Cowboy, the best horse…
By Ann McCoy Harold
He was called Cowboy, a Bayfield horse, an extraordinary horse by all accounts, as good at wrangling cattle as he was winning races. He had another, more technical designation, P12, the registry number given to him by the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA), meaning he was twelfth in the permanent registry of 20 Foundation Stallions, which was opened in 1940. There are now more than six million horses with AQHA papers.
Cowboy was known by Quarter Horse owners and breeders all over the West. He defined the designation of Quarter Horse by winning quarter-mile races and was renowned for winning half-mile match races, too.
Cowboy had a lot of heart, a comet on the quarter-mile track. The early West had quarter-mile straight tracks over dirt and sand in nearly every town. There were no starting gates; races started with a lap-and-tap start, meaning horses lined up behind the starting line, and if there even (lap), the judge began the race (tap). There was no parimutuel; a trusted man held the bets. There were no record books, but by most accounts from that day, bettors who put their money on Cowboy usually walked away with winnings.
Cowboy was long and tall with a kind of Thoroughbred look. The dark chestnut had a small strip-and-snip, stood about 15.2 hands tall, and weighed about 1200 pounds. Quarter horses were proven not by their parentage but by their conformation and performance. They just looked Western. Like art, the viewer knew it when he saw it. The hallmarks were an intelligent head, a slightly arched neck blending into muscled shoulders, and a short back above a stance gathered to move quickly. Cowboy, setting the Quarter reputation, could get the work done; he had stamina, intelligence, and courage.
Like his “get” — the colts he sired — Cowboy excelled on short tracks, ranches, and mountain trails. His bloodline is still sought. Those around the time invariably praised Cowboy, sometimes with some colorful language…
“Cowboy was the best horse that ever scattered apples on a trail!”
“Cowboy could move a herd of cows by himself.”
“Cowboy just knew the work to be done.”
“Cowboy would win all the events at one rodeo and, with only a trailer ride to rest, win at the next one.”
Cowboy left a strong mark in the industry.”
Cowboy’s pedigree and history are full of conflicting stories, some similar to tales of other foundation sires. He was used to pulling a wagon, among other things. It is generally agreed that he was foaled 1922 on Ed Thompson’s ranch at Folsom, NM.
Cowboy came to Bayfield when Sandy Scott borrowed him from Ed Thompson at Blanco, NM. Soon enough, Thompson took Cowboy back. A dozen years later, Cliff Fahrion heard Trinchera Ranch had bought Cowboy in a sheriff’s sale. Fahrion and Scott went to San Luis Valley to see for themselves. They quickly figured out those owners did not know anything about Cowboy. They bought him for $175 and brought him home in about 1940.
Cowboy died in Bayfield in the mid-1940s. A couple of Bayfield’s elders who appreciate good horses and revere Cowboy’s legend are pretty sure they know where his bones are buried.
We could not find any photos of Cowboy. Still, this one of another famous Foundation Quarter Horse, Poco Bueno, reveals the lines and characteristics of an American Quarter Horse, the horse that won the West.
Ann McCoy-Harold (right) receives a Club 20 award in 2019. Ann is a fifth generation McCoy in La Plata County. She says: “Heritage, history and family matter to me. Those are the platform for a prosperous and healthy future.”
