They learn to gauge the distance and length of the rope with such certainty that they know just when to stop for the throw; and when they feel lazy and disinclined for the hard work of holding a steer, they fool their master by coming to a stand a yard or two from the cow, and the rope falls that much short.
One first-rate but obstinate cutting pony worked this trick so often that his master was only saved from selling him by the humor of the situation—his appreciation of the joke on himself.
It would be hard to choose from the stories current among cattle-men of their cutting ponies—stories proving how "powerful smart," "plumb human," etc., they are, for they all swear to the same class of what the ignorant might call fiction, but which, in their opinion, does not even come under the head of "tall horse talk."
Perhaps the —Z (bar Z) brand story is a fair example. The cow-puncher assures you seriously that the cutting pony always knows his master's brand, and can pick out a cow with this brand from a mixed herd of any size, and they cite the following anecdote in illustration of this fact:
A certain —Z-brand cutting pony, who was sold after years of experience, continued, in spite of all that his new master could do, to cut out every cow or calf with the —Z brand that he could find in any bunch. His owner was finally indicted for stealing cattle, but pleaded his pony's record in self-defense. The court, sympathising in his peculiar and delicate position, released him with a small fine; but the pony, like Werther's Charlotte, went on cutting —Z cattle to the end of his days, which might mean fifteen, sixteen, or even twenty years, for, if well cared for, they often live that long. Both the cattle and polo ponies are shod, even on the range, and if used hard are generally fed in winter, though grazing all summer. They are ungroomed, and their tails left flowing freely; and their first sensations, after a transfer from their native heath to the luxurious and well-ordered stables of the East, where they are docked, clipped, curried, rubbed down, and blanketed, must be somewhat like those experienced by the tramp who is forcibly bathed and groomed in a model lodging-house, though the polo pony yields to the civilizing influence more readily than does the tramp.
But the comforts of life and even the excitement of polo may seem to the cutting pony a poor exchange for the lost delights of rounding up and penning steers, and what is a Rockaway Cup to the glory of winning the prize in a roping contest at a county fair? These roping contests are the pride of the cattle-men, and the great feature of the Texan county fairs.
STEER THROWN AND TIED IN FORTY-EIGHT SECONDS.
The steer is put in a pen, and a man with a flag placed about fifty feet from him. The man on the cutting pony stands near the pen, with the rope ready. And at a given signal the steer is let out, and as he passes the flag it is dropped, the pony dashes after him, and the man who can rope, throw, and tie the steer in the shortest time wins the prize. It has been done in twenty seconds, but the average time is about a minute; any duffer, they say, can do it inside of five minutes. It is a dangerous method of roping, and is only used in contests, never on the range, for the pony is going at full speed, and the rope is thrown as he shoots by the steer, the rider giving it a little fling and jerk on the off side, and it is a close call whether the steer throws the pony or the pony the steer.
The prize cow ponies are the ones most sought after for polo. They make by far the best and most steady and reliable playing ponies. The training for polo is of course different from that employed in roping cattle, but a good cow pony has all the necessary qualifications, and learns the game very quickly.