pistol. I like pistols but I am not so romantic to think they are life saving devices or tool of the trade for the modern cowboy.

[Matthew 25]

...I don't know about that argument, Chargar...especially in this crowd. How many of us regular civilians carry concealed? What are the odds of one of us actually needing that CCW? Pretty darn low but we carry because it reduces our variables for the day. If a cowboy thinks carrying a 45 will improve his odds of success that day, he should carry one.
I'd also argue that Texas cowboys are not Utah/Montana/Idaho/Colorado cowboys. Different everything.
Does a modern cowboy need a revolver every day?...no. Neither do police officers.
There is no argument that ranching (or any job in agriculture) is very dangerous. Stats show that working in agriculture is the 3rd most dangerous profession in the US. (Police and fire fighting are not even in the top ten). Usually a 45 won't help a rancher, but if he wants to reduce his daily variables, he should have one nearby.

[trickyasafox]

I know nothing of ranching and have never ridden a horse that didn't know where it was going (canned trail rides- still fun)

However, I would think a nice 22lr handgun and a larger, centerfire rifle like a lightweight 16in AR15 with a 10 or 20 round mag and a compact optic (I do love more modern style semi-auto rifles) would handle the bill for most anything I could encounter in my area.

Because I know so little of horses, I would also think that modern ranchers might be well served to get a supressor- I know they are often long- but I would think it could really help keep the hearing of your equine intact. Hearing damage isn't something we just have to worry about- I would think as attached as I have seen people get to all of their animals that preservation of their comfort and health would also be a high priority.

[Fishman]

I have no cowboy experience but when I open carry it's usually my 4" 681 Smith. Stainless, fixed sights, compact but shootable, it just works. It was a police trade in I bought back in '93 so they probably thought the same thing.

[MtGun44]

Although I have ridden, off and on, since I was a teen, and spent a few weeks hunting from
horseback in the last few years in much rougher terrain than I would have thought possible,
I still consider myself a reasonably knowledgeable amateur, not any kind of expert on horses.
But I have learned a few things.

Shooting off of most horses is a great way to become an instant rodeo star, and NOT in
a good way. Some folks have trained their horse to be used to gunfire, but I don't think
it is very common, may be wrong about that. Supressors are much quieter than not supressed,
but still quite loud with powerful rifle cartridges.

A horse is a powerful and fairly dumb animal. Scaring one is very bad business.

Bill

[trickyasafox]

mtgun44- shows what I know- the only shooting on horses I see is the CASS style balloon stuff. I'm happy to go where an ATV or my two legs can carry me- as I doubt I will ever have the knowledge or the ability to properly care for a horse.

I could see wanting to keep horses happy, especially when sharing space with them.

[rintinglen]

I like horses almost as much as they like me--which they don't. I did once fall out of a helicopter onto a holstered 1911 and bruised the living heck out of my thigh. I think riding around on an ornery, untrustworthy, 1000 pound animal that would just love to dump its rider is a place where you probably wouldn't want a hunk of iron (or even hard plastic) jammed up tight against you.
That said, If I couldn't just carry him, and had to ride the horse instead, and thought that I might actually have need of a gun, I'd have a 4 inch 357 in a suitable cross draw rig, most probaby my old S&W M-66, if only to get even with the horse after he killed me.

[Three44s]

A friend and neighbor was riding for us and he landed on the ground right on top of his .357 Smith snub nose and broke several ribs ........

.......... the gun was fine.

Three 44s

[Char-Gar]

Mathew... I am not trying to make any kind of argument or convince anybody of anything. I am just giving some facts from my experience.

[Char-Gar]

Another fellow I know was roping when he was killed. His horse stumbled and went down end over end with the cowboy in the saddle. The saddle horn bend double his big belt buckle and did such much massive internal injury he died in short order.

[429421Cowboy]

I know nothing of ranching and have never ridden a horse that didn't know where it was going (canned trail rides- still fun)

However, I would think a nice 22lr handgun and a larger, centerfire rifle like a lightweight 16in AR15 with a 10 or 20 round mag and a compact optic (I do love more modern style semi-auto rifles) would handle the bill for most anything I could encounter in my area.

Because I know so little of horses, I would also think that modern ranchers might be well served to get a supressor- I know they are often long- but I would think it could really help keep the hearing of your equine intact. Hearing damage isn't something we just have to worry about- I would think as attached as I have seen people get to all of their animals that preservation of their comfort and health would also be a high priority.

Actually Mini 14's are still slightly more popular then AR's for most things out here for reasons that arent clear to me. However neither is the ideal saddle gun due to the near impossibility to fit a saddle scabbard to one. My BLR is protected very well in its scabbard yet is instantly accessable in either a truck or on a horse. A good scabbard is vital, i did have to goe back after a 30" bbl .300 win magnum that fell out of a fellows "aussie" style scabbard in deep snow and he didnt notice it was missing for longer then i thought possible. A heavy rifle also pulls a saddle to one side. I'm supprised that mmore folks from Texas seem to be saying that guns don't serve much use in the day to day work, considering the border situation as i understand it from the cowboys down there that i know i might be trying to hang an AR off my Bona Allen! I agree with the comments about a .22 being the usual choice, if i had a .22 pistol it would be a toss up between that and my .44 everyday but i feel different without a gun, after 11 years of constantly working with one i've found some jobs that just don't go the same with out a good rifle or sidearm.

[Multigunner]

I've been thrown into a hedge by a quarelsome mount, the same jughead once took off like a shot while I was attempting to mount and I ended up doing a fair imitation of a rodeo trick rider hanging on to the saddle horn with my right leg over his back while trying to get my left foot out of the stirup so I could abandon the beast in mid flight.
Having a revolver would have made no difference as far as my own safety went, but not having one no doubt saved the life of that cantankerous cayuse.

The suggestion that a horseman should always carry a pistol big enough to drop a horse instantly is due to the danger of being dragged. If the horse falls on the rider the horse thrashing about will make any injuries much worse, and should the horse regain its footing the rider might end up being dragged by a broken leg tangled in the stirup or its straps. Being dragged for miles by an already broken leg would be a horrible fate.

The old time vaquero almost never carried a firearm, there are paintings of vaqueros dealing with a Grizzly by entangling it in their lariats while riding round it at close quarters.
Very few American cowboys ever owned a handgun, and for the most part drovers were forbidden to carry any firearm on a cattle drive due to the risk of stampede.
When gangs of rustlers or Indian war parties were a factor drovers might be issued rifles if the trail boss considered it prudent.
There were also long standing fueds between ranchers that escalated into open range wars, in many cases the drovers in such situations weren't drovers at all, rather they were hired guns going through the motions of being ranch hands. This was not the everyday life of the cowboy though.

For a rifle thats quick to deploy while mounted, its hard to beat the traditional leveraction saddle carbines.
While the Lee Enfield has the well earned reputation for ease of operation, many British Calvary officers prefered the Winchester model 1895 military carbine chambered for the .303 cartridge. The leveraction is usually much easier to operate while staying in control of your mount.
The Texas Rangers also prefered the 95 Winchester chambered in .30-40 Krag. I'd consider that a testament to the durability and handling qualities of that rifle.

An autoloader carried with a round in the chamber would be very quick to get into action, but I personally don't think carrying a rifle with a round in the chamber in a saddle scabbard is a good idea. The bouncing around that a rifle would get could cause the safety to disenagage, or a horse going down on top of the scabbard could damage the action causing an AD.
I once passed up a otherwise very nice Springfield that was said to have been in a saddle scabbard when a horse fell on it. The stock was broken at the magazine well. These days I would not have passed on such a deal, I've learned a lot about stock repair since then and replacement stocks are available.

Ranchers in Texas, Arizona, and anywhere that the Mexican Drug rings operate, should go loaded for bear whenever they go out to ride fence or doing other chores.
As for handguns, I figure thats a very personal choice. One should stick to the type of handgun they are familar with and can use effectively.
The Revolvers can be used with snake loads, while there are snake loads for some auto pistol chamberings its unlikely that this would hold as much shot and probably wouldn't cycle reliably.
I've heard of people buying up Peacemakers that had extremely worn bores specifically for use with shot cartridges. A smooth bored revolver could be considered to be an illegal shot pistol. A barrel with very worn down lands would be less likely to disrupt the shot pattern, and give a reasonably consistent pattern rather than a donut shaped pattern.
If a good snake shot cartridge in say .45 ACP is available then it would be no problem to bore out an old 1911 barrel for use with snake shot, and keep an unaltared barrel handy to switch out when necessary.
IIRC snake loads for the .45 ACP have been made using cut down .308 casings, much like some theatrical blank loads.
Which reminds me of the time my brother was suprised by a snake while under his corvette working on the exhaust. I had just gotten there when my brother came out from under the car like a flash drawing his .22 single action as he did so, the snake came out about as fast. My brother fired six shots so fast that the single action sounded like a burp gun, and he still hit the snake five times out of six rounds.

BTW
Someone mentioned a friend getting some broken ribs from falling on his pistol. This reminded me of why the Airforce contracted for airweight revolvers. The carry weight itself was not a factor, since airmen do most of their work sitting down. The problem was that regular all steel revolvers carried in shoulder holsters or in a pouch on the survival vest would slam into the airman's chest hard when a parachute opened due to the sudden deceleration. Considering the mountain of difficulties a shotdown airman would have after bailing out , having several broken ribs would greatly reduce his chances of evading capture.

[MT Gianni]

I have a neighbor that summers his cows where FWP says are at least 3 female Grizzley Bears. He never carries a pistol and only rarely a rifle. He may not own a pistol but remains one of the best cattleman I have evr known. On the other side a few miles away are a pair of brothers that would never go into the woods without their 44's. Miners and Horse Trainers, they grew up working cattle. A lot depends on your comfort level with a pistol. The first Rancher mentioned feels there isn't much he can't do with a rope.

[9.3X62AL]

I'm nothing like a cattleman or horse enthusiast, but do enjoy the back country very much. A poster above touched on my reasons for ALWAYS having firearms on board while in the back country--pot farms, meth labs, devil worshipers, drug/human smugglers, and other aggressive human predators that might require ballistic rehabilitation if warranted. I did have a bad time with a black bear once, also. At the time, the Redhawk 5.5" x 44 felt neither heavy nor large. At all.

Our usual outfit is the Mini-14 behind the truck seat, a S&W 686 x 4" on my belt and Marie with her SIG-P228 holstered. These handguns have stayed holstered, but the Mini-14 has come out twice that I recall--once to rehab a local coyote who was acting stupid/rabid as if stalking us in the Jeep, and in Spring 2007 along a dirt road north of Silverwood Lake. For no discernable reason, a probable meth head followed us IN REVERSE for over a mile at 15-25 MPH. I had Marie remove the Mini-14 from behind the seat, and--as if by magic--the backing truck came to an abrupt halt.

A more liberal viewpoint might be to simply avoid such environments. Now, I do practice some level of situational awareness--avoidance of parking garages at night, stay out of crummy neighborhoods whenever possible, and other cautionary practices. But I draw the line at avoiding public lands, and I'll be damned if I'll be driven out of MY PROPERTY by mooncalves and fruitbats. If they're all poised for face time with Satan, I'll arrange the interview appointment.

[DanWalker]

I'm nothing like a cattleman or horse enthusiast, but do enjoy the back country very much. A poster above touched on my reasons for ALWAYS having firearms on board while in the back country--pot farms, meth labs, devil worshipers, drug/human smugglers, and other aggressive human predators that might require ballistic rehabilitation if warranted.

A more liberal viewpoint might be to simply avoid such environments. Now, I do practice some level of situational awareness--avoidance of parking garages at night, stay out of crummy neighborhoods whenever possible, and other cautionary practices. But I draw the line at avoiding public lands, and I'll be damned if I'll be driven out of MY PROPERTY by mooncalves and fruitbats. If they're all poised for face time with Satan, I'll arrange the interview appointment.
I agree wholeheartedly. I will be damned if anyone is going to tell me where I can and can't go on public land. I fought and shed blood for this country and the freedoms we enjoy. I will never back down from some jerk trying to deny me those freedoms.
We hunt in the Absaroka wilderness in NW Wyoming, and camp in the bighorns a lot. One of my best friends grew up in that wilderness, wrangling horses for outfitters and working cow camps. He carried a ruger blackhawk in 44 magnum with him, just like his dad did before him.
When men with 2 generations of experience use a piece of gear, I take notice.
My blackhawk is in 45 COLT but is still up to the tasks that may be asked of it.
It rides on my belt, along with 6 extra rounds in a cartridge carrier and a colt sheath knife, whenever we head to the back country. There's an 870 in the tent when we camp in the bear woods. The area we camp in is actually where they relocate the problem bears from Yellowstone. Needless to say, incidents with bears are more common there than they might be elsewhere.
I couldn't imagine trying to shoot anything from horseback. I remember ol' Louie jumping straight up in the air like he had been stung,(with me riding him) when jasper accidentally crashed into him from behind, as we were going through some low tree branches. I can only imagine his reaction to gunfire from the saddle.

[Bret4207]

I ride, and have cattle, but I'm no cowboy. In fact, I'm still, at 51, trying to learn how to hang a rope on a critter without running it to the ground first. When packing a gun here on my half section+ farm on a horse it's usually the old Charter Bull Dog. It's about perfect as far as I can see- light, compact, powerful and as accurate as I can see to shoot. I'd carry a rifle but being short legged (picture Homer Simpson, not Gary Cooper) I have yet to find a way to carry anything under the leg that doesn't irritate my knees something fierce. Besides, I'm without a scabbard at all now.

On the tractor my favorites are a 6.5 Roberts Mannlicher stocked Arisaka with peep sight or the old FR8 308. Either rides in a ho' made mount off the hood don't own any tractors with cabs or ROPS.

Neighbor never leaves the house with out a gun on. He's been badly hurt twice by Holstein HEIFERS, not bulls! One he drove off with a pocket knife, the other his sons nearly killed with a post maul and crowbar as the story was told. Last I new he was carrying a Para P-10 45ACP. A lot of the other farmers carry as others have noted, a 22 or Mini 14 or 30-30 in the truck/tractor. I know quite a few farmers that own no guns at all. That seems unnatural to me. Oddly, some of the Amish are big gun nuts, but nothing Mil-Surp. Weird.

[Mavrick]

FWIW- Tho' I'm not a cowboy, I was raised in the backcountry, and still spend as much time as possible out there. As far back as I can remember, even if I can't remember what I had for breakfast, there's always been a gun handy.
My dad was a "prospector", tho' he wouldn't call himself that. We spent a LOT of time out of town. We spent a lot of time with real cowboys, and our life was real similar.
Most of our time, like theirs, was spent either afoot, or in a "peek-op" truck. Right now I use a cab-an'-a half 4x4 most any place I need to go. It's the only vehicle we have.
Mostly I have a .22 DA 4" in a soft, full-coverage hip holster, but if I'm going to be walking any distance, I prefer to switch to an M58 .41 Mag loaded with either Bullseye or 700x behind an RCBS cast SWC that I had hollow-pointed. In the belt-loops, I've got the same boolit except not HPd, loaded with Herco or 2400.
The little toy on the floor, or behind the seat is that "ol' timey" favorite, the M92 lever gun. Mine is a Rossi, tho', and I replaced the barrel (it WAS a .357) with a 21" .256 Magnum. Light, easy to carry, quick-pointing, plenty accurate...light recoil.
It's loaded mostly with a 64gr cast GC boolit in front of Green Dot. FTTT, an 86gr Remington soft point or home-swaged 90gr FMJRN finds it's way up the pipe, pushed by 2400.
Have fun,
Gene

[Bat Guano]

My work gun for many years is still the piece of choice; a well worn 4" Security Six, in either a Sparks FBI strong side holster or the military full flap holster. I'm like some others here, enough experience with horses to get along but don't have much faith in them and certainly don't trust them.

I've worn that rig with horses, in cars, canoes, and a variety of aircraft, and ATVs; fallen down and into creeks with it, and it's never been a burden. About the only drawback to that gun is the horrendous crack of full .357 loads without ear protection.

A 1911 in either a belt slide or GI flap holster isn't a bad rig, and any Ruger single action is okay as well. I prefer the bigger bores with alloy trigger guards for the balance and relatively light weight for the power.

I can understand why some don't want the bother of carrying, but a career as an LEO taught me never to say never. You don't need a gun very often but when you do you need it very badly.

On the Southwest border I'd say that you're pretty well on your own since the government has abdicated.

[MtGun44]

Bret,

I agree whole heartedly on the under the leg scabbard bringing on knee pain. After a week
of that with my Ruger M77 under my leg, I can really see why a flat levergun would be
real popular in a scabbard!

Bill

[beagle]

I guess it kinda depends on what you want to do with a handgun. I'm not a cowboy and own only a few acres back here in Kentucky but I do carry a handgun when I'm out on the tractor in case I see a yote, snake or skunk and you'll be surprised how often this is.

They're a PITA to carry in a hip holster so I use a shoulder holster in cold weather and in hot weather, it's hung off the gas cap of the tractor for easy access.

I have two that I use often and one is usually along with me. I have a 9mm Browning High Power that I use modified Beretta mags in and that gives me 14 rounds instantly and I have planty of 9mm brass so I don't worry about the loss. I also will carry a .357 Blackhawk with a "snake load" next in line followed by 5 358429HPs.

So far, both of these guns have done me well.

You'll just have to tailor your gun to your needs./beagle

[curiousgeorge]

I grew up around horses and mules because my Dad loved them and loved to work them occasionally on the farms here in Kentucky. But, kind of like Quigley, "said I never had a use for one, never said I didn't know to use one" has been my motto on most horses and almost every mule I met. Sometimes having to use something for real takes a little of the romance out of it. That being said, when my Dad passed away, the horses and horse drawn machinery went to the Amish and I stayed with the tractors.

I had an old farm at the end of the road along one of the small rivers here. I had a few head of cattle, raised the bottoms in corn, and cut a little extra hay. I religously packed an old 4" Mod 10 .38 special in a nylon holster when riding the tractor. Light weight, compact, rugged, and big enough for anything I would see with 170 gr cast and 5.0 grs Unique.

I found where the local marijuana growers had harvested a crop that had been hidden on my place one year. They hid small patches in the woods that I found at least 2 other years and had destroyed. I always had some sort of high powered rifle in the car and when on the tractor packed the Mod 10. When just out walking or hunting I carried whatever I fancied at the moment, but if I got on the tractor, the Mod 10 went with me.

No, I was not a cowboy and if you have to have a horse to qualify, count me out. I wouldn't mind owning one again just to pleasure ride, but having to work with one through my teenage years soured me a bit. Horses were skittish, mules just plain stubborn. Go ahead, tell me I'm wrong, but I still remember (hoping that those memories will get better with age, but not yet). But back to the question of packing a revolver when working on the farm. Yessir, always had one, but mostly for the 2 legged critters.

Steve

[casterofboolits]

Horses? Good for glue and dog meat IMHO. Mules? About the same, but they should go first.

I was sent to Eastern Kentucky to stay with my grand parents in the summers and Papaw had a pair of mules that I learned to hate and be extremly careful when around them.

Not to mention mucking out thier stalls. By the time I was 13 I knew I wanted nothing more to do with those cranky beasts and was glad when Papaw sold them that year. If I had been allowed to carry a pistol at that time, I would have shot the contrary things. Bless thier hearts.

[robertbank]

After reading this very interesting thread I have come to the conclusion I will never watch another John Wayne movie again with quite the same interest.

For hiking up here I tend to stick with either a 12 gauge Mossberg or a GP-100 now. The latter will be replaced latter this summer with a 4.2" Redhawk in .44mag. Bears, wolves and the odd big cat are my biggest concerns. I now have a Rossi .357mag in the 4 Runner most of the time.

Surprised nobody mentioned a LE #5 Rifle for a truck gun. Accurate enough and will take rough treatment.

Take Care

Bob

[Char-Gar]

The summers of my growing up years were spend on Coleman County, Texas ranches of family members and as I said before no handguns were carried, but rifles and shotguns close at hand on horse, pickup and house.

I went to College in Alpine Texas in the Big Bend country and works lots of short jobs cowboying on ranches there including the famous 06 ranch and others. This was 1961 - 64. These ranches needed to add some extra cowboys from time to time and Sul Ross students were eager for the work and experience.

You had to know somebody to get the first job, but once you did, others knew you "could make a hand", and there was plenty of work.

Again, on these ranches, no pistols, but long guns as mentioned above. Even though I had a good 1911, I never carried it on these jobs as it would have marked me as a Rexall Wrangler for sure and for certain.

All of that aside, I have always been a gun nut and had a gun with me most of the time when about in the country or brush. A good 1911 has always been my pistol of choice.

Robert...I have never been the Western movie and TV fan like many others as they bore little resemblance to real life ranch work. This thread is a pretty good example of that. Folks who are gun nuts carry guns because they are gun nuts. Most working ranch folks who are not gun nuts leave the pistol at home in their sock and underwear drawer.

I need to state that my experience is a Texas experience and we have no bears or other nasty critter to protect themselves from. Well cattle can be mean at times, but they are worth too much money on the hoof to shoot. It would be like shooting you check book.

Elmer Keith, a gun nut, wrote lots of stuff making folks believe that all modern cowboys needed pistols which is not true. I have never known or hear of anybody getting drug by a horse except in a movie. Folks get killed in horse wrecks in a regular basis, but they are thrown, kicked, crushed against a tree or other object or have the horse fall on them. My biggest concern was having a horse fall with me in the saddle. I have had it happen, but when you are young and limber you have time to go the other way from which the horse falls. Fat, stiff and old men have to ride the horse down and take their chances. Most of the time you just get mashed up or have a broken bone, but sometimes you buy the farm.

In case anybody doesn't know this, you never walk behind a horse you don't know close enough to get kicked. You always talk to a horse as you approach it from behind in case it is asleep. Even you pet horse will kick defensively is woken from sleep and feels threatened. Getting kicked by a horse can put you in the grave. Oh, having a horse step on your foot, hurts like hell and can break bones.

If the truth be known, stretching barb wire is probably the most dangerous job on a ranch. Stretch it too far, or have a weak place in the wire and it can snap , whip back and cut you to pieces in a heartbeat.

Folks down here on the Border go everywhere armed these days, but the problem is people and not critters and hopefully some day life will get back to normal.

[robertbank]

Folks down here on the Border go everywhere armed these days, but the problem is people and not critters and hopefully some day life will get back to normal.

I am afraid what we are looking at these days is the new normal and I suspect it is going to get a lot worse. Wish I could say differently but for you folks on the southern border of the US I am afraid you are in for a long period of illegal immigration and the assorted problems this brings.

I'd like to spend time in Arizona in the winter but as a Canadian I can't be in possession of a firearm, legally, a situation I am not prepared to live with. I figure if the locals feel a need to be armed then there has to be a reason.

Take Care & Be Safe

Bob

[Char-Gar]

Robert... I live in a place where Gringos make up only 3% of the population so Mexicans legal or illegal don't both me one bit. illegal prune pickers, chicken pluckers and pallet builders passing through don't concern me at all.

Our problem is the drug cartels, drug mules and allied American street gangs that are in a multi-billion dollar industry supplying the habits of America and the world. They have turned the Border into a war zone.

[robertbank]

We have the gang violence in the Lower Mainland around Vancouver but that has died down a bit with the arrest and sentencing of some of the gang leaders to long term stays after being found guilty of various murders. That said I read where grow ops are a $2 Billion dollar business with most of it going to the US with cocaine coming North out of the US. We have grow ops up here as well but without the gun violence to date. I suspect it will come with time.

Take Care

Bob

[curiousgeorge]

casterofboolits

You hit the nail on the head. From the time I was 12, I have packed some kind of a gun with me practically everywhere, especially on the farms, EXCEPT for when my Dad decided that we would use the mules or horses that day (it was what he grew up with - what more can I say). Not a safe combination for man, beast, or weapon. And yes, I also wanted to shoot a mule so many times that I can't count them all.

Chargar

I have really enjoyed your glimpses into South Texas living on this post and many of your others too. What a great place we all share here. And just because we cast and shoot. We get to pick our neighbors and don't have to move! Kind of amazing when you think about it.

Steve

[MtGun44]

Been kicked in the mouth by a Welsh pony (2/3-3/4 scale horse, much larger than most
Shetlands) and it WAS NOT FUN! With a lot of good dental surgery, I kept my front teeth,
although they all got driven flush with the gums like hammering nails, I thought they were
kicked out at first. Broke up all the bone on top front, too. Lifted me off the ground about
6", but stayed concious.

Trying to put a halter on her, she didn't want it and wheeled, took a short step and kicked too
quick to duck aside. Dang that hurt.

Still have all the teeth but they were wired in for 8 weeks, then had root canals on all of them
about 25 yrs later when they blew up into a giant abcess. My dentist (shooting friend) told
me to watch them that they eventually were likely to do it, so caught it before the abcess
killed me. I could have been killed by that pony with a 25 year delay!

Be careful around, horses. Don't really dislike them, but darn sure respect the fact that they
can kill, maim or injure in a heartbeat. Like I said - scaring one is bad business. Been there for
more than a couple of horse caused injuries, fortunately none were life threatening. A hunter
at our camp a couple years ago a week before we got there had his back broke getting dumped
off a horse when it jumped a log and he wasn't paying close attention to the situation. Can't
ever sit there like a lump, you have to RIDE the horse.

Bill

[Char-Gar]

Robert... We get a bunch of Canadians down here in the winter and about a half dozen of them shoot with us every Saturday. They brings their pistols with them. If they belong to a US shooting club and bring their pistols for competition, the Canadians dont give them a hassle and US customs don't give them a hassle either.

You have to be a citizen of Texas to buy a gun here, and the Canadians can't sell their guns here, but there is no problem with them having a gun, if they bring it with them and take it . back. They all seem to be from Ontario.

[robertbank]

Yes I shoot regularly in Washington State with my friends at the Northwest Practical Pistol Association - IDPA. That is all I can do though. Understandably no carry of any kind and the gun has to be locked up when not in use at the competitions. I plan to visit down your way in the next year or two and will arrange an invitation from a club down there. US Customs are no problem as long as you have your paper work done and I always do.

Coming back into Canada , well lets just say our folks aren't as knowledgeable about our laws as they could be although it has been better lately.

I have to be honest in all my travels in the US I have never felt I needed to be armed but then I am not wandering around in the seedy parts of town or looking for trouble either. Heck as long as I say "HuH" instead of "Eh" you probably would mistake me for someone from the mid-west.;-) I know I can sing your National Anthem with the best of you - I watch a lot of hockey from the US.:-)

Take Care

Bob
ps I got Vancouver over Boston in five for the Stanley Cup

[DanWalker]

Had a damned nasty rodeo one night on our way back to camp. I was riding a crazy mare that had been trained by her idiot owner to run back to camp at the end of every hunt. I was holding her back and she didn't like it one bit. It got REAL dark and the clouds opened up on us and it starting pelting us with icy rain and the lightning was crashing on the peaks around us. Cool stuff in a Louis Lamour book.Not so fun in real life. She started off at a dead run after a close lightning strike, and before I could get her shut down, we launched off the edge of a ravine. We landed about halfway down, and she slid the rest of the way on her rump, with me holding on for dear life. I stayed aboard, and she jumped to her feet when we hit the bottom, and ran up the other side. When we got topside, I started hauling in on the reins and had her chin pulled down into her chest, and she was crow hopping through the dead timber. She rammed one sharp tree limb into my shoulder and one into my ear before I got her stopped. I climbed down and when my buddy showed up, I just tossed him the reins. He looked at me like I was crazy when I told him I would walk the rest of the way back to camp. It was 3 miles in the dark with nothing but my ruger 45 and my mini mag light and GPS to get me back. I told him I came to hunt, not rodeo.

[Char-Gar]

Dan.. Last time I went elk hunting in the Gilas, as we got close to camp the horse started wanting to run the last mile or so. I held his head high with a tight rein to show him who was the boss and who as the hoss.

After he calmed down I learned who was boss. I relaxed my grip on the reins and he quickly stuck his head between his front legs, jerking the reins out of my hands. It was then "ride em cowboy" time as I tried to hold onto a horse charging down a mountain path with no hold on the reins.

After a week, we got back down the mountains and I took off the tack, kissed the horse on the nose, thanked him for not killing me, backed him into the trailer and took an oath never to ride a horse in the mountains again. I kept that oath.

[white eagle]

Not knowing a whole bunch about horses
I have a strange respect for the back side of them
my only real dealings with riding stock was a 13 mile ride into Idaho
elk camp a few years ago
many,many river crossings that I didn't like
talked real nice to the horse I was on the whole time
I carried a Dan Wesson Razorback :lovebooli

[Char-Gar]

White eagle, horses are more like people than like dogs. Mistreat a horse and they will remember that and get even in some subtle and no so subtle ways. Be kind to a horse and the horse will try and take care of you. Most of the time anyway!!!! They are horses after all.

[MtGun44]

Dan,

Sounds like you were lucky to come out in one piece. I have always figured that if a horse
ran you into one of those broken off 2" pine branch stubs about 2 ft long and sharp, you'd
just be stuck like a bug on a pin and not much to do about it after.

Glad you were OK, didn't have to turn out that way. Getting a good horse is really important,
since some of them (like people) are crazy as a hoot owl. BUT - I've ridden some really good
mountain horses hunting that took me up and down some slopes that I would not have believed
anybody could have ridden down or up, let alone me - I'm OK, but no rodeo star or riding
expert. Nobody would think I was an expert rider by any measure, but I don't fall off. Smart
enough to know I'm not that good and what the saddle horn is really for!

Bill

[jmsj]

Back when I was cowboying, I would take in horses to ride for a monthly rate. These were other people's horses that they were having problems with. Most of the time these were horses that the owner had "spoiled". They would pet on them and give them treats, let the horse push on them, the owner would let the horse exert his opinion and give in to the horses will. I have seen horses learn that if they bucked, ran off or acted aggresively when the rider tried to mount that they could get out of being ridden.
Most of these horses just needed lots of miles ridden on them and taught respect and manners. Back then the ranches had lots of big pastures. Some of these pastures could be larger than 10,000 acres and some were up in the high country up to the timberline.
My father's favorite saying used to be " A tired horse and a tired boy will give you no problems". He said it and he practiced it, especially the "tired boy" part! The best cowman I have ever worked for had once told me, "the ruination of the ranch horse was the invention of the horse trailer". When the works were on we would saddle up in the morning and leave in the dark and come back in unsaddle in the evening in the dark.
I'm not saying horses need to ridden into the dirt to be a good horse. But for horses that have been allowed to pick up bad habits hard work is sometimes the best remediation. Here is an example. My mother had ridden the same horse for 15 years and then as horses and people do the horse got old and passed away. My mother was so distraught she did not want to ride anymore. My father thought a new horse would be the solution. He bought the best looking, best put together and trained horse he could find from a nationally known horseman. I took this horse for a week and used him. He was a "top mount", well mannered, soft mouthed, athletic and very "cowy". Still my mother would not ride this new horse. This horse sat idle all that spring, summer, fall and winter. The next spring we ran short of horses and my father decided to start using this horse. First off it took him about an hour to catch up and saddle this horse. When my father finally got the horse going the horse was all "humped up". As the barn started to get out of sight the horse "broke in two" and started bucking. My 63 year old father tried to ride him out but after the reigns broke and he lost his seat he got bucked off. The fall broke two of his ribs. I caught the horse and rode back up to where my father was and we fixed the reigns. My father got back on and rode him till the horse started to soften up. We traded horses and he rode home and I rode this horse to move the cattle we started out to move. When I got home my father and I made a plan to school this horse. The next morning I got up and went to catch this horse, The horse started the same nonsense as the day before. If he was going to run, I was going to make him run. I made him run for an hour till he was good and tired and he gave up. I saddled him and rode him about four miles on a steep back trail to the top of a nearby mesa, about a 2300' elevation gain. He was mad the whole way up there. When we started home he started to run off back to the house and I let him. When we got back to the barn I turned him around and we went back to the top of the mesa again. This time when we went back towards the house, he walked calm and quietly.
I used to use a different horse each day and sometimes trade horses during the day. On this horse, for 6 days I would go out and try to catch him. And for 6 days he resisted being caught, although a little less each day. I would saddle him and check cattle and water conditions on him all day. On the seventh day when I walked out into the corral, he dropped his head and walked up to be caught. After that he made an awesome mount and was able to go into a regular rotation with rest of the remuda. For two more years he made a great ranch horse for my father. A neighbor that needed a hard working horse made my father a really good offer on that horse and my father sold him.
Being around horses always has a amount of danger but being around horses that have been allowed to go bad is playing Russian roulette.

[Char-Gar]

To tire a horse out who had not been ridden in a while and has grown cranky, we used to ride them along the river banks in the sand. The soft sand made them work much harder and tire more quickly.