Buckaroo Texan Blog

I was invited to come to the fall branding on the 3G ranch outside of Midland, Texas this past weekend.   Kate and Sam Gooding had a recently weaned group of calves to brand and work.   I arrived Friday night and got settled in for a full day of riding and roping on Saturday.  I took my most experienced horse, Button, so we could do a good job for our host and hostess. 

Saturday morning we started out in the pastures, looking for 6 head of renegade cattle that have been running loose for over a year.   Kate on her trusty steed, Ranger and I, mounted on Button rode out in search of the cattle.   The cattle had been spotted a few times, so we had a good idea where to start our search and gather.  A lot of the fences have been down in west Texas due to the vast ranging fires over the last year.   So it was easy for this group of six to be hard to find roaming in thousands of acres.   Sam sent a text that he saw them north of the windmill in the pasture we were in so off we went at a fast trot and gallop.   We found the cattle, eased up on them and headed them towards the nearest set of pens.  It was a few miles, lots of wind, and they had a big bubble.  We had to drive them from a far distance, like fifty yards or more at first.  We got them penned about noon and headed for the branding pens.

 After a water break, and arrival of the rest of the crew, we set up to brand.  We had three ropers.  Jerry Allison joined us for the branding.  Martha and Josh helped Sam with the branding pot, vaccines and wormer.   We took turns heading a calf, the other ropers would fall in to heel and whoever had not caught heels, helped with the ground work.  We all headed, heeled and worked the ground.   The calves got worked with very little stress. We got lots of good practice roping in the 20 to 30 mph gusty winds.

Sunday morning we spent driving the renegade cattle to another stronger set of pens near the highway, so they could be hauled to another pasture and joined up with another group of cattle.   The cattle were wild enough that having experienced horses that could be maneuvered one foot at a time, backwards or forwards was important to keep from having them run off.   Any pressure from the horses got their heads up looking for a place to run.   We got the cattle moved and penned.  The cattle were starting to settle some, ease around and be driven quietly by the time we made the four mile drive to the next set of pens.   What a great weekend of riding, roping, horsemanship and stockmanship practice.

April 17, 2010 -   Spring Branding  Part 2-Crewmembers:  Roy Bowling, Nate Bowling, Mike and Cindy Bowling, Jake Bowling, Richard Crawford, Sam and Kate Gooding, Jeannie Choate, Keenan Ivy, Josh S., Cody Porter, Johnny Moore.
 Photos by Kate  & Sam Gooding.

The cattle and calves are gathered at a slow pace after trotting many miles looking for the cattle.  Many of the calves are rather young so the cattle are slowly pushed to the pens about 2 miles away.   A couple of the younger calves get tired and a crew member stays with them to tie them up at a well marked area so a pickup and trailer can come back to get them and haul them to the pens. 

The crew of cowboys spread around the herd on all sides.   The ones in front show the cattle where to go.  The ones on either side of the herd keep the cattle funneled in the direction of the leaders and the ones riding behind, the drag, keep the slow ones moving forward and with the herd.   It takes concentration to details to read the cattle and calves.  Several of the cows along the way will try to make a run back in the direction they came from.  Just the pressure on the eye of the cow by a horse is usually enough to turn them back into the herd.  The cattle will generally not make more than a step or two out of the herd if you and your horse are alert and reading the cattle.  As we get near the pens, we let the cattle and calves water as the leaders set the gates to take the cattle through and in this instance, we need to open gates to cross the highway to the bigger pens on the opposite side.   The cattle mingle here for about 15 minutes while everyone gathers in and gets spaced out to watch and hold the herd.   The trail boss, Roy, takes quick count and checks with the crew on how many calves were left behind.    Several of the cows and calves think about making an escape.  Button and I are in the right place at the right time and turn the mommas back.   There is plenty of opportunity to get horse trys while working the cattle.  Backing half circles, backing straight lines, turning on the haunches, asking for soft feel, and backing then rolling back quickly to stop a cow.

When the gates are set, the leaders file through the gates and we start moving the herd through the trap and out over the highway into the bigger set of pens.   Two crew members hold traffic as we get the cattle flowing at a fast walk and get them across as quick as possible.

After gates are shut behind the cattle and all the crew is across the highway, the trail boss sets crew members up for sorting.   Button and I were in a big pen to hold the cows as they were cut off from the calves.   This job was easy at first but as the numbers of cows grew and calves were bawling, realizing their moms were gone, the cows gave us several good tries to get back into the pen with their calves.  Mommas wanting to get to their babies no matter the species can be pretty darn headstrong.   Button and I had to be quick and assertive to keep them back, until the sorting was done and we were able to shut the gate.

The ground crew works quickly to set the branding fire and brands.  Vaccines and earnotcher is made ready.   The crewmembers that will rope the calves, get their horses set and the rest of us tie or hobble our horses outside the branding area, while we work the ground.    The calves are roped by the hind legs and drug to the fire.  The ropers us a trap shot or a ride by flank shot.  

Two crew members hold the calf down, one by the neck and foreleg and the other by the hind legs, they take the rope off the calf so the roper can get another calf while the crew works on this calf.  One person, brands, another person castrates if a bull calf, one member ear notches the ranch marks, another person gives vaccines to the calf and the last person gives the calf a dewormer.   This process takes on the average, less than 30 seconds for the calf to be down at the fire.   Two ropers can keep the ground crew moving at a steady pace. Two of the crew take a horse and a pickup with trailer and go back to find the 2 small calves that were left behind.   The work moves fast and the near 90 head of calves are worked in a little over an hour.

The next chore is to treat the cows for flies, ticks and lice and vaccinate.  The cows are brought down an alley into a curved chute and 4 to 5 cows are worked at a time.  The cows are over 1000 lbs and not real happy about being in the chute.  It takes some timing to vaccinate each one and not break off needles. 

The cow and calf work is done in less than 3 hours.  The cows are turned back with their calves into a big pen for them to pair back up.   The cattle will be allowed to rest for a couple of hours before being turned into a fresh pasture.  The fire is put out and the gear stowed into the pickup.  The crewmembers get horseback and head to the ranch headquarters for a late lunch.  The ride is alittle over  a mile.      

The ranch supplies the crew with a big meal of steaks, potatoes and salad.  Roy’s wife is a wonderful cook.  The talk at the big table is of adventures with cattle and horses.  Times that were challenging  but now funny in the retelling.    

 It is time to head back to the  horse pens.   The horses have rested and are ready for the trip.  Kate, Sam and I head off at lope for a mile along the ranch road.   We cross the highway and head for home.      The horses know they have done a good job and we arrive back at the horse trap about 4 p.m.   What a day for horse and human and a rewarding experience.

  I got the opportunity to go to a spring branding at the Parks Bowling Ranch, the “Pothook P” in Midland County, Texas.  The protocol on branding on a ranch usually starts with an invitation.  The owners of the ranch will select who they wish to hire to help with the spring chore.  It is a privilege to be invited as a guest or be considered enough of a hand to work the branding.   The ranch I got to go work on is very historic.  It was started in the 1870’s and is still in the same family.  

I arrived on the area of the ranch to be worked, on Tuesday evening, before the gather to take place the following day.   I unloaded my horse, fed him grain and lots of hay, then joined some of the crew to go to headquarters and hear some of the cowboys pick guitars and sing ole cowboy songs and old country western music.

Wednesday morning started very early with a light, breakfast for my horse, Button and me.  We were saddled and headed out to the pastures about 45 minutes before daylight.

  It was a brisk 40 degrees.  I  told my horse as we headed out  “I can’t see well in the dark so it is up to you to get us through the brush, varmint holes, cactus and rocks.  Just keep in sight of those horses in front of us” and away we went at a good swift trot. 

 After trotting out for a mile and a half, we held up to space out and position ourselves for the first area of search for cattle.   We fanned out and headed towards where the sun would be coming up.    The silhouette of a distant windmill was also a landmark to head for.   

Button had more life in those little short legs than I had ever felt before.  He was charged up and ready for whatever the day would bring.   He nickered a bit at the other horses when they were out of sight and they answered back.

Onward we trotted, looking for cattle.   Button jumped to the side a few  times, seeing something that he wanted to step away from, no time to look at what it was, we had to keep going forward and looking for cattle.   We needed to complete our search of these 4 sections and meet up with other group at a main watering in about 30 minutes to start the gather of the bigger area.

This first area we searched, there were no cattle.  Just as Button and I came to a fence; we realized we were in a prairie dog town.  Lots of mounds and holes all around.  We slowed to a walk and proceeded with care, in case of collapsing ground.

    We headed south along the fence and met up with the  other 2 members of our group, Kate and Sam.    We headed through a gate, fanned out in this next area and headed toward the main watering to meet the other group.  Sam told us to pick up the pace as the owner had called on the cell phone and left headquarters a little while ago, and we wouldn’t want them waiting on us.  

We stepped up to a trot and lope and covered lots of ground looking for the cattle and calves.   We met the other group,  they had found some cattle just as we got there and we fanned out again to trail the cattle towards the pens and to keep looking for a few more head. 

Kate, Sam and I, had our horses warmed up good, so we were ready for the excitement that gets started when you get the momma cows with calves all together and start the drive.  There are cowboys yelling, cows bawling, calves bellowing, horses nickering, spurs jingling, and hooves stomping the ground.  So an hour into the actual cow work, I realized I had prepared my horse and myself well for the day.

Button and I had completed a 4 day clinic 10 days before with lots of good riding and roping instruction, several good conditioning rides after that clinic, probiotics for me and my horse, carrots daily with his grain, and mangosteen juice for antioxidant protection against
inflammation with the increased work coming out of winter.