A Day in Cowtown!

We hit the trail this morning bright and early (okay, it really wasn't all that early, but it seems like the right thing to say) and headed west to Cowtown. We arrived just in time to see the cattle drive down East Exchange Avenue. The first cowboy we visited with was sporting this canteen with the official brand of the Fort Worth Herd. He told us that he had been a cowboy since he was four. He sure looked comfortable on his horse, Little Texas and he sure could crack a whip!

Check out more about the herd at http://www.fortworthgov.org/pacs/theherd/info/

"The City of Fort Worth has its own registered brand, the Running FW. The brand is symbolic of a city on the move, both in the progress Fort Worth has made and in its outlook toward the future. The backward “F” signified that the city is proud of its western history and the running “W” reaches toward our prosperous future."

"Ladies and Gentleman, stand back on the sidewalk for your own safety." Here they come! Okay, it's not exactly fast-paced, but these longhorns are BIG fellas!

This is where our tour takes a turn off the beaten path. If you walk along side of the Stockyard Building you will come to this turnstile. Spin on through, take the wooden stairs up to the top and you have entered the catwalk zone.

This catwalk gives a birds-eye view of the old wooden fenced pens back behind the Stockyard. In it's day this area would have held thousands of head of cattle. Now, some of the fences are beyond repair and the only sound is an occasional bird or distant car horn. It's hard to imagine that in it's heyday the Stockyards brought in millions of heads of cattle along with cowboys, lawless characters, saloons, dance halls, bawdy houses and a few legitimate businesses. The area was know as "Hell's Half Acre". Check out this official Fort Worth Stockyards site for more history.
http://www.fortworthstockyards.org/

The skyscrapers of the "New" Fort Worth are a beacon in the distance.

All that walking can bring on quite an appetite for a young cowgirl. We had a lovely lunch at Los Vaqueros Restaurant on Main street. The building is a restored 1915 packinghouse. The restaurant is beautiful, the food was delicious and the staff treated us very well. They even gave the girls a wonderful sopapilla topped with strawberries and real whipped cream...at no charge!

We made a big circle and headed back to the Stockyard Station after lunch.

My, oh my! A Candy by the Barrel store right along our path...how convenient!

Yumm-o! Have you ever seen lollipops any bigger?

I dare say...we are in Texas, ya know!
From the Stockyards we hit the trail again to the

Will Rogers Coliseum.

The World Championship Miniature Horse Show has been going on the better part of the week.

We make our way through several building with stalls

housing minis from all over the country.

Oh dear, there are cute little minis everywhere!

We take our seats in the arena,

just in time to watch a the judging.

This proud Mini is a winner!

The folks we met are very friendly and obviously love their little minis. This little guy is named Upper. He is from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and is now living in Colorado. He was very gentle and curious.

It's a lot of work to get a horse ready for competition. We saw a lot of preening going on! This little guy was all suds up before the final rinse.

Not only do they get hair cuts and their manes and tails, combed and even braided, but we saw several minis getting a shave. Just like Daddy...lather 'em up with shaving cream and get out the shaver.

The finishing touch was to buff and paint each hoof.

Look at those shiny, tiny hooves!

It was awesome to experience first-hand how friendly, outgoing, curious and down-right nosey Miniature Horses are!