Making the Best of Cold Weather

I had asked if there was any chance we could come along when they went to get the bulls in from the pasture. I was told the would be making quick work of it with the four wheelers and it wouldn’t work very well to try to come with horses. But my always considerate husband called from the payloader as he was feeding to say that there was one bull already in the pen and if we wanted we could come bring him the rest of the way in.

We did want. But wanting and remembering to keep getting ready and not get out every toy we lay eyes on and generally to keep getting ready are two different things. When I finally got her drug out the door, two horses saddled and a bouncy child put on I thought we had probably missed any chance to chase cows. It’s all she’s wanted to do for the last few times we’ve ridden. But we really can’t just go around chasing cows, it’s simply not done. And I worry. I know Onna has seen cattle before but being around them and working cattle in tight quarters with yearlings stampeding in the next pen and four wheelers zipping about are two very different things.

She was great though, despite my worries. We got there in more than enough time to bring him in then went after a couple still in the pasture. The first one came in easy. The second one not so much. We had to trot a little and turn and hard things like that. I looked back to find The Goblin Child hunched in the saddle with both arms wrapped around the horn. About then the guys showed up with four wheelers and I was going to take her back to the house. But she wanted to ride with papa on his four wheeler and my darling loving husband volunteered to take Onna back to the house, he does hate cattle anyway. So I got to work cattle, for real!!

Coyote was in a halter and it was icy. I kind of thought we might die. Chasing cattle, bulls especially, is the one thing my grouchy miserable old gelding loves. Besides food of course. We plunged through snow too deep for four wheelers and with Coyote locked onto that bull, biting him on the butt regularly, he zigzagged back and fourth bringing him up. With the snow deep enough to stick a four wheeler in spots, it felt almost as though we were really helping and not just out to play, not that it wasn’t both.

My old boy pranced and hopped about like a youngster, fighting what little control I had with the halter. It was great. The bulls came in quick and easy, all to soon it was done.  We picked up the half frozen Goblin Child, threw her up on his back and led them back to the house. He dropped his head and walked calmly along side me as Onna screamed frantically for him from their pen.