Cowgirls at Christmas

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!! Obviously next to Jesus being born the best gift we received this year was getting to work cattle this week after Christmas. Warning… long but hopefully entertaining post ahead. 

Our family of six together with our cousin Audrey arrived at the Ranch House on Christmas evening and set out all our warm clothes and gear for the week of cold weather and working. 

The next three days were comprised of the same rhythm of work which we call “working calves.” 

First thing in the morning, around 10 or 11, we arrived at the Headquarters (HQ) to saddle our horses and jump in the trucks with the cowboys. Sadly, the “city” in us really comes out when saddling the horses… beginning with us not being able to heave the saddle single-handedly on to the back of the horse… it took three of us to do one saddle… #needtohitthegym.  Upon finishing up at the headquarters, we drove to the pasture where we met the rest of the crew, unloaded the horses, and climbed up on our mounts. 

Then we began to gather the herd. Usually it is ideal to surround the cows by beginning at one corner of the pasture, then surround the perimeter of the pasture and then slowly work our way across the pasture to a central location.  The central location is typically known as the feed grounds which is where the cows get fed. From there, the horses and cowboys encourage the cattle to follow the “sook” (sounds like look) truck all the way through the gate and up to the pens where we will work them. The “sook” truck is the cowboys truck that has a siren and the feed the cows know and love so well. 

Best case scenario, it plays out as described above and all mama cows, baby calves, and cowboys arrive at the pens without a hitch. However, we had some unlucky times. In one pasture we had half the heard run away… the real cowboys went after the half that went away while the kids remained with the herd that stayed. Once the herd that had stayed enjoyed some feed, the kids pushed the cattle through a gate to a trap (which is a smaller pasture to hold the cattle). Then we got out of the way so the cowboys could join the rambunctious runaways with the rest of the herd. Finally they all made it from the trap to the pens. Woo hoo!!! 

Once all the cattle made it to the pens there was a total of a 102 calves, 106 cows and 5 bulls to work. We started with the calves. 

The following jobs are split up as follows. 

1 Brander – this guy uses branding irons to brand the calves with the rafter brand. This helps with identification. The irons are heated with propane in what in cowboy language is referred to as “the branding pot.” I am not exactly how to describe it any other words. 🙂 

2 Shot guys – these people administer a total of three shots: two antibiotics and a dewormer in order to keep the calves healthy.

2 Head guys – this person gives an ear notch to all the calves and uses a dehorning tool to remove any horns. For the male calves, the head guy also administers a hormone implant to replace some of the testosterone they loose during castration. (Sorry if it’s too much info, if so skip the next job) 

1 Castrator – this guy is very experienced and knowledgeable about what to do to castrate the bulls which are then after called steers. 

2-3 Ropers – these guys use what city people call “a lasso” and cowboys call “a rope” (that was a quick lesson for us once we began working out here) to catch the calves by the feet and pull them towards the people who work the ground. Having experienced and skilled ropers makes the whole experience much smoother. 

4-6 Ground Crew – these people are split into groups of two. One person is designated the tail guy and the other the rope guy. Working together they flip the calf on its side and the tail guy sits on the middle of the calf to keep it from moving while the rope guy monitors the rope to ensure the calf’s back legs will not kick anyone. The Head guy also joins them and sits on the head of the calf to restrain movement. 

Usually Henry does shots, Cate and Hannah either do  shots or ground crew, Audrey does ground crew, and I either do ground crew or heads. My favorite job is the head guy because the ground crew already has the calf ready by the time I get there. 🙂 

After all 102 calves were tended too, we worked the cows and bulls. This involved pushing eleven or twelve cows down the alley and through the chute where they received some deworming medicine and the necessary ear tag and brand. After that was finished we guided the cattle back to their pastures and loaded up the trailer. We headed back to HQ to unsaddle and water our horses before saying goodbye to a really sweet week. 

After a long absence of getting to work calves with the cowboys we all left thankful and happy from the day. I hope you all also had a wonderful Christmas season!! I look forward to being able to update you all again soon! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!