Road Stories

I’m in Las Vegas for the first time, covering the National Finals Rodeo. Last night I watched the 8th round, and it was electrifying. Below are a few of my favorite shots from the evening.

Crash Cooper was on hand to open up the performance with a bang.

I sat next to my friend Kyle Partain, a former associate editor for Western Horseman and now managing editor for ProRodeo Sports News. It looks to me like he's seen his share of laser/fireworks shows.

Cory Solomon chases down a calf in the tie-down roping.

Kaycee Feild continues to dominate in the bareback riding, tying for first last night with a 83.5 score. He has won $110,577 so far at the NFR.

Lindsay Sears and Martha tied for third in the barrel racing.

Oh, they like to laugh about that flimsy, PVC-pipe fence they use at the Pendleton Round-Up during the bull riding. Some bulls think it’s real and have no idea that those goofy photographers on the other side are an easy target. Others find that it doesn’t take much more than a nudge with the horn or shoulder to make part of that fence fall down and send a bunch of wide-eyed, lens-toting photogs scrambling. Several bulls knocked down the faux-fence, and one flat-out jumped it. You should of seen the photogs running and shaking in their boots, myself included.

Here at the 2011 Pendleton Round-Up, it’s not all that safe for photograpers. One photog told me he was more scared of the broncs, which aren’t held in by PVC. Whatever, dude. Those horses may travel fast, but they don’t glare at you from five feet away, thinking about all the ways they’d love to stomp you into the ground.

Ryan Fornstrom ropes his calf in 13 seconds.

Local Native Americans compete in the Indian Race.

Dave Worsfeld competes in the bareback riding.

I’m still groggy from a 13-hour, all-night drive from Colorado Springs back home. Many Western Horseman staff members left Sunday afternoon from a remarkable gathering and trail ride celebrating our 75th anniversary. It was a whirl-wind weekend of meeting new people, catching up with old friends and making plenty of memories. Here are my favorite moments from this past weekend.

10. Our national anthem.
Cowboy musician Michael Martin Murphey arrived in a stage coach Saturday morning and kicked off the trail ride with a guitar and a moving rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner.” With around 150 riders mounted, hats off and Pikes Peak in the background, it was a great setting for us to honor our country and the men and women who have fought to defend our freedom.

9. Rain and cool weather.
It has been hot and dry in Texas all summer, so a few days of cooler mountain air and afternoon rain showers was a nice break.

8. Cowboy church service.
Sunday morning we attended a cowboy church service at the Flying W Ranch. Pastor Scotty Vaughn delivered a great message on the joy of the Lord.

7. Caricatures by Kevin Cordtz.
Each month, Cordtz creates the cartoons that illustrate Baxter Black’s column on the back page of the magazine. Saturday night he was on hand to draw some hilarious caricatures of those attending the banquet.

6. Catching up with former staff members.
Past editors Pat Close and Gary Vorhes, and former editorial assistant Karan Miller joined us on the ride. It was also nice to catch up with former staffers such as Randy Witte and Kim Simhauser.

5. Western Horseman’s display at the ProRodeo Hall of Fame.
A new display at the “Hall” features several artifacts from the magazine, as well as a sketch of Dick Spencer and covers from January 1936 and January 2011.

4. The banter of famous horsemen.
WH book authors and respected horsemen attended the celebration. The group included Martin Black, Chris Cox, Bob Avila, Al Dunning, Mike Major, Craig Cameron, Marty Martin, Mike Kevil, Jack Brainard, Dr. Bob Miller and Curt Pate. They all said they had a great time and seemed to enjoy each others company. They didn’t hold back from razzing one other, either. When several of them opted to take the shorter route on the trail ride, Al Dunning acted incredulous. “We should make them t-shirts that say, ‘I DID NOT survive the Western Horseman ride,’” he said with a laugh.

3. Riding my gelding.
On photo shoots, I often ride someone else’s horse. This time I got the chance to bring my own. There’s nothing like riding your own horse. My 3-year-old roan gelding handled his first mountain experience very well.

2. Meeting readers.
This event was designed for our loyal readers. Many longtime subscribers had good things to say about the magazine, which is always nice to hear. I met a lot of neat people, including Reinhold and Isabel Pennekamp, who flew all the way from Germany to attend the ride.

1. Conversations with great horsemen.
This weekend gave me the chance to listen to conversations among the industry’s best horsemen. One evening I sat at a table with Brainard, Miller, Black and Pate as they discussed horsemanship. Fascinating.

Darryl Bennett and Craig Cameron.

If you study very many of Charlie Russell’s classic paintings, you’ll notice a familiar butte that often shows up in background. The distinguished land form, called Square Butte, is easy to see while riding on the Bell Cross Ranch. This ranch, located south of Great Falls, Montana, hosted the Cowboy Artists of America’s annual trail ride two weeks ago. The Cowboy Artists invited Western Horseman along for the ride, and I was honored to represent the magazine.
Chalie Russell country is the ideal location for a CAA trail ride. Several artists made comments about the colors and light in this area, and how it was reflected in Russell’s paintings.
I got a chance to visit the C.M. Russell Museum in Great Falls and meet several great artists on the ride who have been inspired by Russell (I think every CAA member has been inspired by Russell). Overall, it was a enjoyable time of riding, meeting new friends, sitting around the campfire, and getting out of the blistering Texas heat.
Below are several photos from the ride.

First photo: From left, Fred Fellows, Bruce Greene, Tim Cox and Bill Owen ride with Square Butte in the background.
Photo 2: Loren Entz (left) and Dave Powell help move cows and calves to a new pasture.
Photo 3: Bill Owen kills a rattlesnake as Tim Cox looks on.
Photo 4: Range tents, or cowboy tepees, line the campsite on the Bell Cross Ranch.

Chris Cox became the first three-time winner of Road to the Horse yesterday, beating fellow horsemen Clinton Anderson and Pat Parelli. The Mineral Wells, Texas, clinician won the annual colt-starting competition aboard a gray 3-year-old gelding by Sixes Pick.

“He was a skittish horse,” Cox said. “Tough horses like that need security and support. That made me go to my foundation of training even more.”

The competitors each worked with an untrained, 3-year-old gelding during two sessions lasting about two hours. The final round involved basic maneuvers such as trotting, loping, stopping, and also included an 11-obstacle trail course.

Performing in front of more than 7,000 cheering spectators, Cox aced his final test, earning the highest marks from the five judges.

Cox earned $10,000 for his win.

It’s Day 3 here at Road to the Horse, and I am thoroughly impressed. This event has become one of the best stages for celebrating excellent horsemanship—from the clinics by this year’s competitors—Clinton Anderson, Chris Cox and Pat Parelli—to the opening acts by the likes of Mike Major, Richard Winters and Stacy Westfall.
Today is the final day, and the winner will be decided. So far, Parelli has accomplished the most with his horse. He has walked it across a tarp, jumped it over barrels, saddled it and briefly stood on its back. He and the horse seem well-connected. At the same time, with about 10 minutes remaining in the round yesterday, his horse bucked him off.
Chris Cox has also saddled and ridden his gray gelding. Clinton Anderson hasn’t progressed as far. His chestnut gelding is a handful. Still, Anderson has managed to hop on its back.
Past RTTH competitions tell us that predicting the winner at this stage is nearly impossible. Along with the competition, there have been quite a few things that make you say “Wow.” Here are my top 5, so far:
5. The judges. The group features some of the most revered horsemen in our industry, including Jack Brainard, Marian Beuhler, Bill Enk, Cody Lambert, Dr. Robert Miller and Bob Moorhouse. Dr. Miller unfortunately had to be hospitalized with a brain hemorrhage, but after surgery he is okay and is watching the web cast of RTTH from his bed in the Intensive Care Unit.

4. Four Sixes horses. This a very well-bred, good-looking set of colts. They have good size as 3-year-olds and show a lot of athleticism. It’s not easy to buck off Pat Parelli.

3. Tomas Garcilazo. The diminutive charro is not only skilled with a loop, but his horsemanship is excellent. His palomino, with the its mane reaching nearly to the ground, performs the entire routine bridleless, loping, spinning and standing calmly while Tomas twirls his loops. Tomas’s gray horse is equally impressive, at one point kneeling on both front legs and walking on its knees.

2. Black Hope Stik. Mike Major’s black mare helped the Colorado cowhand win Project Cowboy last year after working a cow bridleless. During RTTH’s opening ceremonies, the pair showed the Tennessee crowd how it’s done, boxing, fencing, circling and roping a cow—all without help from a bit.

1. Pat Parelli. The veteran clinician has still got it. He has lost weight and is in good enough shape to keep up with two younger horsemen. Plus, he still knows how to put on a show. During opening ceremonies, he rode into the arena flanked by two other horses. They stayed hooked to Parelli while circling, side-passing and stepping onto a pair of platforms.

At last, I’m back on the road. Out of the office. Out in the open with horses and cows. It’s been quite a while since I went on assignment for an extended period of time, and it has been a breath of fresh air.

I flew into Billings, Montana, on January 24 to interview and photograph for a few stories. The principle story is about Miller Cattle Company, which feeds yearling calves in the winter months with teams of horses.

To say that I came prepared to do photography in the frigid, winter months in Montana would be an understatement. This thin-blooded Texan stuffed wool socks, long underwear, three jackets, a wool vest, two wildrags, warm boots and thick gloves into my suitcase. I even drove around Billings looking for another jacket, just in case. The first day at Miller, I looked like a marshmallow wearing all my gear. Meanwhile, Dave Miller and his hired hand, Tom Mattingly (pictured), worked in long-sleeve shirts and vests. I guess I went overboard, especially since the temperature was in the 30s.

Although the weather was warmer than I anticipated, the photos still have a snowy, wintry look and should work well for a feature in Western Horseman, scheduled for sometime next winter.

I felt a little guilty. Even though I was working, gathering photos of Joel Nelson for Ryan Bell’s article about the cowboy and poet (see our November issue), the day was incredibly relaxing.

Joel and I met well before sunrise and worked on portraits in the cool morning air. After that, we saddled up and rode deeper into his pasture east of Alpine, Texas, and checked on his cows and a new water well. Next, we trailered to another pasture and gathered a handful of Corriente cows and calves. Joel’s wife, Sylvia, joined us. I continued taking photos from the saddle as the Nelsons loaded the cattle into a stock trailer.

Everything about the way Joel works cattle is serene. He takes his time, gently manipulating his cows in the direction he wants them to go. The cows were transported with little stress. Joel’s horse worked with ease and rhythm. There was time to enjoy the green grass, blue skies and rugged desert hills on the horizon. There was time for me to take a deep breath, slow down and see why Joel Nelson has been drawn to his cowboy occupation for decades; to understand how he so passionately composes his poetry.

Last week I made a short trip to West Texas to photograph a day worker cowboy (see our upcoming September issue), as well as some ranch mares and foals. The weekend before I was there, the area had received 5 inches of rain, which is unheard of in that part of the country, especially in July.

The grass was unbelievably green. The gravel roads were flooded. The air was muggy. Cows were fat. Horses were muddy. One veteran cowboy said he’d never seen so much rain.

One of the negatives, particularly when you’re the type of photographer who finds himself crawling around on the ground, is the critters.

Big red ants had been flooded out of their holes, and a number of them were flying in the air. Tumble bugs were busy doing the dirty business that they do. Grasshoppers the size of buffalo wings (no joke) were lumbering on the ground.

And then there were the tarantulas. On the road later that evening, I saw about 30 eight-legged jay-walkers in the space of 20 miles. But seeing them from the safety of your truck cab is different than watching one at ground zero. Shortly before taking this photo I had stomped a fuzzy tarantula to death. Then I spent about 15 minutes sitting on the ground, taking these photos of mares and foals. I tried not to think about what multi-legged creature might wander up my pants leg.

“So you photograph nature and people,” she said excitedly. The lady working behind the counter, named Melonie, continued chatting with me as she made arrangements for my overnight stay in a vintage Airstream travel trailer. “This is going to be an interesting place to sleep tonight,” I thought.

Paisley is a small, remote town in southern Oregon. Logging and ranching have been its main industries throughout its existence, but sadly the community is shrinking. That means no hotels, except for a tiny three-room lodge that was surprisingly booked full when I arrived. That’s what led me to the Airstream.

The Summer Lake Hot Springs is an RV park five miles north of town. It has plenty of RV hookups, hiking trails, cabins, public restrooms and, of course, an old sheet-metal barn that houses natural, warm, healing artesian springs. I pulled into the gravel drive, weary from a long trip. After driving past a few totem poles, I read a sign outside the office that said, “Respect this sacred land.” Inside, I was greeted by a painting of an oriental woman meditating in the lotus pose, a three-legged cat, and Melonie.

Melonie told me the cabins were already booked, but I could stay in one of the refurbished travel trailers. She added that a group of bikers thoroughly enjoyed hanging out in the Airstream whenever they rolled through the region. Despite the rave reviews, I had to inspect the mobile living quarters myself.

Now, I’ve stayed in a lot of different places in my travels besides the cushy confines of a Holiday Inn. I’ve slept in guest houses, living room couches, bedrolls, tepees, horse trailers, a bunk-bed (top level), and even the front seat of my pickup. But a chrome-colored trailer on the Oregon range was a first for me.

“You must have good karma to have dropped into such a healing place,” Melonie said.

I had a photo shoot scheduled in town that evening and didn’t get back till after dark. Another photo shoot had me stepping out of the Airstream at 4:30 a.m. I never had the time to soak in the hot springs. But I must say, my brief stint at Summer Lake Hot Springs was the best night’s sleep I got the whole trip. It was groovy.