True Burson of Guthrie, Texas, lives at the Four Sixes Ranch North Camp. Before moving to the cow operation, Burson spent 2.5 years at the vet clinic working for Dr. Blodgett and riding colts for the Four Sixes’ horse program. “They treat you good,” he says. “It’s good country, good cows, good horses to ride. I love it.” One of Burson’s favorite aspects of working at the Four Sixes is to be around cowboy legends like Boots O’Neal. “Seeing him wake up every morning and saddle a horse gives you motivation to be that way when you’re 83 years old, too. Still going at it.”
SADDLE
That’s a Cowpuncher Strip Down Saddle. I really like that saddle—it’s real light and easy to chuck on and off horses all day. cowpuncherbitandspur.com
ROPE
King Ropes are the best ropes I’ve found for all-around ranch work. You can neck stuff, heel, drag calves, and do it all. Most of the time I dally, but I always have a horn knot on the end of my rope that I braid into them. Sometimes on a younger horse I like to be tied off. kingssaddlery.com
CHAPS
Gage Moorhouse made them. He lives near Guthrie and he’s a real good leggin’ maker. They’re made out of really thick leather and they turn the brush good.
PLIERS
Those are Moore Maker pliers. If you’ve got a camp job, you’ve got to have some pliers on you for water gappin’ and fixing fence. I like them because they’re the smaller version of the Moore Maker pliers. mooremaker.com
BOOTS
Guy Spikes from Seymour, Texas, built those. They fit like a glove and they’re comfortable to wear all day. He’s a really good boot maker. facebook.com/brazosbootshp
COPPER BRACELET
I broke my hand a long time ago and they said I was going to have arthritis in it. I put that on right when I broke it and I haven’t had any trouble with it because of that. The old timers wore them and I think it helps a lot.
SHIRT
This is one of my favorite shirts to wear. Cinch makes it and it’s like a fishing shirt— it’s got those vents in the back. They ain’t much in the brush—a thorn catches them and that neoprene stuff will rip. But they sure are nice and cool in the summertime. mii-int.com
SPURS
These are Cody Jack spurs.
facebook.com/jackbitsandspurs
KNIFE
It’s an Eye Brand knife. It’s my favorite kind of knife because they hold an edge. This is a single-blade folding knife. bigbendsaddlery.com
COW HOBBLES
On the back of my saddle I carry a pair of cow hobbles. My brother, Dusty, made those. They’re real short, kind of like handcuffs, and using them is a lot faster than tying a steer down. It’s a little easier on the cattle too—if you have to leave them for a bit, they can still move around. You just shackle them real fast and go rope another one.