06/29/07 Hazards

Prairie dog and badger holes were just a few of the hazards early-time cowboys faced. I'm Jeff Keane; I'll be right back to tell you about some new obstacles. Western movies did a good job of portraying the dangers of a cowboy's horse stepping in a badger or prairie dog hole, but today's cowboy has some newer hazards to add to the list. Although we're not blessed with prairie dogs in our area, we still have to keep an eye out for the occasional badger hole, plus in certain parts of the country cattle grazing lands have scattered abandoned homesteads or even old camps included in those pastures. My brother, Dane, discovered the fun you can have running over an old set of coil bedsprings. As Dane and his mare, Bess charged through some wild rose bushes to head off wild cattle on the run, Bess stuck both front feet in the thrown away bedspring and her head and front end disappeared from Dane's view. Luckily Bess's front feet came out of the coils but they were under her as she slid across the grass with her head still leading the way. Dane stayed in the saddle and was upright as Bess started trying to get on her feet, which threw Dane forward and off. We still don't know why he doesn't talk in a permanent high tenor. Bess's momentum and attempt to get up caused her to do a complete front summersault then land on her feet. Bess didn't move, just stood and trembled, Dane couldn't move  they just looked at one another. By the time I got to the scene they both had recovered enough to inspect, measure, and brag about the length of their skid marks. I'm Jeff Keane.