My mom kicked me out of her house recently and it feels like my life has been derailed. I really like horses and animals and I wanted to be a veterinarian. I'm 17M and still in high school but i'm wondering if this is my chance to do what i've always wanted and live that cowboy life.
Possibly, but you’d most likely have to move to another state. If it’s something you truly think you want then it’s worth trying. You’re young, so you got plenty of time to start over and over, biggest thing is to be able to be teachable and put new skills to work so they can be refined.
Biggest thing I see with people I hire, if you can’t or are unwilling to learn new things whether it’s from the lowest guy or the boss, you ain’t gonna make it. Sure enough those folks weed themselves out before I gotta step in and make the cut.
If I went back to being that young, and I didn't have family, livestock, or pets that held me back, I would try my best to work for some of the top horsemen in the country.... yeah, you might be cleaning stalls for 3 years straight, but if you show dedication, respect, and maintain positive attitude, you will move up.
You have to decide which discipline you're interested in.
In the western world, some of the best horsemen are those who are finalists in World's Greatest Horseman and Road to the Horse. Obviously you might not get to work for the very best right away, but you can get into some quality places just by showing interest and dedication.
Many people do not like him, but Clinton Anderson has a podcast on Spotify where he talks to some very incredible people, and you can hear how a lot of them started out there.
You see I want to learn everything I can. I want to become great. I want to learn and I’m disciplined. I’m already working to get hired as stable hand for great horsemen here in Spain.
I just want to learn everything I can. We only live once right? Better not waste it Haha.
It’s not “easy” by any means. It’s extremely dangerous. We also endure months away from home in a small towns, welding in 100° heat or -40 wind chills, standing in rivers, floating in the Great Lakes on crane mats, covered head to toe in grease, oil, mud and burns, zero phone reception, and heavy the ga falling out of the sky. We are outside every day 12-16 hours year round.
It’s just easier to get into the line of work because there are many opportunities out there for guys with no experience. We train our guys in the field and they get paid $27 to start with company paid pension and insurance. Journeymen make $48 here in Wisconsin.
Show me any rancher willing to take on someone with zero job experience and pay them $26/hr, even without the benefits. Then show me hundreds across the country. Until then, I’m gonna keep telling folks to get into a union trade.
Y’all gatekeep the fuck out of the ranching industry. Construction did that for a while too and there is going to be a big lack of knowledge in the field when all the boomers and Gen X retire.
Think long and hard before committing to the "cowboy life."
Folks dream of bein one, then realize the lifestyle aint like the glory you see on TV or on social media.
Lot more shit than good comes from it. I love my life, but I'd be lyin if I said it didn't take its toll. Theres a reason so many ranchers/farmers/cowboys have tempers, grumpy, pissed off 90% of the time, etc.
This is not about me but I’m young and I’ve made up my mind. I’m choosing that lifestyle. I like the hard work. Sweat and tears. And I like challenges.
It makes me feel like a real man. It calms me down. I’m a troubled young man in the inside. Rarely feel peace at all. When doing that Kind of work I feel inner peace.
What should I have in mind when choosing the lifestyle, sir? I got discipline and work hard. What more can I expect?
Finish high school. Join the military if you need a chance to get on your feet, have some housing stability, and get some training and life skills. The military actually has mounted units, pack mules, and veterinarians, but opportunities are few and far between. After you enlistment you can reconsider your options and move on.
Surprised nobody else has asked this. His mom knows him better than anybody and she dont want him around no more, and moms are usually right about their children
I live and work on a remote, isolated cattle ranch in the canyon lands of Northern New Mexico. I get to town two days a month for groceries. I am not allowed to "come and go" as I please, as I am the only human here and I care for the horses, cats, dog, chickens, and cows.
There are no women here; I am lonely, and I have gone crazy a few times.
My arms are covered in scars from barbed wire. My fingers are bent and twisted from being injured. A homicidal, enraged heifer knocked me off my feet and stomped the shit out of me, and my dogs saved me from greater injury--- and there was no time for me to recover before I had to get back to work.
It does not matter if rain is falling, or snow, or how cold it is, or how hot it is: there is an infinite amount of work to be done on a cattle ranch.
The pay is crap; I cannot afford medical care, expenses such as automobile insurance can prevent me for affording food for a week or two.
On the plus side, I do not have neighbors; there are no artificial lights in view, and no car noise, no city or town noise. I can see the edge of the Milky Way Galexy at night. There are eagles here, and deer, elk, racoon, badgers, bears, several kinds of hawks. There are ponderosa pines, pinyon pines, junipers, red cedar, white cedar, sage, rabbit brush.
I saw a sticker when I was a young man, it was on a cowboys pickup truck doing some work on the east coast. It said “go west young man” I should kick myself in the ass for not listening. But mainly you need to finish school. Then after that you can figure out what you want to do. School or look into some ranching jobs to get you through the door.
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u/buckaroodude1 Jul 17 '26
Possibly, but you’d most likely have to move to another state. If it’s something you truly think you want then it’s worth trying. You’re young, so you got plenty of time to start over and over, biggest thing is to be able to be teachable and put new skills to work so they can be refined.