Commanche

In Memory of Commanche
Last year herding cows teaching Chance how to rideAubree and Commanche

Commanche working the cows with Caib


Buck and Commanche on a quiet ride with their Boys



Chance and Commanche

Commanche with his last rider

Caib and Commanche

Commanche and Buck getting ready for a pleasure ride with Dad and Aubree


Ol' Commanche spent his last few days on the mountain herding cows with Chance. He got a bellyache yesterday and they brought him down to see if they could help him but he didn't make it through the night.
Wednesday We spent the afternoon at a cowboy poetry competition. Caib's poem was all about Commanche.

Commanche

I remember the day I hired on here at this old spread
I was young, smart knew it all weren’t nothin’ for me to dread
That lasted just about six or seven months before I learnt my place
That old boss was tough as nails. He’d get right up into my face.

He’d tell me how it really was set me straight a time or two
He slowly seemed to humble me. Ya might say I changed my view.
What I hear them other cowboys kinda fight to ride me now
Cause it’s been quite q few years I been here a pushin’ cows

And every spring I hear ‘em talk, just a fightin’ back and forth
‘Bout who’s gonna ride old Commanche and how much they think I’m worth.
Usually it’s the youngest one they throw up on my back
And I sure don’t mind carryin’ the lightest one of the pack.

I know my job I know it well that’s what they’re feedin’ me for
So I take the kid work real hard, it aint an easy chore!
And through the summer off and on when it’s our turn to hit the slopes
They saddle us up and we head out, me with the youngest cowpoke.

Now, after goin’ out a time or two ridin’ all day long
They’ll start out kind of easy like just talkin’ or singing a song
Then them young cowpokes get cocky and they start to want to run
Or think they can see a better way to get the herdin’ done.

So they turn me this way and turn me that, it’s quite a chore to find
A nice soft chunk of rockless land that’ll cushion their behind.
Because I can only do so much before they just got to learn
That there aint nothin’ smaller then a dime on which to turn.

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Poor Chance has been pretty sad about loosing Commanche But he was old and had lived a good life. We sure will miss our old reliable horse. I think he taught more grandkids to ride then any other horse grandpa has.

goodbye Commanche.