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Here are the yarns of a true cowboy for those who have in their blood either a touch of larceny, an affection for the Old West, or better yet, both. These twenty tales add up to a true account of Ben K. Green’s experiences around the corrals, livery stables, and wagon yards of the West. Green was a veterinarian who took down his shingle and went into horse trading, in what he imagined would be retirement. No stranger to the saddle, Green claims to have “with these bloodshot eyes and gnarled hands measured over seventy thousand horses.” His tales range from tricks to make an old horse seem young (at least until the poor creature died from the side effects of the scam) to a recipe for making a dapple-gray mule from a bucket of paint and a chicken’s egg. So you want to go into the horse business? You can learn the knavery, skill, salesmanship, and pure con man hokum of horse trading here, in a book every westerner or horse fancier should have on hand.
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Bison Books (August 1, 1999)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0803270860
ISBN-13: 978-0803270862
Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.7 x 8 inches
Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (58 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #245,096 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #83 in Books > Science & Math > Biological Sciences > Animals > Horses #146 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Regional U.S. > West #246 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Pets & Animal Care > Essays
Whoever said that Green's stories were hokey must be young, and not appreciative of bootstrap operations. Ben Green was a self-made man, sizing up opportunities as an enterprising youngster. He shows determination, he demonstrates decision-making skills, and he always plays within the framework, ever flavored with a fine-tuned sense of humor. In short, he's the sort who made this country great, and what we are woefully short of in today's crop of youngsters. I know; I'm a retired middle school teacher. I'd recommend this book to any of my former students, except most of them don't like to read.
Ben Green's book "Horse Tradin'" will be enjoyed by about anyone from Texas or with an interest in cowboys and horses. Green was born in 1912 and this book tells stories of his horse tradin' experiences as a boy and young man in the late 1920s and 1930s before the automobile made the profession of horse trader obsolete. Green was a bit more than the simple cowboy he portrays in this book. Research into his life tells us that he was educated in Veterinary medicine at Cornell and in England, so he didn't spend all his time trying to make a buck by sharp trades.One suspects that Green, like all good traders, stretches the truth a bit in some of these 20 stories, but there is an air of authenticity and affection for horses and cowboying that is hard to resist. "I rode into Mineral Wells one day on a new dun horse with black mane and tail that weighed about eleven hundred pounds and had a nice way of carrying himself -- a six-year old, stylish enough..." Now that's a description of a man who knows his horses. Green tells of his shenaningans as a trader, and also of the times that he was taken himself -- by a southern gentleman who sells him a blind horse and by an Indian in New Mexico who sold him wild horses tranquilized by "sleepy" grass to make them appear tame. Green makes you long for a time gone by, capturing the feel of a cold Texas morning, the taste of "bachelor's grub" like beans, beef, and potatoes, and the virtues of "hard-twisted, ill-tempered, unbroke Mexican mules." Texans bought this book in vast numbers when it was first published and it deserves to be recalled as an outstanding bit of Western Americana.Smallchief
I nearly always give my books away---which was what I did with Horse Tradin' over 40 years ago. Now I wanted to give a copy to a grand niece and was not surprised that hard copies were nearly unavailable. I was pleased to see that someone had the good horse sense to publish this Green classic in paperback for contemporary readers. Even so I paid up for a used hardback and just finished rereading the book. It would have been worth twice the price. Probably only people that now live in rural areas can appreciate the freedom and casualness of life before World War ll. You would never know from reading these stories that Ben Green was an educated professional man. He was a self effacing gentleman that may no longer exist. Other reviewers have covered the content of the book and there is no need for my repeating. Do yourself a favor and get and read this book. I only wish that someone would make a movie of 3 or 4 of these wonderful stories. When you read the book you will know what I mean.
Ben Green's books are great snapshots of the transition from horse & buggy days to the mechanical era. Easy reading, always brings a smile, chuckle and some laugh out louds. One of my favorite western authors.
Great Book as always by Ben K. Green! Can read his books again and again! Gave my copy away and wanted to replace it. Thought I was buying another hardback book, but this one will do! Just wanted another copy to keep on hand to reread as I wanted to anyway. I want to have all his books on hand just for posterity. I believe, never having met the man, that he must have written as he spoke. I have gifted his books many times. Always the gift was happily received and read . Wish I'd lived when he did and met him! Oh, well, will just have to keep reading and enjoying!
Bought this for a friend and they were very pleased.Wonderful to be able to find books that are not in most stores.
Have given this book as a gift several times. It is a glimpse of life when horses were still essential to almost everyone, and Mr. Green saw every horse (and person) he met as a distinct personality. Mr. Green himself comes across a mixture of horse whisperer, showman, and hippie, with all the best characteristics of each. My mother reports that her father knew Mr. Green, and when he showed up at the ranch (ranch visitors were always invited for dinner), her mother was sure to say, with a glint in her eye, "Monroe, are you going to tell him to wash or shall I?"
Highly entertaining and colorfully written. Anyone with a ranching background or an appreciation of horses, mules, or stories of days gone by should read this book.Ben Green is a gifted story teller and I enjoyed reading this book immensely.
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