|
|
Just a scoop full(Aug. 20)--I was eating dinner with several ranchers, a veterinary, a feed salesman and myself (who order bought cattle for about 20 years before buying the livestock auction). We got to telling stories that we thought were comical that had happened at the sale or on the ranch. One story that came to mind was of a young couple and their kids gathering feeder cattle off their ranch that I had sold to a feedlot. This whole family loved to ride horses. But after several years of buying their cattle, I decided that they only rode their horses in the arena; and the first day that these feeder cattle ever saw a horse was the day they were selling them. They got a big group in with their horses but also quite a few cattle scattered in every direction heading back to the back side of the pasture. I had two trucks waiting at the road making sure we could not get the blame for the ones that they were sure to miss. I pulled up beside them and rolled my window down to ask if they wanted to load what they had captured or wait and try again. They started arguing over whose fault it was that some got away. It soon went from a hollering match to a name calling event. I couldn't help but laugh--but only to myself. The words were very descriptive and very colorful. They both got quiet so I started to speak. They yanked their horses around and went for more, acting as if I wasn't there. They got some more in and I pulled the trucks down to the corral. The dad said, "We've also got one in the trailer." I said, OK, thinking she had gotten out earlier or something. But quickly the little girl spoke up and said, "But, dad, that is the crippled heifer." Immediately the mother gave her daughter a dirty look and the little girl quickly said, "No, she isn't. No, she isn't." But with that girl's help, I quickly spotted that heifer was crippled and got her sorted back off. There were several other times I could have used that little girl's help out there buying cattle. We got to telling stories that we thought were comical that had happened at the sale or on the ranch. One story that came to mind was of a young couple and their kids gathering feeder cattle off their ranch that I had sold to a feedlot. This whole family loved to ride horses. But after several years of buying their cattle, I decided that they only rode their horses in the arena; and the first day that these feeder cattle ever saw a horse was the day they were selling them. They got a big group in with their horses but also quite a few cattle scattered in every direction heading back to the back side of the pasture. I had two trucks waiting at the road making sure we could not get the blame for the ones that they were sure to miss. I pulled up beside them and rolled my window down to ask if they wanted to load what they had captured or wait and try again. They started arguing over whose fault it was that some got away. It soon went from a hollering match to a name calling event. I couldn't help but laugh--but only to myself. The words were very descriptive and very colorful. They both got quiet so I started to speak. They yanked their horses around and went for more, acting as if I wasn't there. They got some more in and I pulled the trucks down to the corral. The dad said, "We've also got one in the trailer." I said, OK, thinking she had gotten out earlier or something. But quickly the little girl spoke up and said, "But, dad, that is the crippled heifer." Immediately the mother gave her daughter a dirty look and the little girl quickly said, "No, she isn't. No, she isn't." But with that girl's help, I quickly spotted that heifer was crippled and got her sorted back off. There were several other times I could have used that little girl's help out there buying cattle. 9/1/08 Date: 8/27/08
Copyright/Privacy
Copyright 1995-2011. High Plains Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Any republishing of these pages, including electronic reproduction of the editorial archives or classified advertising, is strictly prohibited. If you have questions or comments you can reach us at High Plains Journal 1500 E. Wyatt Earp Blvd., P.O. Box 760, Dodge City, KS 67801 or call 1-800-452-7171. Email: webmaster@hpj.com |
|
