They Ride Horses in Texas Don't They!

Everyone lives on a ranch, rides horses and fights Indians? That's what I heard people in Europe think about Texas...Assumptions from the movies and television sitcoms like Dallas has given Texans some huge boots to fill. It must be a real let down to come here and see that cowboys are becoming a dying breed with only a few pockets of working cattle ranches. As so I believed til I walked up on a postcard picture in the flesh....a good looking cowboy, a beautiful mustang and a cow dog!

I had made a day of exploring my home town of Fort Worth during it's annual Jazz Festival when I turned the corner around the Will Rodgers Complex to see this young cowboy riding a fence sidesaddle while talking on his cell phone. I couldn't walk away without taking pictures or starting a conversation. I'm pretty brazen that way...just walked up and started talking!

First I asked if he would mind my taking pictures of him and the animals. "No Mam", he said. Of course, he had beautiful manners! I was struck by his clean cut appearance, obvious pressed jeans and pearl snap western shirt...all the trappings of a real "cleaned up to go to town" cowboy.

We talked about where he was from and what large ranch he was working on. The mustang was his soon to be bride, girlfriend's project called Mustang Make-over. The horse was part of a wild herd that lost it's natural habitat because of urban sprawl. The program gives you nine months to care for and train the mustang then compete in a competition that tests the horses abilities to follow the rider's commands as on a working ranch. His girl didn't make a perfect score but the young man apparently was mighty proud of her effort.

It almost felt like I was in a foreign country, speaking to the local natives. I hung on every word and drank in all the visuals that said, "Postcard from Texas".

I was just now thinking....if we just took the time to stop and visit, I believe we would find more of these pockets of wonders right in our own backyards.