bwranch
Well-known member
We had an interesting day Tuesday. Monday night I went to feed cows down on the river, no cows to be seen. After about an hour of calling and searching, finally found them standing on a gravel bank by the river (wrong side of course). No way they were going to come back across but, no big deal, I figured they would just bed down and I could get em back in the AM on the way to work. Got down there about daylight but no cows, so I took my bucket of cow cubes and waded the river cause with the drought it's only knee deep MOST of the way across (of course there was that one hole I found). Got to the other side with my bucket of cow cube soup, found three cows in the trees but they wouldn't budge. No sign of the rest of the herd. Waded back across the river (avoided the previously discovered hole, henceforth referred to as PDH) and headed to the house for the horses. Called the boss, told him I might be a little late. Farrier was scheduled so by the time I got back to the house, he was pulling up. He went home to get his horse, called another friend for backup, wife called yet another friend to assist, wife and I saddled up and we all met down at the river about 9:30. We crossed the river (wife's horse finds the PDH, she's wet, I laugh). About 1/3 of the herd was bedded down in the trees about 50 yards from where I was the first time so we rode on past, looking for the rest of the girls. No luck. Found an elderly gent in his yard about ½ mile from the river. Said yeah, he'd seen them but he thought they belonged to the guy up the hill so he took his 4 wheeler and chased them up that way. I decided that the best thing to do at this point was to move the cows in hand back across the river and then go get the rest of the herd. The original five of us moved off toward the river, now accompanied by the elderly gentleman's dog pack which consisted of a Siberian husky, a beagle, and a chocolate lab mix. You know, I've never had the chance to watch a Siberian husky work cattle. I was quite impressed as he quickly got the hang of it and helped us move the cattle toward the crossing. OK, well, he moved them just fine but when we got to where we wanted to cross, I guess he decided (based on that instinctive wisdom common to canines) that crossing was not the right thing to do, so in order to save us from some fatal human mistake, he called in his buddies. With the Husky directing, the beagle baying, and the lab doing lab things, they proceeded to move the cattle past the crossing and up the river at an ever increasing pace. Oh boy, joy of joys. I'm on the high side so I get to turn 'em. More wisdom from the animal kingdom to the rescue. My mare decides that the direct approach is called for here and the quickest way to head off the runaways is through the willow thickets. I honestly did not know that saplings of any sort could grow that close together. I haven't had a beating like that since daddy and the woodshed. Well, we turned 'em, got them headed back to the crossing and everything is moving pretty smoothly. Cows go in the water and start to cross, no problem. Uh oh, my mare discovers the PDH, and she likes it. Now being the consummate horseman, when I determined that the mare was headed for the PDH, I cleverly pulled my boots from the stirrups and held them up by her neck. I did not anticipate just how much she was going to like the water hole. You can only sit for so long with your legs in an extended "leg lift" position, and in my case, that was not long enough to convince the mare to move on. My boots are now full of water and my wife is laughing, just a little too loudly, I think. Meanwhile, our doggie helpers have moved on to the other side of the river in front of the cattle. 15 foot high bluffs to the right, willow thickets to the left, cattle access straight ahead, no problem. Wrong. Canine wisdom to the rescue. The Husky has decided that the herd should not under any circumstance be allowed to use the access. Oh no, willow thickets again. My mare goes down in a bog and when her belly hits mud, I gracefully step off. My boot is full of mud, my wife is about to fall off her horse laughing, and I'm looking for the other boot which is now down where the mare was. I find the boot, hobble through the willow thicket leading the mare (who is really anxious to get away from that killer mud) and carrying my boot. Somehow, I managed to get mud in my back pockets. How did that happen? My wife is laughing again. I can't really hear her because of the mud in my ear, but apparently she is saying something about somebody getting bucked off. Anyway, we got the cows up the bank and into the portable pen. It's now 12:30. Called the boss, told him I might be more than just a little late. Went back across the river to get the rest of the herd where we met the old guy coming down the trail on his 4 wheeler looking for his dogs. Old Man, "Have you seen my dogs?" Me, "No." Wife gives me an evil look and politely explains to the old guy where he can find his dogs. They're camped out guarding the river access. Finally found the rest of the herd about a mile down the river, and moved them up and across without too much trouble, well, except for my mare's continued affinity for thickets and a newly discovered love of briar patches and locust trees. Used the PDH to wash the mud out of my boots and ears. Seems like my wife is having a great time, oblivious to the fact that I'm covered in stinky river mud and loosing blood at an alarming rate from numerous locust thorn punctures. Counted cows, everybody's home. Off to the house, get the fence tools, back to the river, fence off the access with a single hot wire ( yeah, that'll probably hold 'em, not). Home about dark, wife starts calling everybody she knows to tell them I got bucked off in the mud. I did NOT get bucked off. I gracefully stepped off to assist my mare when she was trapped in the bog. Eat your heart out Zane Grey.
Thank God I'm back at work today. I need the rest.
Thank God I'm back at work today. I need the rest.
