We've been busy this week attending the brandings of two of Marty's brothers.
For those of you who aren't familiar to what the term means, let me explain. It's an event where a rancher invites friends, relatives and neighbors to help him round up his herd of cattle, give each of the calves their spring shots (these shots guard against diseases that can come from the ground and other sources, spread throughout the rest of the cattle, resulting in many dead calves and no income for the rancher), castrate the bull calves that aren't wanted to be kept bulls and brand all the calves.
This is a lot of work and the more hands the more efficient the work is done.
The herd is brought into a set of corrals by cowboys on horse. To use four-wheelers and pick-up trucks is a "modern" way of doing this, but Marty's family prefers the old and more fun way of horses. The cows tend to respond better to horses than machines anyway.
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| The kids are getting ready to round up the cows. |
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| Many adults are also needed. |
After the cattle are brought into the corrals, the cows are then sorted
out while leaving the calves in the pen to be easily roped at the back
legs and brought to groups of wrestlers who hold them to the ground
waiting for the shots, castrating and then branding. The calves are then
released to enjoy the rest of their day.
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| These cowboys have finished sorting the cows off and are enjoying a little breakfast while the fires are being prepared for the branding irons. |
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| Our niece did quite a bit of roping. She's a great cowhand. |
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| My brother-in-law and his son are holding the back end of a calf, waiting while she's being vaccinated and branded. If the person on the back end of the calf accidentally releases the leg, it could cause great harm to the person on the other end of the calf. |
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| My two sister-in-laws brand a calf, while my brother-in-law (in the background with the orange boots) castrates a bull. |
Hope you enjoyed a brief look into a portion of the cowboy way of life. If you'd ever like to experience this first hand, just let me know and we'll make sure that you're at our branding next spring!
