Richard Beal’s Blog

If you’ve never seen this cartoon it’s fun to watch. Hint: the cows win. If you have problems seeing the video below click HERE.

From Wikipedia: “Frederic Sackrider Remington (October 4, 1861 – December 26, 1909) was an American painter, illustrator, sculptor, and writer who specialized in depictions of the Old American West, specifically concentrating on the last quarter of the 19th century American West and images of cowboys, American Indians, and the U.S. Cavalry. “Remington was born in [...]

Limousin cattle are a genetic source of larger weaning weights and muscle mass while maintaining relatively low birth weights. Limousins are known for their muscular build, feed efficiency, ease of management and comparable calving ease to other breeds. Limousin cattle produce the leaner cuts of beef that have become a staple of the modern market. [...]

The book Westward I Go Free – the story of J.F.K. in Montana, by Edmund Christopherson, published in 1964 by Earthquake Press, has this great story that is very relevant this week: After breakfast, Ted, Joe Kelly, Leo Graybill and Paul Cannon walked across the street from the Miles Howard Hotel and down to the [...]

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association has an active political lobbying wing in Washington, D.C. and every year the Association gives those folks priority legislative issues to work on. The process is very democratic with local Beef Councils coming with the issues which are then openly discussed. Finally all NCBA members vote. They are a good [...]

One of the most famous rodeo stars has been Jim Shoulders. He dominated the sport during the 1950s with 16 world titles. Born in 1928, Shoulders won his first rodeo at age 14. With growing success he used the winnings to buy a 400-acre ranch in Henryetta, Oklahoma. From the Rocky Mountain Rodeo News: “It [...]

One of the best high end western magazines is Cowboys & Indians. I’ve been a subscriber and advertiser since 2002 and enjoy every issue. They have feature articles about celebrities and movie stars who are in westerns or in many cases live a western lifestyle. And there is always something about silversmiths and history and [...]

Chuckwagon racing involves four teams each consisting of a modified chuckwagon with four horses, three men, and a outriding horse. It’s really exciting to watch and full of high energy and danger. And both men and women compete in the teams. Chuckwagon racing is an event at some rodeos mainly in Western Canada such as [...]

If you have problems seeing the video below click HERE.

Chet Vogt’s Three Creeks (Briscoe, Mad and Clover) Ranch in Glenn County, California is a 500 cow/calf operation that successfully integrates environmental and economic sustainability on 5,300 acres of winter rangeland, supplemented by a summer grazing permit. The core of Vogt’s holistic approach is intensive managed grazing, which rotates the cattle among 32 fenced paddocks [...]

My friend Douglas Magnus is based in Santa Fe, New Mexico and is known for not only his silversmith work but also for photography, painting and jewelry. A real contemporary talent! Nothing is outsourced, nothing is produced in other parts of the world, and no compromises are made in quality. The finest silver and gold [...]

There are several cowboy “codes” around but I think one of the best was an article by Mike Laughlin in Western Horseman magazine (March 2004). I’m just giving you the headlines. You should read the entire article HERE. Cowboy Code #1: Never touch another person’s horse or tack. Cowboy Code #2: Be ready and on [...]

The Rocky Mountain Horse breed originated in the United States in the late 1800s, in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains of eastern Kentucky. During the late 1800s and early 1900s, the rural inhabitants of eastern Kentucky considered these saddle horses to be horses for all seasons. They were sure-footed, easy-gaited, and the mount of [...]

From the Friends of Rodeo website: “THE HISTORY OF FRIENDS OF RODEO By Linda Burdick, Executive Director “Rodeo’s history is dotted with random charges of cruelty to animals – charges that rodeo people considered to be absurd and that most found easy to disregard as relevant or important. “Concerns among some escalated, however, with what [...]

A cow-calf operation means that their business is about breeding cows and getting new calves each year. The calves are sold to operations that spend time fattening them up until they are sent to slaughter houses (this is called harvesting in the cattle business). That fattening up can take place on open range or at [...]

The King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management is part of Texas A&M University in Kingsville, Texas. They offer courses for graduate students focusing on ranching careers including a Master of Science degree. Their vision is: “We are determined to educate leaders who will make a positive difference in ranching, and ensure that our hard earned [...]

A farrier knows about horses feet. They are the ones who trim horse hooves and put on horseshoes. Most cowboys have some farrier skills but there are serious training programs for professionals. It might seem like a fairly simple set of skills but it can get quite complicated making corrections to imperfect or damaged feet. [...]

The Chisholm Trail was a trail used in the later 19th century to drive cattle overland from ranches in Texas to Kansas railheads. The trail stretched from southern Texas across the Red River, and on to the railhead of the Kansas Pacific Railway in Abilene, Kansas, where the cattle would be sold and shipped eastward. [...]

Some of these are very cool but then there are others……… If you have problems seeing the video below click HERE.

Virtually all of the pictures you see of old time cowboys are white men giving the false impression that African Americans were not among the men and women who settled the West. In fact, by the time the huge cattle drives of cowboy legend ended, at least 5,000 black men had worked as cowboys. One [...]