Cowgirl Sass & Savvy

Chip away loan 

By Julie Carter

Sometimes money does make the difference. Cowboys in sports requiring a horse can always get a bit of edge with a little extra “green” when making the move to the big leagues.

Josh was roping quite well and his name was getting called often enough at the local ropings and jackpots. He rode a little mustang with a heart as big as he was and more try than any horse twice his size. But the little steed just didn’t quite have what it took to compete where the cattle were fast and the horses were bigger.

Asking around, Josh hoped for someone that might lend him a horse while he was in this hot streak of roping so he could stay in the hunt with the big name ropers headed to the finals.

That didn’t work out so he started asking everybody he knew if he could borrow some money to buy a horse. That fell flatter than the horse borrowing plan. Finally, someone told him to go to the bank.

Josh didn’t have any experience with banks except he knew they kept money there, so off he went. Asking the first guy he ran into at the bank if he could borrow some money to buy a horse, the man quickly referred him to the bank president.

The banker listened to Josh’s story, giving it some quiet thought.

“How much money do you need to borrow to buy you a better horse?” he asked.

Josh answered quickly, “Well, the one I’m looking at that would take me all the way to the top is $40,000.”

The banker questioned him, with a little scowl forming on his brow. “Well now son, how would you go about paying back $40,000?”

As easily as he’d asked for the money, Josh replied, “If I start winning big, and I think I will, I'll pay it back right quick.”

“What if you don’t go to winning?” asked the banker.

Josh, ready with his reply, said, “I’ll just have to chip away at it.”

The banker pointed out to the cowboy that he didn’t have a steady job, he didn’t have any savings, and frankly, there was no reason in the world he should give him a loan.

“However,” he said. “I have never heard anybody tell me they would just chip away at paying a loan back. Go get the horse.”

A month or so went by and Josh sent $15,000 back to the bank. In another six weeks, he sent another $10,000. Then there was a long dry spell, but another $10,000 arrived at the bank.  And not long after, the last little bit of the loan arrived addressed to the attention of the bank president.

The banker followed Josh’s successes in the Rodeo Sports News. He told everybody that would listen that he had helped that cowboy out and was clearly the best of judge of character there ever was.

About two years later, this same banker answered his phone. It was Josh again, saying “Howdy. Remember me? I need me another one of them chip-away loans.”

The banker sighed as the thought ran through his mind that in the old days, all you needed was entry fee cash and a tank of gas.

Julie, a veteran of the chip-away plan, can be reached for comment at jcarternm@gmail.com.