The hangings from the tall oak tree, shoot-outs on Main Street, brothels and gamblin' halls are now only historical text in long-forgotten and yellowed newspapers. The old saloons and 'hidden' gold mines have been torn down or boarded up and are only memories of time passed by. Although Hollywood traded cattledrives, chuckwagons and cactus for Ninja Turtles, cowboys and horses are still very much alive out west.

Today's cowboys and their horses are as ever important as they were back in the 1800's. Given the fact that over a hundred years of selective breeding and matching quality gene pools has yielded a better suited animal for the formidable tasks that are demanded by such a working group. Although there are various breeds of horses that are competent enough, what most American cowboys look forward to is a light-gaited, easygoing and athletic horse.

The base blood centers around the quarter horse and some will use the Arabian for its endearing qualities of endurance when in rugged mountainous country like Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. The bigger boned, quarter-type are well suited in the close environments of stock pens when physical contact may be encountered with the rough bulls and steers.

During the winter time, the snows can become so deep that it is virtually impossible to gain access to the cattle herds by trucks, tractors, four-wheelers, etc. The time-proven method to haul the tons and tons of feed necessary is by horse-drawn sleigh. The breeds that are most suitable are the Shire, Percheron, Belgians and in some cases, Clydesdales.

The personalities of these gentle giants of these draft horses make them most suitable for the tasks at hand. Active breeding programs exist on many of the ranches that are specifically designed for the breeding of various strains. Although artificial insemination is widely used, it is also commonplace for that ranch to utilize selected stallions and normally allow for pasture breeding.

There seems to be a sense of advancement of the horse's capabilities through careful training practices of these pasture-bred animals. There can be profound differences in the learning curves and the reduction of bad habits when these foals are raised in a more natural environment. Cribbing becomes almost non-existent, interaction of the herd animals is less likely to involve serious injuries as the emotional well being of these animals is fully accomplished.

Each spring many of the western communities hold a special stallion auction, horse sale and other social events that bring all the families together at the local fairgrounds. Top quality equines make this a big money event and act as a catalyst for future improvements of the quality of the horse. The age-old testament of "If the horse has proven himself in the real world of the western environment, it means that it hasn't seen a fence for a long time" readily applies.

Both cowboys and their partners, the horse, have become big crowd draws and the supersight is a national rodeo finals. A half-million dollars and more can be earned in these events and it takes a good piece of horseflesh to do so.

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