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Show As he explains, "When a guy's out there on a horse, everything's good. I don't care how cold. It is good. It just makes you feel happy." Jon currently manages the Circle X Sheep Company out of Coalville, Utah. He summers with the herd in the mountains of northern Utah and spends the winters on range near Ely, Nevada. BIG RED I was out of a job, just laying around town, I was out of money, the chips were down. I was sitting in a bar, trying to think, When this fellow sat down and offered me a drink. I said, "No thanks, I was just sitting here." He sat there staring while he drank his beer. After he finished he had this to say, He was looking for a hand on the 'Flying J.' He said my job would be punching cattle, I said, "It sounds all right, I'll get my saddle." We got to the ranch about sundown, It already seemed good to get out of town. Next morning after breakfast when we'd finished the chores, We went to the corral to pick out a horse. In the corral there must have been twenty head The boss said, "Take any one, except Big Red." He said Big Red was an outlaw, that couldn't be rode, Many cowboys had tried him, but they all got throwed. Big Red stood out away from the rest- Of all the horses, I liked him best. The boss knew I liked him, he could tell in my eye. He said, "If you think you can break him, go ahead and try." I can imagine his thoughts as he walked away, He thought "What a sad price this cowboy will pay." I stood there awhile and just looked at Big Red, He was the color of fire, and had a mean looking head. His tail was all snarled, his tail reached the ground. A rougher lookin' cayuse could never be found. 116 Cowboy Poetry From Utah |