A boy's right of passage

     Recently my eight year old son went on his first cattle gathering horse ride at our ranch in the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas.  It was a very special experience for all of us.  He had been waiting and asking for over a year to go and help his dad gather cattle on horseback.  But such an endeavor is something to be earned, we explained.  He was expected to show responsibility at home first and a little experience horseback at home with simple horsemanship first.  He learned that in order to be trusted to follow instructions while on a horse and in a possibly dangerous situation, he must first be able to follow a set of instructions or list of things to do at home, without whining or asking why.  He must be able to retain the information and complete the tasks correctly the first time and on a consistent basis. For a kid with A.D.H.D. this is a harder skill to master than for other children.  In a dangerous situation at the ranch, we must be able to count on this ability. It could save his life or someone else's.  We also had to have just the right horse that we could trust to take care of him on steep foothills, and with those dangerous situations, like snakes, mountain lions, and goofy cows and all that.  A horse that does not have experience with those situations can stumble and fall and spook very easily.  With your beginner son on that horse it is a very dangerous combination. So you need a seasoned horse that knows what to expect and what to do.
    Our 1285 acre ranch lies on the edge of Lake Kaweah, near Three Rivers, and the base of the entrance to the Giant Sequoias in the Sierra Nevadas in California.  It is a beautiful place with tons of wildlife!!  It was an incredible experience for him helping his dad and riding his own horse.  In the process we found out that he is a natural on a horse with a natural talent. It was amazing to see him work on a horse!  He was better focused and behaved on top of that gelding than he ever is on foot!!  And boy was he proud of himself! I may have to have him do school work sitting on a horse.  He wants to be a cowman, like his daddy, and weekend warrior(national guard), when he grows up!
     Just a side note, apparently a cowboy is someone who doesn't own the land or cows but works with the cows.  A young strong abled man will do this work, which is in the top ten most dangerous jobs in the world. My husband was a real cowboy before we met when he was younger.  As the cowboy gets older and if he is able to buy land and cows, he can still do the same work if he wants to or he will hire cowboys to do it , but if he is the owner he is now the COW MAN! Yeah thats right you the man, ha ha!! Any man can buy land and cows, but a good cow man must first be a cowboy and learn the ropes.  So for now my little man will have to settle for cowboy and earn the right to become a cowman someday!  

The view from the top of our ranch, overlooking Tulare county in the Central San Joaquin valley in Calfornia.  Below is Lake kaweah near Three Rivers, which you pass to enter Sequoia Park in the Sierra Nevadas, home of the Giant Sequoias which are the tallest trees in the world!