Texas ¨Law¨

Shot this picture in downtown San Antonio.

No, its not the ¨Law¨ protecting the Wells Fargo office. 

It´s the Border Patrol. 
They brought some of their horses to the parade through the middle of town.

I learned a little about these guys.
The horses are all wild Mustangs. 
They are used to patrol the border in soft, sandy soil. 
So they don´t need to shoe their horses.

But they put a special hoof oil to keep them moist. 

And from the look of this gal, she´s come to town, 

is all dressed p, and even had a pedicure......
and she is ready for the dance.


On a more serious note.....you might wonder why they´d use horses to patrol the border.

Well, take a look at some of the pics I took last spring.
I saw about a dozen riding this land, about 2 horses at a time.


It might be beautiful to see the sunset over such a great expanse.

But with so much land and thorny bushes along the way,

there is no way an ATV, with all it´s noise, will let you sneak up on those who don´t belong.

So better ride high upon your horse, get a a wide view of what is going on, and stealthly survey the land,

´cause that´s the only way you´re going to see what is really happening down below, along the Rio Grande.

It´s not just livestock we dress up here.

Sometimes we dress ourselves up and give a show.

First you have to practice

to make sure you got it perfect.

And make sure you´re all prettied up.

Then, finally, you are ready to ride 

no matter what you culture might be.

And then you get to show those tricks you´ve learned

that can be appreciated by cowboys from anywhere.

Preparations for the Parade

There is a lot of preparations for a cattle drive...specially if it has a parade with it.

There are little horses to exercise.

And big horses to get dressed up.

Did you notice the curled tails on the ones below?

Someone had to do that job.

And if you are in a club that represents the state, you have to make sure all is as perfect as can be.

But, as a benefit, there is always time to fraternize with former members of your club.

And then you wait.

And wait.

and wait, till, perhaps beyond what you can stand.

So, you socialize with any neighbors that are close by, to pass the time,

till it´s finally time to mount your steed.

And you get to do,

what you came here for.

Yes, we call this fun in TEXAS!

February is Livestock Month in San Antonio

Yes, many of the big cattle drives of the late 1800´s began form ranches just outside of San Antonio. 

So, February is the month we re-dedicate ourselves to those days. 
It´s almost an entire month of livestock shows and activities.

And, this was the week-end when it all began.......

when we herd the cattle through downtown streets.

Well, it´s not Pamplona. 
The folks are smart enough to stay outside the plastic fencing, and just shoot some pics. 

Though pretty big, you have to admit they are tamed enough to let the cowboys ride on top!

Once in a while, one might get to be a little free spirited.

And, yes, sometimes it seems I get a little close.

Enough for now.
Maybe tomorrow I will show some more pics of the parade or maybe even some of them getting ready for the big event.