On a flight from Phoenix to Denver to have somewhat of an unexpected opportunity to go with Wife Tammy’s sister Taras boy Sam to a bareback Riding school in Laramie, Wyoming and I’m real exited about it.

The one disappointing thing is that I was invited to “ Throw Pialles” con mi amigo Hector at Corona Ranch, but had to leave before we could do it. Next time.

When we were doing Tammy’s Art of the Cowgirl earlier the “Corona” virus was just making the news and I remember Mr Announcer guy Gord Colliar making some jokes in reference to the name of the place and the virus. It was funny.

We just were visiting with the folks at Corona and they are struggling because of it. They have had lots of big groups cancel because of the Coronavirus and are really worried about it. Kind of ironic that the Corona Ranch is affected by the Coronavirus.

We were checking out places to have the event for next year. Corona ranch is my favorite and if you know how much I enjoy the Mexican culture you know my vote is there. The challenge is that the preliminary events have to be at least an hour away from Corona Ranch so it would be nice to get everything in one place.

We went down to Tucson and looked at Pima County Fairgrounds the went on down to Nogales to see our friend Dean Fish. He has the best and strongest pasture fence I have ever seen on the south side of the ranch. His neighbor to the East has about 1/4 as good of a fence trying to do the same job and that’s a little hard to understand, so I just had to jump the fence and get to the other side! I just had to.



When we were leaving we were on a little back road and all of a sudden a car roars around us just as we were turning and almost hit us then pulled right out thin traffic and almost caused a huge wreck. I was trying to figure out what the heck was wrong with the maniac and here comes about 6 border patrol Riggs in hot pursuit. I think he or she or they escaped em!

Just a few minutes ago I boarded my plane. All of a sudden all hell broke loose behind me. A guy was choking and in trouble. I got ahold of his backpack and a guy behind him went to preforming the hymlic on him and got him saved. He was about done when he got him clear and it made a big mess on the plane.

I was visiting with the guy that choked on the way to baggage claim and he thought he was going to die. He passed out before it came loose. He had never choked before. He said he felt like he had a cracked rib but felt like the guy saved his life.

It’s been very exiting and interesting. Arizona interesting!

The amazing Tammy Pate. She overcame cancer, produced Art of the Cowgirl, took on role as grandmother, and still looked good horseback and made a hand helping rope in the Pate family stockmanship demo and start colts with rial and me.

It was like old times on the clinic trail with the whole family working together. Mesa was a big part of the events success and her horse “Scotty” is wearing the high selling horse Bridle she received for selling the high selling horse. The Apple didn’t fall far from the tree with Tammy and Mesa.

Family, horses, ropes and cows. The only thing missing is our dogs.

Rial Pate doing what he does so good. That’s the new owner of the 63 Ranch watching and wondering if he hired the right generation of Pate.

We pulled in to get fuel to head north after wife Tammys very successful “Art of the Cowgirl” event. I stepped out of the pickup and a 30ish physically fit fellow came up and started to ask me for money. He got about halfway through his speech, and I said no, and he new I meant it.

With the unemployment rate so low and everyone looking for workers he needed to get a job. I went in and got a cup of coffee and beef sticks and walked over to him and gave him my 37 cents change. I figured if he was hungry he would accumulate enough to get something to eat. He said thank you but couldn’t look me in the eye this time either.

The Art of the Cowgirl is a very diverse event. From what I understand the main reason for it is to help women through funding a fellowship to help gain skills that have to do with raising livestock and living the western Ranching lifestyle including making gear and creating art that keeps the tradition pure and real.

The competition side and horse sale get the most attention and are very exiting, and really show the skills of the horseback side of cowgirls, and it helps to fund some of the fellowship. It all works together to preserve and improve everything “Cowgirl”.

The Corona Ranch is a great place to have it. The set up and ambiance of the facility is perfect. They provide food and drink and a great setting.

Thursday night was a reception for donors, vendors, presenters and friends of Art of the Cowgirl. Corona ranch had great food they brought around with a Mexican theme. Someone told Tammy they should have offered a vegetarian options.

What? It’s the art of the COWgirl! I have no problem with vegetarians or vegans. I even admire that they are doing something they believe in and think they have the right to do and say what the want. It’s my job to try to create what I believe in and promote it to preserve and continue the culture and business of livestock production, which I believe through science and common sense is good for the environment and healthy for people if done properly. I feel the same way about vegetables, and if I was at “The Art of the Gardener” I would expect to each vegetables.

I was recently visiting with a young fellow thats wife has a huge social media following in the horse world. They were hired by the Professional Bull Riders Association to promote an event through their following. When they did the following revolted and were very upset that they were promoting bull riding. They quit the deal so as to not lose the following they had built up.

If they didn’t believe in bull riding and the use of animals for that they should not have agreed to promote it. We need to stand up for what we believe and help educate people in why. If you just quit because it doesn’t fit someone else’s agenda to further your following or prosperity, I feel you don’t have a very strong belief in what you do and you should really evaluate your backbone or belief.

This brings me back to the fellow asking me for a hand out at the gas station. My belief is he needed to get a job. He was able bodied and had a good mind.

He should be working and contributing to society, not taking away from it. There was a guy in the gas station in a wheelchair and overweight and needed help. The guy outside was taking away from someone that really needed it. That’s what happens when you try to get something that you don’t earn.

Everything needs a job or a purpose, including cows and horses. Over the years I have been watching the horsemanship and stockmanship “revolution”. When these things become the discipline I don’t see very good results. When the use of stockmanship and horsemanship are used to improve a job I see great results.

Watching these cowgirls preform in the cow horse competitions and at the horse sale these horses were good. They didn’t have the problems that so many people that I watched for years with horsemanship clinics. They had a purpose and a job and created horse that could get her done because of it.

Again, they had a job, and the job created the Cowgirl and the horse.

They could get her done on the stockmanship as well. I see people that get so into the philosophy of stockmanship and so touchy feely about it that they don’t fit in the real world of livestock production, and really can’t get the job done if everything is not perfect.

The way cattle are handled in competition is not what I want or desire, but it is a competition and that’s why we need rules and be strict not to have events that go to far.

Just because you have the intention of doing right doesn’t mean it’s right for the animal. We must be very careful to keep it real in both directions, not to much, but not to little either. Don’t allow people that don’t understand what animals and humans need to get along and have a good quality of life create our future.

Get real, get a job and get a backbone.