In Phoenix this week helping set up for “Art of the Cowgirl “.  Woke up, got coffee and went to reading emails, and the first read was a real nice surprise.

I really get a lot of inspiration from reading Marty’s writing, but to be in one of his writings is a real honor, and to have my name in the same paragraph as Jesus doesn’t happen very often.

I hope Marty keeps writing and I hope you will subscribe and start reading.  It’s a good way to start your day.

I get to start a colt this week at Art of Cowgirl. I will try to keep it cowboy simple, and thanks to Marty’s inspiration keep my spiritual life simple.

Daily Reading-1-22-20–Whispering

The first time I met Curt Pate, he was putting on a colt starting clinic in Casper, Wyoming. My dad had known him for several years, so he and I had a lot to talk about when we met. I truly enjoyed visiting with him, and watching his colt starting demonstration was great, as well. The thing I like about Curt is that he doesn’t get too showy. It’s not a circus act with him, maybe to a fault. I mean there are some of those clinicians who put on a pretty good show, and they develop quite a following because of it. Not Curt. He just starts a colt or works cattle and talks to the crowd while he’s doing it. It’s pure, and it’s simple. No witch doctoring here.

As he put a start on that colt in Casper, I was impressed. He just did it like I’ve seen a million guys do it, but he seemed to really be paying attention to the horse. It wasn’t like he was going from step A to step B to step C; he was moving with the horse. When the horse was ready to move, he moved. If the horse wasn’t ready to move yet, or he just wasn’t yielding the way Curt thought he should, he stayed right there until the horse was ready. There was no watch involved, but there also wasn’t a real formula involved, just a simple rule to make the right things easy and the wrong things hard and get that horse to feeling which was which.

When he got done, Mandi and I were standing visiting with some friends, and we overheard a few old boys saying, “Well, that wasn’t anything special. That’s just the way my grandpa done it.” No kidding. And that’s really exactly what Curt was saying. He was just sticking to the basics of horsemanship. There was nothing magical about it. No whispering, except what he tried to say under his breath (which is hard to do when you’re wearing a microphone). He simply put a nice little start on a nice little colt and did it as basic as a guy can. These guys were looking for some “Horse Whisperer” who was going to teach them to speak “Equus”. I think they were hoping for some pyro to kick the show off as well as some sort of timed colt breaking event. They went to the wrong show. Curt’s just pure cowboy, pure horseman, and I think he kind of likes it that way. He’s there for the horse.

Lots of times, we try to find some magical formula that will bring us closer to God. We try to find “The Secret,” and we search high and low for that path that will make us better Christians. I’ve listened to c.d.’s on prayer where the speakers talk about “mechanisms” in prayer. I’ve prayed with people who use all kinds of flowery language. I’ve talked to people who just wanted to feel something more during a church service. I’ve known people who were appalled that a church had chairs instead of pews.

The thing is that Jesus doesn’t want things that complicated. Sit on a pew, or sit on a rock; I don’t care. What are you talking about? Mechanisms. He even tells us to bag the fancy language when we pray. When the teacher of the law quizzed him on the greatest commandment, Jesus didn’t get all theological. He didn’t dig into any dogma or doctrine. He simplified it. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12: 30-31). That’s about as simple as it gets. What about the Ten Commandments? They’re covered in these two. I like it. If we are doing something, as long as it is helping us love God with all we are, or it’s helping us love our neighbor as we love ourselves, we’re on the right track. One time, my doctor told me after I blew my knee out, “If it hurts, don’t do it. If it doesn’t hurt, you’re probably okay.” I like simplicity. So does Curt Pate. And so does Jesus.

God Bless,

Marty and Mandi Campbell

brokenhornranch@hotmail.com

P.O. Box 112*Pendleton, OR 97801*541-278-2301

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Flying home from Denver where I presented a couple of horse demonstrations at the Western and English Sales Association (WESA) Denver Market.  I had presented there many years ago and it was fun to go back and see lots of old friends in the industry and meet some new.

I am wearing the same style Wrangler jeans and white shirt and a vest and a neck scarf that I was 15 years ago.  I can’t remember if I was wearing a Greeley hat then, but I sure am now.  I would imagine I’ll be wearin the same style 15 years from now Lord willing and if the creeks don’t rise!

I flew in Saturday afternoon and met my good young friend Nate Bowers at the National Western Ranch rodeo.  Had a great time visiting with Nate and his friends and the ranch rodeo was ok.  It would have been much better if they would have had bronc riding.  I’m not sure you should be allowed to call anything a rodeo that doesn’t have bucking horses, it’s kind of like fake meat.

I haven’t been on a work trip for quite a while, but had booked this a year ago.  I got an upgrade on my rental car and got a Chevy Camaro, (nobody I new even saw me drive it, but I sure was cool),had a suite motel room and got upgraded to first class on my flight so it was good traveling weather.

Nate brought me a horse in to use for my demos.  It was a 30 foot round pen with rubber mats and shavings so there was not a lot to do.  The horse was really nice and made for a good demo.

When it was all done Nate couldn’t stand it.  He got on his horse and rode through part of the trade show!  No one got upset that I saw and I think he got a picture with Dale Brisby   When he got back he said if he hadn’t done it he would have regretted it the rest of his life.  That’s a good way to “live” life.

I met Nate many years ago in Madison, Wisconsin at the Midwest horse fair.  He was driving six bicycles in front of a golf cart at full speed.  He was a real character then and hasn’t changed much.

I got to be good friends with his Dad Steve and liked and respected him as much as anyone I have met in the horse world.  He passed away unexpectedly and I really miss him and his calm way.

Nate is married now and his wife Amy is a real good horsewoman and has  beautiful posture on a horse.  Nate is making a go of it and is quite the businessman.

I really have had a horse resurgence this past year. After so many years focusing on the beef side of things it’s been fun having all the horses at the 63 ranch to deal with, and seeing lots of old friends in Denver bought back lots of good horse fair and colt starting demo memories.

I’ll get to share some more coming up in a couple weeks.  The second  annual Tammy Pates “Art of the Cowgirl” is happening and I get to auction art and horses(without pay of course).  There is some great gear and art and some real nice horses so I am looking forward to working with Daughter Mesa and friends Gord Collier and Dean Fish to get em sold to the highest bidder.

I am really looking forward to a colt starting demo that Son Rial and I will be doing with Wife Tammy helping us horseback in the ring.  Rial and I have lots of fun starting colts together and don’t really worry bout things getting a little western, so I would be surprised if the crowd won’t see a little Pate family drama  and Tammy leaving the pen and commenting from the outside!  It should be fun, entertaining and I hope good for the colts and those watching.

Yep, I sure do like horses, horse people and the lifestyle it has created for us. When you add cattle and dogs and good friends, life don’t get no better than that.