Weekly Posting of the Conservative Cow Doctor

End of an Era

As is typical on our weekly travels to and from Wyoming, on Friday, the trophy wife and I were discussing the upcoming week. Our verbal to-do list was coming together nicely, until we pulled in the driveway. Abby, our last old mule, was standing in the willow patch just outside the yard fence and when I looked closer, I spotted Flip lying in the ditch behind her. Flip had been failing rapidly and earlier this fall we discussed her limited options. She was emaciated and this second blast of winter pushed her into hypothermia and down she went. I did what had to be done, thereby making her demise the end of an era.

Years back, when we opened Double Rafter Cattle Drives, my children grabbed their favorite horse out of the string. Spending 14 hours in the saddle, seven days a week, all summer long created a special bond between man and beast. As my kid crew gained enough experience to make a hand, their favorite pony was oftentimes promoted back into the guest string and they were given a jughead. Such is the downfall of being in management when our guest list outnumbers our cavy. The kids didn’t complain knowing if the guest list grew any longer, they would be running with the cow dogs.

My daughter, Meagan, had two favorites, Hollywood and Flip and daughter Chelsie had my old cowboy-polo pony, Lloyd. Tyler, the youngest of my three, began following cows at age four but he never had a favorite horse and here is why. When punching cows, split-second decisions need to be made when mom or dad are hours away, so we mounted Tyler on semi-retired ranch horses who had seen it all. Squire was an old horse who came from a ranch we had leased, and he and Tyler got along fine. Unfortunately, he died the first winter. Tyler next rode Boomer, a retired rope horse gifted us by Cousin David. Unfortunately, he also winter killed so Tyler figured horses only lasted one year, and then they die. Some people prefer paints or palominos, but Tyler’s choice was anything with a pulse, and this brings me to my point. Sometimes, having a pulse is not enough.

The 2020 presidential election proved half the electorate will choose any candidate if they identify as a “D” and have a pulse. Tragically, ruling class Democrats are Marxists who believe redistributing your stuff and controlling the thoughts and actions of the great unwashed is the fitting and proper function of government. America’s founding principles of rights, responsibility, liberty and limited government have been discarded to make way for fairness, democracy and oppression. Sadly, America is at the end of her freedom era. From here forward, you will do as you are told, you will get nothing, and you will like it.