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When Samantha Forster returns home to River Bend Ranch after two years in San Francisco, she learns a lot about Western life. By the time you reach the end of chapter 13, you will have picked up some tips to change you from a tenderfoot to a Big Time Buckaroo.

Fill in the blanks below with answers to these questions. Then, go over the answers with your teacher and find out if you're ready to saddle up.

1. What do the initials BLM stand for?
2. Some horses pull tricks on their riders. What trick does Ace pull on Sam?
3. Horses don't always move at the same speed. Their different speeds are called "gaits". What are some of the gaits mentioned in The Wild One?
4. What is joshing?
5. Horses and cattle are prey animals. What does this mean and how does it affect the way they react when they think they're in danger?
6. Sam realizes that cattlemen such as her father disagree with those who want wild horses kept on the range. Why ?
7. What kind of cows are reddish-brown with white faces?

Extra credit question

In The Wild One, Sam helps drive a herd of cattle across part of the range called "the playa". What does playa mean in Spanish?

Teacher Tips and Answers:

1. Bureau of Land Management
2. Ace puffs out his belly when Sam is buckling the saddle cinch (a lot like a belt) around him. Then, when she puts one foot in the stirrup to get up on Ace's back, the saddle turns and Sam falls right on the seat of her jeans.
3. Walk, trot, jog, lope, run, gallop.
4. Good-natured kidding or teasing -- Jake, Dad and the River Bend hands "josh" Samantha, but Linc Slocum and Flick are rude and sarcastic.
5. Prey animals are those hunted and eaten by predators such as wolves, coyotes, bears, cougars and sometimes feral dogs. Prey animals usually respond to danger by running and by staying with the herd whenever possible. Note: students may list things which frighten cattle and horses -- loud noises such as thunder or shouting, or quick movements such as Sam flapping her hat at the brindle cow.
6. Possible answers:
   • Cattle and mustangs must share the same resources.
   • Sometimes there's not enough grass and water to go around.
   • Ranchers don't earn as much money if the cows they take to market are skinny.
   • Horses scare cattle away from food and water.
7. Herefords

Extra Credit Question:

Playa means beach in Spanish -- The playa in The Wild One is the bed of ancient Lake Lahoton. There is still water beneath the crust. Some call the mixture of earth and water underneath quicksand.

Grading scale:

Each question (including extra credit) is worth 20 points

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