Living Legend

A Living Legend

It would take many pages to pay proper homage to Mr. Ben Jordan of Smithville Oklahoma. My writing skills fall short to do the man justice. But if you will indulge me I would like to tell one recent story from last week. I think this story is just one example of many of who and what he is and what he expects of himself and his dogs..
Mr. Ben just turned 80 years old recently. Friends threw him a surprise party for his birthday a few months back. Folks came from everywhere and had a great time roosting ole Ben with old tales and stories. Ben still raises and uses BMC dogs every day of his life. He has owned and uses the finest BMC stock dogs there are in my opinion.. He is a cattleman, rancher and pure cowboy to this day. For many years he ran cattle and hogs on over 80,000 acres of kiemichie free-range wilderness in eastern Oklahoma. This is rough country that takes tough men and good dogs with lots of bottom and skill to be successful. Mr. Ben is that man and this line of dogs are the dogs for it and have been for many years. Ben is one of the best dog men and cowboys that are still alive today. He still runs 100’s of cows on his place and others around that country.
Mr. Ben was the 1961, 1962 and 1963 World champion All around cowboy in the IPRA (International pro rodeo association). He was world champion Bare Back bronk rider in 1961, 62,63, 64 and 1965. He was the world bull-riding champion in 1961 and 1962. I can just imagine the bumps and stock wrecks his body took all those years. But it never stopped him from doing what he loved. Some folks think they know dogs, some folks thing they are tough but I honestly doubt many can make a pimple on the mans butt today.

The other day Ben has some fence down on a place and some cattle getting scattered. All by himself, He decided to hook his trailer up and take a one-year-old gyp pup he was starting and his saddle horse and go over and see what he needed to do. This young gyp is out of an old family of dogs that have been a key part of his, ours and several more programs for 40 years or more now. We have Ricky Driver, my father in law Ed Owens and my brother in law Bob Owens (Big O) to thank for that. This little gyp goes back to the Big Boy x Blondie cross over 35 times in her pedigree. She is out of Clue Anderson’s Cowboy dog and our Sara gyp. In my opinion Cowboy is the finest BMC stud dog to have come along in many a year. Clue kept 3 of those pups and gave Ben a couple, the pup Ben loaded that day was one of them. Clue is another feller who ranks right up there with the best cowboys and dog men that I know. Good honest family man who knows what he’s doing!
On with the story, Ben got over to the pasture, got on his horse, called the dog and away they went. He rode a mile or so down the fencerow, found where the fence was down. After sizing up the situation he decided to gather all those cattle and drive em to another place. He sent that young gyp to find and bay different bunches of cattle. She’d go find em and get em all gathered up one bunch at a time. Ben would drive em to another bunch and finally they set about driving all of them to where Ben eventually wanted them. Ben said she got out front and was leading like a dog is supposed to with style and class. An old cow would try to peel off and leave, that gyp would go get em stopped and put her back in the bunch, then get back up front and go to leading again. Along the way they came to a swollen, fast running creek. Now there are lots of old dogs that wont take to that. Ben said she hesitated and kind of rolled around to one side. He kind of scolded her a bit, threw a rope at her and she bailed off in that water, still out front, swimming and still leaden cattle. They got em driven over to the place he wanted to turn em out in and said he was sure proud of that pup; she’d done one heck of job. That is something rare, to hear him Brag on one.
Now this story takes a little twist here when the rest of the story came out. Come to find out he had driven those cattle horseback for 6 or 7 miles to the other pasture. The dog leading the whole way and putting cattle back in the bunch all along the way. When he got there he couldn’t get hold of anyone by phone to come get him so at 80 years old after all of that he just Loped his hose, dog along side 6 or 7 miles back to his truck.
Pretty amazing story for an 80 year old man and a year old pup in my view. But, like I said, that’s Ben Jordan, what he expects, who his is and what he dose.