November 2019 – Sandy Snider Stahl

As far as we know, our new 2 year old Tango had never been saddled before. In fact, we were told she was barely halter broke. And I spent our first session together teaching her to back off as she wanted to stand right on top of me.

So I didn’t know what to expect when I sacked her out. I’d used a rope around her legs before and she was obviously used to that. So this time, I used a rag rubbed then hung all over her, then draped an unfolded saddle blanket across her back. When she packed that around without flinching or spooking, I cinched it up on her with a soft rope. She looked it all over pretty closely but didn’t object to any of it.

So I got my old saddle – one my parents gave me for my 7th birthday – since it’s light enough for me to handle easily. She inspected it, then didn’t object when I put it up on her neck and slid it back, or when I put it directly on her back. She didn’t mind the cinching up either and walked off like she’d been saddled every day of her life.

So far, she’s making points in everything she does!

She doesn’t walk on me any more, but she leads so close she nudges my arm with her nose every few steps. I’m having to adjust to that and other things about her, too. Windsor has been my partner for several years now, but she’s much more standoffish, where this girl wants to be CLOSE.

We keep the fillies in a little pasture behind the house. It’s one of my pleasures every day to step outside and call them. They come on a lope and stand with their heads over the gate while I halter them. I’d like to think they love me that much, but truthfully – and as the Head Honcho says – it’s because I lead them to water!

We had a great day shipping and the photo shows part of the crew waiting for a load to come off a trailer.

We gathered the first pen of cattle in a pitch black morning before the sun showed even a hint of rising. I’m glad to say it was the Head Honcho that had to go back to get a calf he’d missed in the dark!

It was so cloudy we never did see the sun rise – the gray just lightened. But the weather wasn’t bad, even though we did go through a squall or two. The flakes were enormous and I thought they were going to turn my little filly from red roan to white before they melted.

Wet snow blanketing Windsor — Windsor in snowfall

In the video you can see the Head Honcho whipping us all into shape. He doesn’t usually use a flag, and in discussions after the fact, we agreed that the flag really kept the calves moving up the loading alley. I also told him that there were times that I wanted to use the flag on him, and he agreed…that at times he wanted to use it on me! We both operated with restraint and laughed about our frustrations… after the calves were on their way to Nebraska.

The cows worked off the calves great, and the calves couldn’t have loaded any better. Thanks to our great neighbors that helped haul the calves to the scale then stayed for the best part of the day – warming up and visiting. Well, getting the pay check was pretty good too, though the Head Honcho never thinks it’s big enough. But that’s just part of ranching.

At the scales, I served munchies and hot drinks out of the horse trailer my Dad bought in the 1960s. That trailer was Dad’s pride and joy for a good many years so when it was no longer feasible to use it as a horse trailer, I couldn’t bear to part with it so converted it to a “chuck wagon”. We were dry, out of the wind and the propane stove kept us toasty warm on a darned cool morning.

All in all, a great day!

Month: November 2019

First Saddling

Shipping Steer Calves