Nov 05 2008
Why Didn’t I Become a Cowboy?
Why Didn’t I Become a Cowboy?
Roy Rogers. Gene Autry. Hopalong Cassidy. Red Ryder. Lash LaRue. The Cisco Kid (and Pauncho). The Lone Ranger (and Tonto).
These were the staples of my early television viewing. I was enamored with the cowboy life. (Probably with cowboy actor’s life, but I was nine or ten years old.)
I remember exactly why I did not become a cowboy. I wanted a pony. A horse of my own. We had cows, chickens and pigs, but no horses. My Dad said “Sure!”
Wow! He said YES! “But first,” he now reneged, “you have to prove that you are ready to take care of a horse and that you know everything you need to know.”
I thought that was fair enough. So he started asking my questions. I answered and answered…correctly….for a long time. Way beyond what I thought was a fair amount of questions. Well, it turns out he had no intention of letting me have a horse. He asked me question after question about taking care of horses: horse diet, horse training, horse habits, horse anatomy and tack.
TACK? I didn’t know the word. I was nine. TACK?
Well, I was stuck on tack. Dad told me that I would have to wait a few more years. YEARS!
No horse and no career as a cowboy.
In all honesty, years and years later, with kids of my own, I found out that I didn’t really like horses that much. Didn’t like riding them much, didn’t like their smell or their ornery dispositions. I’m glad my kids never asked me for a horse.
Tomorrow: Why Didn’t I Take More Risks in Life?
Yesterday: Why Didn’t I Write the Great American Novel?
