Cuttin’ a deal in the old days

The term horse trading saw light of day around 1820 and owes its origin to the notorious shrewdness of those who bought and sold horses. 

Horse trading became popular between farmers who owned and used horses on their operations. In fact, it took on a social behavior among many traders, and became an art form that proved who was top dog among traders! 

Often it runs to difficult and sometimes dishonest discussions between people who are trying to reach an agreement. However, those that could   exaggerate a good trait without telling the whole story, which means leaving out the facts about deficiencies, tended to be the better traders. 

For instance, the old farmer that said about his horse that he planned to trade, “He looks good, yet he just don’t look so good.” His horse that looked strong and slick turned out to be blind and after all, he did say that, “he don’t look so good!” 

Most trades result in getting rid of a horse that has a defect or exhibits a bad habit and often the trade you receive will also have an underlying problem that may have been brushed aside. So, you see, due to the difficulties in evaluating the merits of horses it often leads to misleading or false claims in determining their worth. 

Ben K. Green, an old-time veterinary and horse trader has published very entertaining books on this little bit of Americana. I once heard this account of a horse trade that illustrates what I have just said. Now understand, we are talking about yesteryear when folks actually stopped by to sit on the porch and visit a spell before they moved on. Horse and buggy days when time was much simpler and slower. 

Now Grandpa had a habit of circling a horse as he evaluated it. He did that with every horse he saw while he determined if he had an interest in them, maybe posing a future trade. One mid-afternoon, such a visit took place when an old gent that farmed a place near the next town stopped his team and buggy and said he was passing by on an errand and thought he would stop by while he was in the neighborhood. 

He didn’t say he was interested in a horse trade; it was like he was here on a social visit talking about the weather and how nice the folks were around here. But as Grandpa looked his horse’s over, he knew he was going to try to trade this gent out of his fine looking bay mare. 

Grandpa had a grey he would like to move on because that horse tended to lay back and let the other horse in the team do all the work. Well sir, they worked up a trade, though Grandpa had to anti up about $10 in boot, which he was okay with him because he wanted to get rid of that slacker. 

The bad news is that the horse Grandpa traded for was “wind broke” and began to blow and heave as soon as the work started. Grandpa subscribed to words he had heard in a poem, “When a feller is tradin’ horses, no matter how he feels, even if he takes a lickin,’ a deal is still a deal!” And he immediately began ponderin’ on his next trade. 

Cuttin’ A Deal

Country folk find ways to entertain one another,

An’ tradin’ horses helped make their fun,

They was serious as a heart attack, Brother,

See, that’s just how it’s done.

Grandpa had a grey mare that he’d shore like to move on, 

‘Cuz she’d get you in a bind,

See, she was bad to buck an’ leave you on your own,

To which he was disinclined.

Now when opportunity presents itself,

A feller begins to think,

An’ you take all of your skills off the shelf,

Come to it, you don’t want to blink!

Now ol’ Charley was known to make a shrewd trade,

An’ his skills was widely known,

He rode up lookin’ like he was in a parade,

Leadin’ a good lookin’ blue roan. 

 Grandpa scratched his head an’ spit there ‘twixt his boots,

An’ there was thinkin’ goin’ on,

He sorted in his mind that horses’ attributes,

‘Cuz he kinder liked that blue roan.

But he had to play his cards close to his vest,

It was just part of the game,

Actin’ just like he shore ‘nuff had no interest,

Charley did about the same!

They howdied an’ shook hands to start the show,

An’ showed no interest makin’ swaps,

Spoke of the weather, takin’ things kinder slow

As they jawed about their crops.

Somehow, got to dickerin’ about each other’s horse,

Just how cow savvy they could be,

How they never got tired and their speed of course,

Why, as good as you’d ever see!

Charley allowed the roan might hump up of a cold mornin,’

An’ was known to sometimes kick,

But his disposition would always give you warnin,’

Figgerin’ him out warn’t no trick.

Grandpa said his mare was sound, shore ‘nuff fit the bill,

Maybe a bit onery,

‘Bout takin’ direction from greenhorns lackin’ skill,

An’ boogers that were scary.

Said she was quick to learn an’ plenty cow smart,

An’ showed to have plenty of grit,

An’ travel, well this pony had lotsa heart,

She warn’t one to up an’ quit!

Truth is, they might not tell it exactly like it was,

Actually, butchered the truth,

Braggin’ about the good points, stayin’ quiet about the flaws,

Both fellers slicker than a sleuth.

Back an’ forth they went an’ somehow made a deal,

To best one another, they tried,

Swappin’ troubles that neither one would reveal,

All puffed up with trader’s pride!

At end o’ day, who turned out to be the best?

Each one thought he came out on top,

Figgered to be number one trader in the west,

An’ folk, it will just never stop!

© Ol’ Jim Cathey

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