John Grady suggests that they try to break these sixteen horses in four days. His idea is to end up with "just halfway decent greenbroke horses." They will sideline the horses, which requires a lot of rope (see the following Analysis section for more information on the methods of breaking horses). Armando, one of the ranch workers, has reported that there are maybe four hundred head of horses on the mountain — medium bloods, or quarterhorses. John Grady observes the horses and suggests that the bloodlines come from some famous horses sold from Texas into Mexico.
John Grady and Rawlins go to the kitchen and talk to the manager. He doesn't think they will be able to break these horses using this method, but he does not forbid them to do it. So, the next day, they begin the hobbling and sacking of the horses. Rawlins assists John Grady, who says, "No such thing as a mean colt." John Grady floats a gunnysack over the horse's face and rubs the sack over it, all the while talking to the horse. These gunnysacks carry John Grady's scent because he slept on them the night before. Rawlins asks, "What good do you think it does to waller all over a horse thataway?" John Grady's reply is, "I dont know. I aint a horse."
Because they have little equipment, except ropes, they make hackamore bridles. They begin at daybreak, and, by dark, John Grady has ridden eleven of the horses. By the end of the second day, John Grady and Rawlins have both ridden all the horses.
On the first morning, the Mexican cowboys come to watch and, by the afternoon, women and children have also gathered. By the fourth morning, John Grady is ready to ride one of the horses out of the pen. In the afternoon, he rides the grullo that Rawlins had chosen as the wildest of the bunch. On the ride, the young girl Alejandra, the daughter of Rocha, rides by him on her black Arabian horse. John Grady wants to speak but doesn't. That evening the manager and another hand come to inspect the horses. Antonio, of the vaqueros, rides two of the horses. At supper, they receive even more deference from the other vaqueros than they had on the first day.
