Page 8 - Tamale Ridge_113017
P. 8
6 Tamale Ridge by: Chuck Cusimano
ended up running this place. I always wanted to chase around finding broncs that couldn’t be
rode but now, I had a responsibility. This ranch was left to me so I knew I had to stick it out.
I needed to find out some of the legal aspects of this outfit but I didn’t even know where
to start. The lawyer that sent me the letter about my inheritance left Raton before I got here.
I found out that after his office burned, he pulled up stakes and no one knew where he was. I
couldn’t find anyone that knew anything about any of Uncle Trent’s business.
Joe Simmons didn’t know Uncle Trent very well but he thought he used to have a bank
account in Raton. I went looking for it in all the different banks but no one could tell me
anything. I started operating this place on a shoestring as soon as I arrived here.
I started breaking the three-year-old colts that I could gather and sold some fillies. I also sold
some of the old cows to some of the mines and sold some calves to some individuals around.
That helped me make enough money to keep operating.
My Uncle, Trent Williams was reputed to be one of the first people to experiment with
crossing big ol’ common work mares to a retired U. S. Army remount stud. Then he started
using the best mares he could find. He started producing a stout, tough, quick little cow pony.
We sure needed those types of horses in this kind of country! He started the
Tamale breed with the stud colt “Tamale”. The other ranchers in this part of the country
would pay a premium for a Tamale colt. They used to ride in to buy some horses and the story
goes, they saw all those mares and foals and started callin’ this place Tamale Ridge.
I guess I need to back up a little and tell you about the horse named Tamale.
He was born in the dead of the winter of 1910 and as red as the hot July mid-day sun. Old
Juan Torres told Uncle Trent on the day of the colt’s birth:
“Es mucho potrillo. En poco tiempo, es possible, aye mucho caballo. Muy bien por
6
