Last Sunday, Willa and I went on a cattle drive! My very first one. Because my Autumn was lame, I rode Storm. She is pictured above, a retired ranch horse once upon a time called Mouse. She is a Mouse no more.
When we first got her, she was depressed. She had lived on a ranch with her herd and had always been a hard working ranch horse. When she was young, she did some barrel racing and some roping. As she got older, her owners, who knew Willa, gave her up because she was getting kind of stiff, and ranch work was too hard for her anymore.
It took a long time for her to forgive us all for that. Now, however, she loves the ranch and the herd in the Western Pasture where she lives. Last summer, when we were doing kids camps, she really got her groove back. We have put special shoes on her front feet so she isn't stiff or sore anymore. So when we got our invitation to join in a real live cattle drive, she was the natural choice to ride.
When we arrived and unloaded her from the trailer, her ears pricked up, her head went up and her nostrils flared out. She heard those cows and she knew what this was about! She was very excited (at least as excited as she gets). I saddled her up and boy was she ready to go! Storm is too mature to prance around and waste energy, but she did have a hard time just standing around to wait.
At last the cattle were pushed out of their pen, and they started on the move. Storm started along with them. She knew just what to do and when to do it. Mostly, I just tried to be a good rider. We eased the cattle along pretty gently because there were many small calves in this herd.
Cattle on the trail are very noisy! I can't imagine having to listen to that noise for a few hundred miles like the cowboys used to do. Maybe after a day or so the cattle learn to be quiet. But this herd sure wasn't! Storm chose to stay upwind of the herd so we didn't get a lot of dust, which was nice. We went about 4 miles, which doesn't seem very long, but was pretty far for the small calves to go. In fact, a couple of them plain wore out--so they were separated from the herd and put into a stock trailer to make the rest of the journey.
We went down a long hill which had a small gulley at the bottom. It was very interesting to watch as the cattle herd went through that gulley. Storm stationed herself at the top and her presence seem to forestall any escape attempts. We also took the herd safely across a highway.
Willa was on Dillon and this was his first time around cows, but he did very well. Didn't even spook once. In fact, it took him about ten minutes to figure out how to herd cows, and he really enjoyed himself after that! I guess he's just a natural born boss. And at one point, we were taking the herd through a large pasture that contained other cows that the cowboys didn't want to get mixed into with our herd, so Dillon was chosen to be one of the horses who cantered out to chase those cows away. Boy he really went for that!
Storm, however, stayed on point doing her job like the pro she truly is. She was rock solid during the whole trip. After we arrived and the cattle were into the corral where the calves could get their tags--we rode back to where we had parked out trailers. Storm practically troted back the whole way (mostly up hill). She was so full of vigour! We could tell that she really enjoyed herself.
Storm is one of the horses we use for beginning riders. She is a patient horse, and knows just how to handle beginners. She builds confidence, because she is a professional and is competent herself. This was the first time I ever rode her, but I sure am glad I had the opportunity. She made my first cattle drive an excellent experience. And I was really glad she enjoyed herself so much.
