Donny's Cow

Mothers, let your boy grow up to be a cowboy.

Donny wanted to be a cowboy in the worse way. He did not own a horse nor did the farm he lived on have any horses. He did have access to a cow.

Donny had a burning desire to learn how to ride like a cowboy. He tried to ride sheep. He tried to ride the neighbors goat. He even tried to ride a pig. All to no avail. The sheep and the goat, once he was able to actually get on them, just stood there or collapsed. The pig, well what can one say about a pig. It squealed and ran every which way. That way being straight to the mud hole. With or without Donny. 

Donny was eight years old.

An eight year old on a farm, after chores were done, had a lot of time to dwell on these type of things. Donny finally arrived at the conclusion the only animals he had access to were cows. Donny spent a considerable amount of time looking over the cows. He tried getting on a large cow. The large cow, as you cam imagine, was too big for Donny to get on its back. Next he tried a medium sized cow. Donny was able, after catching the cow in the stanchion, to get on its back. Donny found out two things very fast. First, cows, not liking extra weight on their back, can jump straight up. Very sudden. And second, cows can have a very rough backbone that will hurt if you sit on it. Donny then tried a calf or as some would say, small cow. The small cow was just right.

Donny could catch and hold the calf. He could get on its back without help. A big plus. Donny started training the calf. He would feed it all by himself, pet it, watered it, clean it & named it. He spent a considerable amount of time with the calf. It wasn't long before the calf would come when he called it. The calf became quit tame. It would follow Donny around the barn yard. Then came the day when Donny decided to ride the calf.

There weren't any type of harness made for calf’s so Donny made his own. Out of baling twine. He started by tying the twine around the neck of the calf and leading it around the yard. Thus the calf and Donny got used to the 'halter'. The calf sooner than Donny. The calf did not resist too much because it knew Donny would feed it. He lead it to the water trough, let it drink, then slid onto its back. The calf just stood there, bellowed, not knowing what was happening. His friend seemed to want him to do something, but he had disappeared and there was a heavy weight on its back. At that point, Donny kicked it in the ribs. The calf bellowed. Donny kicked. The calf bellowed. Kick. Bellow. Kick bellow. Finally the calf had enough, jumped up and sideways. Donny followed the up motion but failed to follow the sideways motion. Donny no longer was sitting on the calf. Donny was sitting on the ground in a fresh pile of cow pie.

Donny eventually learned to ride the calf. He rode that calf for the best part of two summers. There were times he would ride it out into the pasture to round up and herd the milk cows into the barn. Neighbors would stop over just to see him ride the calf. It was quit a sight. As time went by, they often wondered why Donny went to all that trouble to ride a calf.

The answer was quit simple. Donny wanted to grow up to be a cowboy.

Donny, my younger brother. 1946-1984