Kate Sanchez
“The Determination of a Ranch Kid”
April 13, 2017
I wish everyone had the determination of a ranch kid.  It may be easy to argue that determination and youngsters just go hand in hand, but you’ve never seen it like I have, looking into the eyes of a young cowboy or cowgirl while they’re facing some sort of challenge.  Simply put, ranch kids are a different breed. 
These kids face more obstacles by the age of ten than most may in an entire lifetime.  No, they’re not necessarily life altering challenges, but then again, maybe they are, when you look a little closer.  When a kid has to outsmart the horse which Dad told him to catch for that morning’s gather, more grit and determination is shown than what many grown adults ever possess.  And when they must wait in the pickup for several minutes while Dad gathers the last few head for the day to kick into a new pasture, I’ve seen children whose patience goes well beyond their years.  In a ranch type setting, kids gain the things they’ll need for their entire life, in the simple, everyday tasks that they’ve set out to accomplish.

 
There is absolutely no quit in a ranch kid.  The work ethic of a soldier and an everlasting spirit of utter persistence live within every young cow-kid I’ve ever met.  If only we didn’t lose that determination between childhood and adulthood.  It seems so easy for grown men and women to throw their hands in the air and simply give up.  “It’s too hard…I’m not good enough…It takes too much time…I simply can’t”- you hear the excuses every day, even I’ve been guilty of them.  But here’s the difference: these kids know no excuses.  They simply refuse to be told “no”, and rise to every challenge they face.  How does a tiny boy put a halter on a 16+ hand horse?  All their methods may be different, but you can bet you’ll see him leading his big horse in from the pasture at some point.  These kids figure things out; they are problem solvers.  Where there is a will, there is a way, and what will they have!  There is truly no obstacle too tall or challenge too large for a ranch-raised kid, and I wish everyone would have the same no-quit attitude.
Ranch kids don’t want your help.  Not only do they not want it, they simply don’t need it!  “It’s ok- I can do it”, is their favorite saying.  If you’re a parent, family member, or friend to a young cowboy or cowgirl, then I’m sure you’ve heard it too.  And while your mind tells you that child will not accomplish a task without your help, you can’t help but stand back and watch them work.  Sure, there’s struggle, but what’s greater than that is a kid’s will and determination to succeed, and their thirst to achieve something on their own.  Even though it may seem like an unbeatable challenge to onlookers, a certain level of independence is being achieved in that moment.  You see, these kids already know at a young age how important self-reliance is.  They see Dad leave early in the morning, often, just him and his horse in the trailer, and they know that it’s up to him to achieve that day’s tasks.  These youngsters learn what self-preservation and reliance are at a very young age, and many will walk in those same footsteps.  What’s so painstakingly different between the innocent kids and grown adults of this world, is that those youngsters are not waiting for someone to rescue them.  They aren’t looking for a handout, because they’re aware that in their worst moments, perhaps on their darkest days, their independence will have to be their single saving grace.  Ranch kids have been placed on this great Earth to show just how tough and gritty people really can be.  I wish everyone would share that same independence.

 
And when all is said and done, when it’s 100+ degrees out and they throw their saddle over that big horse’s back by themselves for the first time, after several failed attempts, there’s a great likeliness that you’ll hear nothing about.  The struggles these kids encounter become part of their day to day routine.  It becomes normal for them to meet hardships and eventually overcome them.  But you can bet that no boasting will be heard.  With a humble attitude and heart the size of Texas, these kids just go on.  Another day, another challenge, there’s nothing to brag about when each task is accomplished.  Are they proud?  Sure.  Will they boast or brag?  Probably not.  While a lot of this reflects superior parenting, these kids also get a lot of credit for acting this way, even when mom and dad aren’t present.  All too often I see people who are just seeking a compliment, an “atta boy”, or pat on the back from completing something.  Not that it’s always a bad thing, but it’s certainly different than a kid’s approach to life.  I wish everyone was as humble as a ranch kid.

 
We have some pretty neat kids at the ranch we are at: little girls with beautiful smiles, big bows, and even bigger attitudes; and polite young boys who love to rope.  While they vary in ages and are very different kids from one another, they all share the same look- the look of determination; the look that says, “tell me I can’t and I will”.  That’ll be the attitude that they take with them into adulthood.  It’s the same determination that takes a kid from barely being about to catch that day’s mount, to trotting out with the cowboys at sunrise during fall works.  I just hope that’s something they take with them as they go through life.  May they remember their roots, where they come from, and what their upbringing means. May they always stay ranch raised kids at heart; and more than anything, I wish people could understand what that truly means.