Hitching post

[Sam Talley]

In all the movies the cowboy rides up to the hitching post, gets off his horse, DRAPES the bridle over the hitching post and enters the saloon, bank or whatever. How the heck could that ever keep his horse from wandering off without tying it?

[Bob Boze Bell]

Yes, we did a True West Moment for the Westerns Channel on this, loosely tying three horses in front of the O.K. Corral in Tombstone. While it wasn't a purely scientific study (we were on a shooting schedule), the horses did wander. When the piece ran on the Westerns Channel we got criticism from ground tie proponents, but my horse trainer friends assured me that even when horses are ground trained, if they are in a bunch, it just takes one to pull away and the rest will follow.

[Sue Cauhape]

One reason why they ground tied was that if they tied the reins and the horse spooked and backed up, until the rein actually broke, the bit would rip the horse's mouth to shreds. I've never noticed whether these horses ever had lead ropes or mecates attached to the headstalls for tying. Besides, when the horse and rider come in to town after a long haul from some place, do you really think that horse is going to wander -- unless it sees the hay pile and water trough?

[Dave McGowan]

Sue's comment fits in well with my experience. Take 400 head up to the open range and return to the buildings puts you on his back for the better part of 10 hours. All he wants to do is roll, eat some grass and have a drink. That's all I want to do as well.

We really did that? I couldn't do it for an hour these days.

If we were riding in a situation where we would have to leave our mount for any lenght of time - such as repairing fence, cleaning water holes, etc., - we rode with what we called a "herders rig". A halter under the bridle with the halter shank leading back to a ring on the left front of the saddle just ahead of the role. We'd put a slip hitch in it so when we dismounted we just pulled on the whip end and it fell out of the ring thereby giving us a tie. The reins we usually knotted and hung over the horn.

If the job became lengthy, it was necessary to remove the bridle so your mount could eat. Depending on the mount, I often rode with a hacamore or "hacamore bit" which made this unecessary.

[Sue Cauhape]

Sounds like you were a buckaroo, Dave.

[Dave McGowan]

For a very short time.

I've been several things, but the two years I did what I describe above was the best job I ever had. Great food, hard work, great country, and educational, supportive work-mates.

No money and the "future" was what might happen in the next hour.