Pam C. (PamC) reviewed on + 117 more book reviews
By the author of the Hank the Cowdog, books, this is the story of his 4 years (1974-1978) working as the only employee on a large (5000 acre) ranch in the Oklahoma panhandle. The ranch owner did not live on the ranch, and left the running of it to his bankers, who hired Mr. Erickson and made decisions in concert with Mr. Erickson. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, which talked about work on the ranch. The book is divided into chapters about the ranch itself, the other ranches near the one on which he worked, the people who were generally his neighbors and friends, the round-ups that were done and how the neighbors helped each other on their respective round-ups, the cattle on the ranch, which were very wild and difficult to work, and the wrecks that resulted therefrom, the horses he used (or didn't), the owner's decision to sell, and the work that Erickson did as a result of that decision.
I enjoyed the book, which described cowboying in the 1970's. Erickson talked about how the neighbors helped each other. His descriptions of some of his neighbors, who became friends, were interesting. I especially enjoyed the one of the man who used Arabian horses on his ranch, as opposed to quarter horses, a decision that surprised me. Erickson also talked about how the man trained his horses, and how he used and rode them.
Erickson also talked about the round-ups (spring and fall) he participated in, how the person in charge organized the round-ups, the considerations used to determine how the round-ups were run, etc. Most of the ranches were large, so a lot of planning on someone's part went into it, planning based on experience on each ranch. His descriptions of some of the round-ups on the ranch he worked on were fascinating. He told of the Broken Leg Round Up, where two neighbors broke their legs on two different days of the round-up, and the North Pole Round-Ups that took place during blue northers. He talked about the problems of working wild cattle, who were scared of horses, those on his ranch. He described the horses he used, how they were to work with, what he needed in a horse on a ranch that large, which included sandhilss, how the horses and riders got the cattle out of thickets, etc.
This book described the work a cowboy did on a large ranch in the 1970's, the hard, often dangerous work that he and his friends and neighbors did. I recommend it highly. It's not a long book, but it would certainly be eye-opening for someone who has not worked on a large ranch.
I enjoyed the book, which described cowboying in the 1970's. Erickson talked about how the neighbors helped each other. His descriptions of some of his neighbors, who became friends, were interesting. I especially enjoyed the one of the man who used Arabian horses on his ranch, as opposed to quarter horses, a decision that surprised me. Erickson also talked about how the man trained his horses, and how he used and rode them.
Erickson also talked about the round-ups (spring and fall) he participated in, how the person in charge organized the round-ups, the considerations used to determine how the round-ups were run, etc. Most of the ranches were large, so a lot of planning on someone's part went into it, planning based on experience on each ranch. His descriptions of some of the round-ups on the ranch he worked on were fascinating. He told of the Broken Leg Round Up, where two neighbors broke their legs on two different days of the round-up, and the North Pole Round-Ups that took place during blue northers. He talked about the problems of working wild cattle, who were scared of horses, those on his ranch. He described the horses he used, how they were to work with, what he needed in a horse on a ranch that large, which included sandhilss, how the horses and riders got the cattle out of thickets, etc.
This book described the work a cowboy did on a large ranch in the 1970's, the hard, often dangerous work that he and his friends and neighbors did. I recommend it highly. It's not a long book, but it would certainly be eye-opening for someone who has not worked on a large ranch.
