can anyone but me see that Caowgal14 is young and does not ness. have the knowledge or experience to offer advice! All you need to do is read her responses to various querries.

As long as the forum is kept clean and posts are not argumentative or nasty, I dont mind having the young'ns on here. I've seen some informative posts from some young members and I sure they are getting some great advise as well as they read posts from some of the more "mature" members.

Maine Cowboy,

i agree with Kalo, as one of the moderators i don't see anything wrong with CG14 or any of the other younger posters. I for one, am glad that they do there chattering here, rather than in other, not so good, places.

and believe it or not, sometimes these kids have a whole lot to offer.

betsey

Your not a cowboy. Change your display name! your a wishful thinker that spent a week on a dude ranch and sits in the office daydreaming about what itd be like to get back on a horse and move other peoples cows. You couldnt tell me the difference between a vaquero and a buckaroo, or a buckaroo and a wrangler, and if you could i wouldnt wanna hear it, cause your advice is worth about as much as a bottle of the runs.

Is it your age that makes you so much wiser than lets say clinton anderson. Im sure you could teach circles around him cause hes definately not as good with horses as you are mister maine cowboy. I dont give a crap if you were 80 its not about your age its about your experience. If you got problems with someone, just shut your mouth and avoid them. Ill bet you dont even ride, your probably a spammer that found this site ands just out to make trouble.

Geez, rafterMK, who p*ssed on your pancakes this morning?

How do I know you know the north end of a horse from the south end? Every thing you said about him could be true about you also.

As long as a person has horse/western lifestyle/ranching/riding related interests, and keeps their posts clean & respectful, I welcome young or old to the forum. I am not too old or set in my ways that I can't learn something from any 14 yr old if they've experienced something that I haven't. A horseman has an open mind and is always looking for a better way. And ditto Betsey, I'd rather kids spend time posting here than some other places.

...lighten up folks, life's too short & we're a long time dead. Take advice from this forum that you can use and run with it.

Disagree with someone if you must but please leave off with the personal attacks. It just ain't kosher. I've found that just because someone is like me- OLD- doesn't automatically mean they have the wisdom to help someone and just because someone is young doesn't mean they don't have something to offer.

Paul

[ September 25, 2006, 09:16 PM: Message edited by: Paul ]

I have a buddy that grew up in NYC and now lives in northern New Hampshire. He is about as "cowboy" as they come. He has always told me cowboy is a state of mind. I have to agree with him. Not all of us were lucky enough to be born forking a horse and punching cattle. I'm glad I was but I won't hold it against any feller that wasn't, he can pick his friends and his nose but he can't pick his parents and where he was born.

Well yall Im new in here, but Id have to agree with what everyone said. I defin. agree w/Paul, we dont need the personal attacks, that just aint very grown up at all. I have a few friends and alot of enemies in this life, I cant speak for yall, but I sure dont need any more enemies! I have one more thing to add to the mix, COWBOY UP and if you aint got nothing good to say just shut up.....
God Bless

I know it could be true about me too, and I wasnt saying he wasnt a cowboy because he was from maine. I was just annoyed that he had to go and be so rude like he was.

I think ive said this plenty, but ill say it one more time. Cowboys not a state of mind, its an occupation.

I think it should also be kept in mind that no one on this sight, to my knowledge, has claimed to be an all around expert, and we all offer advice, as is, to others from experiences we have had. Everyone has a different perspective on what is right and what is wrong, whether they are 14 or 42. It is ment as just that, advice, not set in stone way it has to be done.

RE: Cowboyism(??!!) I agree..Cowboy is an occupation which I will never be but highly respect. It is an occupation which has withstood the test of time and is part of our American history. While a good portion of us will never be cowboys/cowgirls we all have something in common in that we honor the western lifestyle.

You don't have to punch cows for a paycheck to be considered a good hand or a cowboy. Our ranch ropings are full of people who collect their wages doing something other than working horseback. There's a farrier that throws one of the prettiest del viento's I've seen. There's a saddlemaker that rarely misses with his houlihan. There's a gas company worker, contractor, sales guy, all of whom are very competent hands in the saddle. That's just a sign of the times we live in. We all got responsibilities & payments to make. I belive that there was a time where cowboy was just an occupation, but not anymore. It's a mindset & lifestyle for many people now.

Just cause a horse has the mindset of a champion and he lives the lifestyle (going around to shows and such), does that make him the apha points horse of the year?

raftermk; I am convinced you enjoy just stirring the pot. Personally I'm not interested in arguing for the sake of it, you have your opinion & I have mine. I might be wrong but there are likely thousands of rodeo weekend warriors who don't feed their families with their earnings, but they sure believe they're cowboys. Likewise with many ranchers who work off the ranch to support their home & life. If you choose to label them as something else, or think they are only fooling themselves, that's your business.

Good post Ranchroper. To those that think "cowboy" is only for those employed as a hand, think again. Not too long ago I read that there are less than 1000 people that are employed in the US in the old "cowboy" term full time. Most ranches hire day workers as the seasons need. I personally work with and ride with many guys like that. They are just as cowboy as the fulltime person.

As I write this, I will say I am right now sitting in a 6th grade classroom in the role of a substitute teacher. I wish my world was different, but I use the teaching wages to supplement the slower farrier wages and training wages that come in the colder monthes. A man has to feed his family.

Raftermk--I was told years ago that a person never gets a second chance to leave a good first impression. When I started reading and posting here, I have to say I didn't get a good first impression from you. Not too many people get a second chance, here is yours. Do with it what you wish.

Wow i have never been bad mouthed so bad in my life. I really appriciate everyone sticking up for me and the rest of us youngsters. I don't think I have ever said I had better advice than someone or my advice was the only way to do something. I know that I have never implied that I was better than someone else either. I learn more off of here than I do with my dad who is a horse trainer, yeah he's not a TV star trainer and I'm not the best advice giver at all! I like it when I say something stupid or wrong and everyone is nice about it and tells me "hey what about this". That's what A GOOD person is, I don't think there has ever been someone bad mouthing someone else till now.

I thought Rafter left me a good first and second impression. Everyone here has to me.

[ September 26, 2006, 10:36 PM: Message edited by: COWGAL 14 ]

Hey ya'll i'm new here and only 17. but i'd just like to say, raftermk, think about it, if the people youngsters(includin myself) look to for advice tear them down for tryin to help someone out, what does that show/teach them/us? Think about it, for one, if it breaks the confidence/"spirit" of one of them/us, then how do you expect the future genaration to pass history and tradition down the line? I don't know, I just don't understand people, that "grow up"(by age) and don't want to hear what those that are younger have to say, or what a younster thinks about something, when they don't take the time to think back when they were young as to who they looked to for help, and who tore them down for somethin they said and how it felt when/if that happened to them.
I just hope that there are young people out there that take somethin that tears them down, and turn it around by proving to the person/people, what they're made of, and what they're capable of. And honestly from what I can see, CG14 has done just that!

I am so so sorry raftermk, I had the wrong name on there!!!! I mean't Maine Cowboy! I do very much apologize for that!

again sorry!
I'll try to get it straight from now on. ;^)

~ myhorse_mylife

thats ok myhorse. Well nw you can keep your second impression cause im not on here to make a good impression for myself by coddling up to people.I dont think i stir the pot, i prefer to think im under neath it heating the pot!

The name COWBOY was first given to trail hands in the time of the cattle driven from texas to Kansas rail head. and maine cowboy I ant no kid. But most kids know this . So now you know!

So Cowgal's young and at times gets a bit silly. So what, that's what teenagers, both human and equine do. They grow out of it. She seems like a nice kid and is certainly enthusiastic about what she does and can be very amusing sometimes. (no offense, CG). Her spelling and grammar do make me wonder what they are teaching kids nowdays though! But that's a pet peeve of mine.

I am a regular on several forums and lists. When it comes to advice about something I listen and sort through it all. Some will work for me, some won't but that doesn't mean it won't work for somebody else. I feel the same about the horse training "gurus". For example, some people talk about the Parellis like they were gods and every word from their mouths is the gospel of horse training. If you deviate from their methods you've sinned. I think they have some things that work well and others that are a bit "out there". Same with Clinton Anderson, Craig Cameron and all the rest. You take what works for you and ignore the rest.

Rafter--with that said, I guess I know how much stock to place in your posts. I would say that the majority of people come to sites like this to have a good time, to learn, and to visit. I don't think I have ever met a person that comes to sites such as this one to be a burr under the saddle. Some take the high road, others take the low road. Snakes seem to follow the low road because they are less work to climb. Sorry you feel you need to be the flames on the discussions.

from what ive read it sounds like people come here to get advise; i come here to get and give it (as much as i can), and to hear peoples oppinions on certain horse related topics. I do believe that this post has nothing at all to do with horses or there acoutrements and therefore probably ought to be left alone. from the nature of the titles; health, this issue, and general issues, wouldnt one gather that this is meant to be for discussions of what goes on in present, and past articles of western horseman, i dont think discussing if raftermk or cowgal14 are good sources of information is something you will find in this issue of western horseman.

Hey rafter, you got a point there, I actually started to chuckle reading through this post again...we've gone from agreeing/diagreeing about youngsters posting advice to who qualifies as a cowboy to some not-so-constructive member criticism (myself included). I agree, let's leave this post alone and move on to greener pastures.

None takin for whoever said no offense CG

I also agree that we need to move on to greener pastures

I have gotten some great info on this site and some that doesnt hit home with me. Doesnt matter how old you are!!. CG14..keep being a kid and enjoy what you have in common with the other young ones on the site. When I was saddle shopping and considering a barrel saddle, you had a lot of knowledge and gave some helpful posts. Thanks for your input.

Just to back up my argument that 'cowboy'is a job.

cow‧boy  /ˈkaʊˌbɔɪ/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[kou-boi] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun
1. a man who herds and tends cattle on a ranch, esp. in the western U.S., and who traditionally goes about most of his work on horseback.
2. Chiefly Northeastern U.S.. a reckless or speedy automobile driver.
3. Informal. a reckless or irresponsible person, esp. a show-off or one who undertakes a dangerous or sensitive task heedlessly: They put foreign policy in the hands of cowboys.
4. (during the American Revolution) a member of a pro-British guerrilla band that operated between the American and British lines near New York City.
–verb (used without object)
5. to work as a cowboy.

I do know of 10 to 80 year old people that are top hands at cowboying.

rafter: hey what do you know, based on #2 & #3, I know more cowboys than I thought.

I suppose that means most of us know quite a few.

Thanks Kalo for the kind and wonderful words. I really appriciate those of you who help me and others out on problems or take in the crappy advice or input on anything. AND I mean really crappy advice and input. Like I said before I don't feel like I have given anyone the impression to not be involved, inspired, or anything on this forum or any other. I know I come off very strongly and seem like I'm the type to say "I know everything and no one else is right" or so I have been told by people. I don't ever want to be like that, never planned to be either. If I have to anyone please let me know!!

By the way according to Rafter's research, I know for sure that I know tons of people like that here in the little town of Durango, CO. I know for fact that half the guys I know are like that! they are such dorks! But they're cool. lol

[ September 30, 2006, 10:03 PM: Message edited by: COWGAL 14 ]

Hey NW I've heard a saying kind of like that but it goes

You can pick your freinds you can pick your nose but you cant pick ypur friends nose.