Stephen Bly’s former office saddle
Catch the Horse or Good Saddle First?
True cowboys and cowgirls usually treasure a good saddle.
No one likes being bucked off a horse, especially an Old West cowboy. You’d get a lot of ribbing for that. Out on the range if your old broomtail decided to break in two, hop for mama, jackknife, swap ends, take you to church, chin the moon, or wrinkle his spine, you’d end up plowing the ground with your face. And you’d have a problem more serious than a few cuts and scratches.
You needed to catch the horse, who just demonstrated he wasn’t too fond of you. And that might mean calling for help. But seldom did a cowboy shout for someone to corral his pony. Instead, he’d holler, “Catch my saddle!”
Reasons to Grab the Saddle
There were two good reasons for that slogan. First, cowboys tended to ride $10 horses and sat in $40 western saddles. The good roping saddle was much more valuable. Second, on many ranches the horses belonged to the brand, but the saddle remained the personal property of the cowboy. About the time you slammed into dirt, rocks, and cactus, you didn’t care if you ever rode that horse again. But you sure didn’t want to lose your good saddle.
Ever Been Bucked Off?
Maybe you’ve never been thrown from a horse. Or found yourself banged up after falling on hard ground and rocks. More likely you’ve fallen from a mountain bike saddle. But only some know the pain of limping along on cuts and bruises trying to catch a horse bent on staying thirty feet beyond your grasp.
However, you could get your face mashed in the dirt. Social, emotional, and even spiritual collisions happen that leave you mentally bruised, battered, and wounded.
St. Paul told Timothy that some have even rejected sound teaching and “shipwrecked their faith” (1 Timothy 1:19). Failure to pursue truth derails believers in Jesus.
Should Have Known Better
Your spiritual enemy, your own conscience, and even well-meaning friends might say, “You should have been able to hang on.” Or “You shouldn’t let such trials throw you.” And then you hope no one witnessed your fall. Yet you require help to get patched up and back on the trail. You need to holler out something like, “Catch my saddle!” That is, “Give me a hand and don’t let me lose my valuables!”
Catch Me If You Can
There are times to call out, “Catch my marriage!” or “Catch my kids!” or “Catch my faith!” Anyone too proud to call on others to help save what’s truly priceless is someone who will one day find they don’t have anything of value left.
Stephen Bly
Circa 1996
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WESTERN WISDOM “Ketch My Saddle!” audio podcast by award-winning western author Stephen Bly. Sponsored by BlyBooks.com Legacy Series.
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