PRAIRIE FIRE

Some horses are as unpredictable as a mid-west prairie fire and just as dangerous.  With ‘favorable’ conditions a bucking ‘fire storm’ could last a good while.  This is one reason why a lot of old cowmen would took their string of unbroken horses to a sandy streambed, and turned ‘em loose to “let ‘er buck”. As the rough stock would buck, the soft sand absorbed most of the shock – thus, saving wear and tear on both men and horses.  As the men were paid on a ‘per head’ diem…this allowed them to ride more mounts, so as to add a little more cash to their pockets.

SCOTT ROGERS