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“…the quintessential cowboy”
I looked up Clifford Jackson Taylor after I made the photo but before I wrote this post, and here’s what I learned.
He went by Jackson and was a cowboy, working on ranches across the United States and in Australia. He was a member of the Western Ranch Cowboys Association and was professional bronc rider; he appeared in two seasons of the reality show “Ultimate Cowboy Showdown.” In 2023, he was competing in the WRCA-sanctioned Estancia Valley Ranch Rodeo in Moriarty, New Mexico, fell during a bronc ride and later died, according to a report from the Floyd County Hesperian-Beacon. He was 33 years old.
His grave is here, in a tiny country cemetery that’s down a dirt road.
Grey Mule Cemetery
Hall County, Texas
photographed 12.29.2024
calm horseman
I don’t know – I just like the way this gentleman seemed so calm and yet in command when he was on that horse. And I love that he had a pen in his shirt pocket. And don’t even get me started on how his dusty black hat is obviously a work hat.
The horse, by the way, sold for $28,000.
Levelland, Texas
photographed 11.23.2024
Eyewitnesses
When I made this shot, I thought it was about the bronc rider and the horse.
Turns out I was wrong: it was actually about the row of cowboys back there, behind the pens, paying careful attention to that eight-second ride.
ABC Pro Rodeo
Lubbock, Texas
photographed 4.6.2019
One Day | One Image 