Standing sideways in their path, and without being asked to do so, the colt wheeled when they got close enough, and faced them head on. He pawed the ground hard with his right front foot and let out a menacing warning snort through his nose that stopped all the cows, including the old red one, who by now was just as tired as the other escapees. With every muscle in his body tight, his neck arched, nostrils flaring and his steps high and powerful, the colt moved forward. As a group, they all turned from the colt and went down the hill. Peaceably, they walked through the gate. It was now the end of the day.

After they got back to the ranch that night, the horses were unsaddled and taken back to their pens, except for the colt. On that night, and for the first time since he arrived, Tug took the time to brush him down.

Two weeks of working eight- to thirteen-hour days, along with the one run up the hill, had taken it’s toll on the colt. He was physically tired and muscle-sore and when Tug slipped his halter on and began leading him from his pen, for the first time since Jessie first taught him how to lead, he hesitated. All the other horses had gotten at least one day off during the round up, some even two or three days off, and they were replaced by other, fresher horses for the cowboys to ride, but not the colt. He had worked all of them, and each morning it was getting harder and harder for him to get his mind wrapped around going up another hill. Still, each day, he somehow found a way to do it, and he did it well and never quit. It simply wasn’t in his blood to do that. But on this day, all he really wanted to do was rest.

“Come on, boy,” Tug said quietly. It was the first time the colt could remember Tug talking to him. “One more day, and you’re done. The hard part’ll be over.” Tug put a little more pressure on the colt’s halter and, grudgingly, the colt broke loose and followed.

There seemed to be a lightness in the men on this morning as they tacked the horses up. As much as they all loved the cowboy life, working the hills for two weeks without a break was tiring to them just as much as it was to the horses, and they all seemed excited to get the round up over with. The lightness was contagious and the colt soon found himself feeling a little better as Tug finished brushing him and threw his saddle on. Soon, the horses were all loaded, tied to the trailer in alternating nose-to-tail fashion. The first horse to go in would have his head tied to the left wall of the trailer, his hindquarters up against the right wall. The next horse would be just the opposite, with his head tied to the right and his quarters to the left, the third would again be tied to the left and so on until all the horses were loaded, and standing nose to tail.