City Slickers movie

[Lawdog Dago Dom]

A day or so ago, City Slickers was on the Outdoor Channel. Humorous 1991 movie about three guys from New York City who take an adventure vacation to drive cattle from New Mexico to Colorado.

 

Has anyone ever done this?

 

I looked at some ranches on line, and it is not cheap. A five day cattle drive will run you $1900.00 per person (plus additional $$ for other services. They say you will be in the saddle anywhere from 5 to 11 hours per day. This something I should have done in younger days.

 

But paying $1900.00 to someone to do chores on their ranch? Seems like the fence painting skit in Tom Sawyer. The ranches and country side look beautiful, and you are fed. But for $1900.00?

 

Thanks in advance for your feedback.

[Pat Riot]

Some coworkers of mine did this years ago, late 90’s, but they got the idea from the move. They said it was fun but all but one probably wouldn’t do it again. Apparently the actual experience wasn’t all fun and frivolity, like in the movie.  One guy said it was definitely harder work than on a “Dude Ranch”. He just loved the experience and said he would do it again.  
 

 

[Yul Lose]

Having worked on cattle ranches in Wyoming and Colorado as a “ute” I’d never pay money to do it again. 

[Duffield, SASS #23454]

My first thought was: "There's a sucker born every minute."

Then I thought about how much the average wannabe does not know about horses and cattle,

and decided that the real cowboys would be riding heard on the "helpers" more than they would

on the cattle.  That makes the $1900 a lot more understandable.

 

Duffield

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

After horses spend 8 weeks at a kids summer camp, they need ten months rest and rehab.

[Outrider Outlaw]

My son and I did the working cattle ranch thing about 30 years ago.  I think it was the summer after his freshman year in college.  The ranch we went to was on the Montana/Wyoming border.  It was hard work.  We were in the saddle for hours each day.  I have said on numerous occasions that it is a pretty good racket to get people to pay you in order to work for you.   It was expensive--flying from Detroit to Billings and then paying the fee to work there.  BUT, I'd do it again in a minute if my body would stand it.  My old bones just couldn't handle it anymore I'm afraid.

 

It was very rustic when we were there.  No running water (except the mountain stream nearby), no electricity, no heat (except the campfire, slept in sleeping bags on the ground in a teepee.  When we were there, the group was comprised of 3 people from England, one from Switzerland, a young lady from California, a sports writer for an Indiana newspaper, my son and I.

 

I just now looked and they are still in business.  Anyone interested can send me a PM and I'll be happy to provide information.

[Hashknife Cowboy]

I haven't paid to be a City Slicker, I have just done the day work and was paid food,  maybe 50$ per day and worked my pa-toot off.  Truthfully if I could make a living at it I would have stayed with it.  I would considered one of those dude ranches where you gain weight due to the amazing food, the ones that are hosted by Debbe Dunning on the Cowboy Channel, provided she is there.....just saying.

[Utah Bob #35998]

Ran into a cattle drive moving to their winter range on the way to a meeting in Durango on Saturday. Good thing I left early.

 

[Anvil Al #59168]

Lets see. Training the horses and retraining the horses after those city slicker have been on them screwing them up.

Watching after them to make sure they don't get hurt or break everything they touch.

Fixing everything that they do break or mess up. Babysitting them for a week. Feeding them for a week.

That price seems pretty fair.

The work they get out of them? That's a joke right. They are just finding thing for them to do to make them

feel like they are doing something.   

[Dantankerous]

 No personal experience here but I know 2 people who have done it so there's that...

 

1st person was an engineer with whom I worked years ago. A brilliant engineer with all the normal quirkiness that a genius mathematician might possess. For years every summer he had been doing the working cattle dude ranch thing for his enjoyment. 2 weeks at a time. He absolutely loved it. He did this well into his sixties. And although he normally dressed like Sherlock Holmes no one would have ever suspected his inner cowboy.

 

 The 2nd is a friend whose wife bought him this opportunity as his 50th birthday present. He worked somewhere around Cortez, Colorado for an old rancher and as he was the only one who showed up he and the rancher became good friends. They worked from dusk till dawn every day and he absolutely loved it. He said it was hard work and that rancher being at least 15 years older than my 50 year old friend made it look easy.

 

 

 

 

[Trailrider #896]

Closest I ever came, other than pack-in hunting trips was shooing a bunch of cattle off the road in front of a blue truck I was riding in up Montana-way about 53 years ago.   Just got out on the running board and waved my cap at them.

[Tascosa, SASS# 24838]

Yep. I did it but I got $90 a month, plus food and lodging, and a truck to drive. I finally decided it was better  paying chasing crooks in Texas than cows in New Mexico.

[Marshal Chance Morgun]

I've got three grandkids and a boxer you can round up and I won't charge you a dime.

[Cyrus Cassidy #45437]

My SASS club is headquartered at a dude ranch that does this.  While I haven't gone on a cattle drive (I own horses and live in the country...why would I pay someone to do that???), the ranch itself is rather majestic and the owner is a great guy.  If you want to try this, google "M Lazy C Ranch" and poke around on their site.  

[irish ike, SASS #43615]

So riding horses a bit in my 20's. Friend talked me into a 4 day round-up and drive for the horses and mules for a pack company in Owen's Valley/Bishop California. They wintered the animals near Independence. The drive was to take 100 horses/mules from there through the valley past Bishop up into the sierra's to their pack station at  Rock Creek. I was 29 and it cost me $400 to work. Work meant riding along and just keeping an eye on the herd. They knew where they were going. And unlike cattle more agreeable to being driven. Each night we camped somewhere where we could clean up, pond, hot springs etc. Nothing wakes you up more than diving into a mountain pond fed with snow melt! Anyway the cooks were great and I made some good friends. Went back the next year. In 1989 $400 was a lot but 3 meals and a hotel might have got me to the same point $$$. It was a great experience.

Ike