Merry Christmas

Merry christmas !!!!

This is my favorite time of the year.

This is my favorite christmas poem I hope you enjoy it. 

Two burros

The burro was the last one left,the adoption pen was bare.

The were not surprised, for he looked the worse for wear.

But the youthful couple wanted him, no matter how he looked. 

The longer they looked at him the better they were hooked.

The forms were signed, the money paid, they put him in the truck. 

To get him back to the ranch, they needed lots of luck.

This burro was pretty wild and scared, and fresh from Nevada range.

And back at the ranch they wondered if he would ever change.

The couple worked to tame him,and October came and went,

But he had a mind of his own,his spirit was unbent.

November was no better for whenever the folks came near,

The burro fussed and kicked and trembled from the fear.

December came and with it cold, the taming process slowed.

Each time they tried to work him, the doggone weather snowed.

And as the Christmas time approached, the mother's time came too,

For she was about to have a child and soon the birth was due.

The father had to go to work on the day of Christmas Eve.

While he was gone it began to snow, a storm not to believe.

As he was driving home from work the snow began to lift 

For just a moment-he saw the road was blocked by a giant drift.

He trudged the quarter mile to home, through the blowing snow.

When he arrived he found his wife just pacing to and fro.

Her pains of birth had started to come, her nerves beginning to were.

The truck was just too far away-he couldn't carry her there.

(As soon as he began to pray, a mem'ry came at last-

Of a woman great with child so many years in the past

riding a burro to bethlehem just before a birth

The birth of baby jesus about to come to earth.)

He bundled up and then went out to the burro's snowy yard,

And whispered to the beast,"What I ask is hard;

I know your scared and so am I, but I need help from you 

  To get my frightened wife to town before the birth is due.

The burro came over to the man,softly nuzzled his face,

As if to say,"yes, i'm afraid, but I will take your place.

Carefully i will carry your wife through this blowing snow.

You and I will get her to where she needs to go."

So then the father placed a halter on the burro's head,

And led him to the house and helped his wife from bed,

He lifted her to the burro's back and with a prayer ha led

The burro with its precious load, the mother filled with dread

Through the drifts they struggled on and with a little luck

At last they found the place in the road, arriving at the truck.

He lifted his wife onto the seat, and turned around to face

The burro heading down the trail back to the old home place.

Soon the couple found the clinic in the snowy town,

And while she labored he just paced, walking up and down,

But he thought about two burros, years apart, in his mind,

Two humble burros which took part in miracles, in kind. 

 HAPEY TRAILS.

Trying to Get the Stray Cow

Howdy, so Marshall kind of told the story of the drive up to the point where I met them on the edge of town. we then brought the cows to our neighbors set of corrals and sorted everything and put it where it 

belonged.  

Then like Marshall said there was still a cow in the hills so I traded Marshall horses and left with the neighbor .

the goal was to find the cow and calf and load them in the trailer and take them back.  Well, easier said than done. 

 We tried to gently move cow and new born calf up the hill to the trailer.  No go.  The cow was a very protective mother and tried to get us even when we were horseback so I roped the calf  and we dragged it up the hill to the trailer.  Mamma was not happy.

The plan at this point was to try and get the calf in the trailer without mamma killing us so I dragged the calf  to the very edge of the trailer then the neighbor, Chad,  roped mamma and did his best to keep her away while I jumped off my horse and put the calf in the trailer behind the center dividing gate and then hi-tailed it back to my horse to try to escape the wrath of the new mother. 

That part worked but now we had the problem of making the calf bawl to try and get the mother in the trailer. No go.

 So we wove the rope through the bars on the side of the trailer and even with Chad pulling as hard as his horse was able and me moving her from behind all we succeeded in doing was breaking half of the hinges on the back door and choking the cow down. 

 We were both mad at not being able to get her in the trailer but it was getting dark so we pulled the ropes off, kept the calf, and went home.

Chad decided he would drive her to the nearest set of corrals the next day and load her from there.

But I don't know if that happened or not.  For all I know, she may still be up there.

Well thanks.  See ya next time and happy trails.

Cattle Drive: Day 2

On the second day of the drive Monson woke up sick so it was just me for the first part of the trip.  Monson showed up later in the day.  (I think he was just scared of the morning cold.)

The second day we had to take the cows through town to their winter calving grounds. Before we got to town we had about 7 miles to go.  In this 7 miles my mom, dad, and little brother came up to see how we were doing.  My mom loves to use her camera and I'm camera shy but she kept making me stop to take my picture - which is just fine I guess because pictures make posting on this blog a lot easier.

 On the second day Pepper was very tired but he took the cold and the miles like a champ. At the end of the day it was my turn to feel sick.  

That morning we left one cow and her new born calf on the mountain so when we got the rest of the cows down we had to go get them. I was too sick to go so Monson took Pepper and went.

Monson will have to tell you his story of the calf and the killer mamma.

My New Schedule

School is a bear. 

 My mom just introduced a new schedule for our winter learning. It sounds something like this:

 7:30 clean the house and feed horses breakfast

8:30 math 

9:30 more math 

10:30 write 20 page essay 

12:00 lunch 

12:30 even more math

1:30 science 

3:00 history 

4:30 finally outside to horses... 

the sun goes down at 5:00

5:30 free time 

7:00 dinner block 

9;00 lights out 

Then wake up in the morning and do it all over again.  

this sounds like what I envision a prison camp to be like.

This is how I would like my day to go:

 wake up 7:00  Do chores,  eat breakfast 

go saddle up -  ride till lunch 

12;00

Rope till dark

Eat dinner then go to bed. 

Then wake up in the morning and do it all over again 

  

but unfortunately this is where Dad says," you're out of line and you have to  do school."

Moving Cows

 This last week we helped our friend move his cows down from his summer range.  On the first day we had to gather the cows off his ground.  Gathering is a lot of fun if it is done right. Wen you gather the easy way all the riders spread out in a wide arc and cover all of the ground.  After we gathered we had to drive the 130 pair 15 miles to that nights stopping point.  By the time we got there that night everything was tired: man and beast alike.  It was along day. 

There were five riders, including my brother, Monson, and me.   We all had a lot of fun even though it was 5 degrees above zero when we started that morning.  That's all for now folks.

The Dave Stamey Concert Was Great

Howdy Folks.  

This last weekend we got to go to a Dave Stamey concert in Marsh Valley, Idaho.

It was incredible. It was just him and his guitar and he sounded really good .

he is a top notch entertainer and I highly recommend watching him perform if you get the opportunity.

The concert went like this:  We pre- ordered tickets so we found our seats and sat down when it was time for the program to start.  He had a cowboy poet start things off for him. he was really great. Then he came out and started to talk and sing. he pretty much had a funny story for every song.  It was great .

During the intermission when every one else was talking, my mom and I went and found Dave and said hi to him from Kent Frecker, a local saddle maker who is a mutual friend.  Then we had him sign a cd and got a picture and then went and enjoyed the rest of the concert . 

He did sing, Buckaroo Man, and a bunch of other good songs.
 Well see ya next time.  Happy trails.

Frecker's Saddlery

This last week we went up to Frecker's Saddlery's grand opening.  Frecker's used to be located in Ririe, Idaho just a few minutes down the road from us.  Now it's in Dillon, Montana.

Kent Frecker is one of the nicest people i know. He will stop working to talk to anyone. Maybe someday I will be able to afford one of his saddles.  As far as I'm concerned he is the best saddle maker in the business. Their new shop is in the historic downtown of Dillon. The new shop has a lot more room then the old one. In the picture above, the left side of the building is the show floor where they sell tack.  On the right side is where they build the saddles.  

Blocking Wood

One of the ways Monson and I make money is we saw wood from limbed trees into logs that can be split for fire wood.  We have to thank Ricky Quinn for teaching us how to use a chain saw.

 The way we do it is we get an order for an amount of cords (4ft-4ft-8ft) of wood. Then we cut it in 14in lengths.  Then we load it on a trailer and deliver it.

It is a long and labor intensive process.  But it can be fun.  Especially when you get paid. This season we did 15 cord which is a semi- lode of trees.  Well thats all.

Book Review: Endurance, by Alfred Lansing

Well, unfortunately, Marshall and I don't have enough horse flesh to keep us busy 100% of the time outside.  So when we're not doing that we have do do inside work, like the dreaded school work.

If you're ever feeling too happy for your own good, read Endurance, by Alfred Lansing.  And if you're wishing for adventures, do not go to the Antarctic....  it sounds pretty dang bad.




Here are some of the reasons you should be glad that you didn't go with Sir Ernest Shackleton on his famous expedition - I'll count down from Ten:

10:  You don't have to be frozen and wet day and night for months.
9:  When you get blisters, they don't freeze and turn into hard lumps on your skin.
8:  You don't have to sleep in rotting sleeping bags on top of melting snow and bird guano.
7:  You don't have to live on an iceberg, or worry about it splitting in the middle of the night, and dropping you into the sea.
6.  You don't have to be attacked by leopard seals.
5.  You don't have to row for 3-4 hours, without gloves, and save your hands from freezing when you get back to camp by thrusting them into a freshly killed seal.
4.  Your food is not all meat and blubber, with some seal brains thrown in for variety.
3.  You don't have to heat, cook, and stay warm by burning blubber, which coats you in inky black soot.
2.  You don't have to spend hours in boats with freezing water up to your knees, eventually freezing your feet, and then have one turn gangrenous and have to be cut off.
1.  If you're in charge of a dog team, you don't have to shoot them one by one and then eat them for a change in diet.

Shackleton was really a hero even though he made some mistakes throughout the adventure. But almost everybody came home in one piece.  I'm just glad I wasn't with him.  So this winter when I'm riding my horse and think I'm cold, I'll remind myself, I'm really not.

Update on Starting Max

Well the latest on Max is he is in a snaffle bit.  He is doing great.  We have been in the arena for about 4 rides now.  He has a total of 7 rides.  At this point the rider is expanding the foundation the colt already has.  So I'm trying to introduce new things to him all the time, without overexposing him and frightening him.  One of the end goals is to have your horse trust you implicitly, so you try never to misuse that trust.  Everything I've learned is from Buck Brannaman/Ricky Quinn.  I'm just trying to apply what I've heard them say to this new experience of starting a colt.  

Right now I'm trying to get Max to pay attention to me. One of the hard parts is getting the horse to go where you want him to without making him mad or upset.  If you do your home work on the ground it is a lot easier.  A good rule to live by with horses is if you control the hindquarters you control the horse.    Well that's all. Happy trails.  

Words and Guitar Chords to Buckaroo Man by Dave Stamey

Dave Stamey is a cowboy song writer and singer.  DaveStamey.com

He is a blast to listen to.  If you haven't ever heard him sing I really recommend looking him up on youtube or your song site of choice.
But anyway, the reason I am writing about him is he is performing in Arimo, Idaho, only a short distance away from us and we have tickets to see him next Saturday. I am hoping for a great time. I hope he sings this song:

BUCKAROO MAN

Am        G              Am  

Sleep in a bed roll of canvas.  

Am                   C                  E      

No seeums they feed on your ears.

Am                      G                   Am

Wind blows the dust just like buckshot.

Am                             C                   E

 I ain't never seen it rain much out here.

Am                    G                Am

Smell your own sweat in the evening. 

Am                   C                E

Wash up at the galvanized tank.

F                              G                       C                         Am

Nearest town is forty miles, and the cook here he don't smile 

F                          E                Am

and all these young horses are rank.

Chorus: 

F                               G               C              Am

But come a ti yi yippie i o on the back of my caballo

F                  G                E

I wupy ti one on when I can 

F                                 G                     C               Am

My spurs they don't ring much and I never did sing much,

              F             E                 Am                         

but I'm sure enough a buckaroo man.

    

Cold fingers stiff in the morning. By noon its a hundred an three. Five year old slicks in the canyon, and never a hint of a breeze. Jug headed hollow back ponies, provide all with hours of grief.

Well there's snakes in the shade and cholla on the grade and a half a ton of grit between my teeth.

Chorus

That's a great song. It's also really fun to play on the guitar. The chords are just ones my mom and I worked out one night.  They're probably not the real ones.  And I don't know if all the words are exactly right.  Well, see ya next time. Happy trails.

MONSON

   

My Paint Horse, Pepper

My Paint Horse, Pepper

"PEPPER"

Pepper is my saddle horse.  Pepper was the first horse I ever bought.  I've had him for just over a year.  A good rule when buying a horse is make sure the horse is everything it's owner says it is.  I learned that after I bought him.  I fell in love with him before I knew everything.  I made the mistake of just riding Pepper in an arena.  When I got him home I found that I had a big project ahead of me. The good part is he has turned out to be a rock solid saddle horse.  He is very calm and good to be around.  Right now my littlest brother is learning to ride and Pepper is being the perfect kids horse while still being my number one saddle horse.  He is a pretty cool horse.

How We Named the Blog - "The Scoop Loop"

How We Named the Blog - "The Scoop Loop"

All right this blog took a little while to put together and there were some funny stories that  took place when we were naming it and creating it.  So I decided to tell you folks a few of these stories.

First off, Marshall failed to mention that this blog is a school assignment gone wild.  But, so far, so good.

When naming the blog we started by brain storming about names like Buckaroo Blog or something revolving around the word vaquero.  Then we googled them to find out if they were already taken.
It was funny some of the things that we found.  For instance all the vaquero things were like Pedro's   macho vaquero - we are not vaqueros yet, but we do try to be macho...  There was also Buckaroo Barbies.  With a name like that, we went right to their site.  They were two sisters, and definitely attractive, but a little old for us.  Plus, the post we read said one of them was getting married.

Then we started thinking about some phrases we've heard Buck Brannaman say, or something we've read in a Ray Hunt book.  All we could think of at first was, "Engage the Hindquarters" - and as a title that just didn't seem right. we thought about ''think'' or ''soft feel'' but neither sounded right .

So we thought about brands like M bar M or 2M lazy M but we decided that if we want to register a brand we don't want to have to rename the blog.

Finally we thought  about roping as we some times tend to do and that led to roping shots like ''johnny blocker'' or the ''SCOOP LOOP''! we all liked it so that's what it became and the name will push me and Marshall to get better at a shot nether of us throws very well.

Starting my Colt, Max

Starting my Colt, Max

"MAX"

Howdy.   The last couple of weeks, Monson and I have been working on starting my 4 year old colt, Max.  Max is a line back dun.  He is short, small, and not that good looking. The good side about him is he is one of the most laid back easy going colts of all time. This is the first colt I have ever started so this is a big plus.
When you are riding any horse the goal is for horse and rider to work as a team. This is easier said then done. During the first couple of rides on a colt you are laying the foundation for this.
 Here are some pictures of the third ride on Max.

In this shot I'm not sure what made me clench my jaw.   Max was doing great.

Asking a colt to lope is a little bit scary because things can go bad fast. But they didn't.

   That's the latest update from the Scoop Loop.

Happy Trails.