Another sad loss …

[OldKat]

We had an incident happen in a neighboring county a week ago this past Saturday that is similar in nature to the incident that Michael Low described when the young man was killed working with some others to fell tress. The local guy here was not cutting trees down as we have no logging industry in our area, due to a pronounced lack of marketable trees.

However, we have plenty of range cattle on the prairie and with the “exceptional drought” ongoing many of those are going to the sale barn every week (including mine). On Saturday April 2nd a young man named Chad was working with some other cowboys to pen some range cows to sort for sale. They were working in a brushy pasture and though the details vary depending on who is telling the story, the gist of it is that at some point the cows they were penning broke for the cover of a small stand of oaks. Chad was either looking down to tighten his flank girth or building a loop in his rope when the cows broke. The horse he was riding was a very seasoned ranch horse and it bolted after the cows, tracking them for Chad to be able to rope. Unfortunately, there was a low hanging tree limb nearby and as the horse moved under the canopy of the tree this limb either hit him in the throat or square in the chest. Either way, he was killed instantly.

What struck me about the similarity of these incidents was that in both cases the person killed was doing something that they were well qualified to do and had probably done numerous times. In each case it involved a fairly young man with deep family ties to the area. I didn’t know Chad personally, but I know several people who did.

He was 43 years old and had literally been working cattle from horseback his entire life. That is what he did for a living and it was all he had done since he graduated from high school. He was pro at what he did, yet this incident proves that none of us are exempt from the possibility of an accident changing everything. About the only thing that is somewhat comforting is that he probably felt little pain. That and the fact that he left no dependants behind that would have to struggle on without him. He did leave a grieving family and a large circle of friends.

As you go about your daily tasks, with or without horses, please be aware of your surroundings and carefully plan your work. I sure would hate to read on DAP that one of us met a similar fate to the young man in Vermont or the one near where I live. Please keep your head up, your eyes peeled and work safe.

[mitchmaine]

Hi oldkat,
So sorry to hear about your neighbor. Especially when he was so young. Its tragic and hard to hear, even though you learn to expect it when people do hard hand work, dawn to dusk, day after day. The old saying here in the woods was that you lost a piece of you each year as long as you wanted to stay. I was thinking that forty years ago, it was more common to hear about farm, woods and fishing accidents and deaths. But of course less kids and families are farm employed and fishing is just about gone and woods workers are in machines now so the numbers improve dramatically. Maybe that is the paradox. When fewer people are involved in tragedy, each one seems more of a loss. Each spring when the water swells over the riverbanks, lost pulpwood ends up down here in merrymeeting bay and the natives would risk the tides for free pulp and extra cash. Fifty five years ago this month, I lost my cousin who drowned doing the same. He was part fish and knew the bay as well as any but it didn’t matter that day, so I’m really sorry to hear about your loss. Wish there was something I could say to make it better, life is tough.

Best wishes, mitch

[J-L]

Sad news for sure. It is the nature of this work unfortunately.
I can’t count the many wrecks I’ve had horse back in rough country chasing cattle. Froze feed grounds roping sick calves, badger holes, bulls on the fight, bucking horses, etc., etc.
So far only dislocated both shoulders (one twice), some broken ribs and a broken ankle, a few concussions, lots of rope burns. Nothing too permanent (my wife would argue with the head trauma’s though).
I have a good friend who lost his dad when he was bucked off a rank horse on to a fence post. Same thing, good cowboy. Another friend got tangled in his rope with a calf on the end while riding a colt and roping at a branding (Lingodog13’s neighbor). He lost one eye and was darn lucky just to live.
We are all in a dangerous place one time or another when working with livestock and horses, you have to be careful and love to do it in spite of everything.
I’ll bet that cowboy would not trade his lifestyle and was likely doing what he loved when he cashed in his chips. Too bad it couldn’t have happened later in life. Sounds like he had lots of living left to do.

[MC]

I can well remember looking at a small rock 12 inches from my head after I hit the ground. Only mistake I made was taking down a rope in low trees, which wiped me out of the saddle when the horse thought we were going for the cow. Cows are a lot lower! Horse was used to pasture roping and good at it. Less than 10 trees and we would have been in the open.
Only thing is; if that would have been the end; I would have been OK with it.Loved ones may never understand it’s the life cut short. To me, to go out doing something you love to do is the best. Farming, ranching,fishing, and logging are the most dangerous jobs.
Don’t have many cows anymore, hope to go out teaching a colt something.
M/C

[Author]

Posts