Right Now? Right Now!

Horsewright

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Oct 4, 2011
Messages
11,574
So we headed out to the ranch couple of Sundays ago, the second of April. We were going to meet some friends there and just go on a little pleasure ride. Not working or anything. We were also delivering to our friends a new pair of leggings that they had ordered. As we were pulling up to the gate we could see a big bunch of cattle way off on the flats to the right. We had planned our spring works to be on the the 8th and 9th of Apr. This is where we will worm all the cows and give them a mineral vitamin shot as our grass is deficient in copper and this shot makes up for that. We give this 3 times a year. We'd been closely watching the weather for that weekend because it had gone from sunny and warm to rain on Saturday and snow on Sunday.

As we pulled into the ranch and came around a corner on the road to the corrals we saw another large group of cattle right by the corrals. Big enough that we were feeling maybe that was 100 percent of the cattle down out of the hills between the two groups. "Whadya think?" "Should we gather them in right now?" So we called our partner Steve and had him bring some hay. Cause if we gathered them in on Sunday we'd work them on Monday and we'd need to feed them over night. We tend not to keep any hay at the ranch as the wild pigs rip it up and toss it about. Steve was on for it and headed our way. Bout that time our friends got there. So saddle up, come ride along and check out the leather used at this impromptu spring works.


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Janene with her new leggings (charmitas) on for the first time. The apron fringe is black with a sage green fringe underneath. The sage green is continued on the leg plates with black underneath that and then the leg fringe is grey with the sage green underneath that again. Everything is sewn together with sage green thread. She also has one of my knives and sheaths on that she stole from her husband Stan. She'd lost her knife by using it and setting it down on the bumper of the truck and then driving off forgetting about it.

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Ya get a lake for the first time in eight years and synchronized swimmers show up. Janene and Stan warming up their horses before hopping on.

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Nichole and Josie are ready to go. We made Nichole's charmitas too and they were actually the prototype in doing all the different color combos and multiple fringes. So her's are turquoise and white apron fringe and then turquoise and brown leg fringe withe turquoise leg plates and sewn with turquoise thread.

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Janene on her big Friesian mare. Friesians aren't seen to often on cattle ranches but Janene does a lot of dressage too.

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Most of my crew.

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Wide open country down on the flats and bringing in the second group. We'd gathered the first group there at the corrals very easily. Then rode out and got around this second group and started pointing them at the corrals. The corrals are at the bottom right of that rocky hill in the center of the pic. Down in a little depression so can't be seen from here.

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Got them all in. Steve and Nichole taking attendance to make sure we got everyone. We actually did which is rare. We seldom get 100 percent of our cattle in as the ranch is very rugged and mountainous.

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Close up of the leg plate on Janene's charmitas. So we feed the cattle the hay that Steve brought and then we come back the next morning to do the work.

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Big Ty is helping with the sorting the next morning. I was working on the ground this day as Nichole had done all the groundwork the last time. She wanted to rope this time, so I'd loaned Ty my horse Sonny, as his was a little (ok a lot) fresh as it'd only been out once in 6 months due to winter and Ty's work schedule. It was sunny but very windy. Fortunately the corrals are in the lee of that rocky hill and are protected from the winds. Wasn't too bad. Made Ty's charmitas too. A bone white with rust contrasting fringe. This is a heavier leather than what we use for the really fancy pairs so it drapes different. Also made his roughout spur straps.

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Nichole directing her sorting crew as to what cattle need to go where to what pen. Basically we were sorting off a stray from the neighbor who had one of his cowboys en route to pick it up. We also sort off all the calves from the cows. This prevents the calves from getting jostled around when the cows are run through the squeeze chute. Look at Janene, even has a color coordinated rope. Chicks.

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Ty and Nichole moving some cattle around. Ty has the very first of our water buffalo belts on and a leatherman case and a knife and sheath I made for him too. Nobody is starving on our outfit this year. Grass is good because of all the rain and the cows are fat.

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Got everything run through the chute. Didn't take any pics though as I was up on the cat walk pouring the wormer on the cows as they come up the alley to the chute. Ty is doing his Coors commercial.

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Steve passing out a sip from his flask. He's always happy when were done with that part of the job. "Cheated death yet again, Dave," he syas. Damascus and mammoth tooth knife in one of Nichole's carved sheaths.

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Ernie and Nichole cussing and discussing. We were trying to decide if we would go get lunch or work the calves right now instead of after lunch. Ernie needed a pair of chinks and so he bought these ones from us that we'd made for stock. They fit him perfect.

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We decided to work right on through and so we started processing the calves. We had several to brand, several to tag, several to re tag, several to get this shot, several to get that shot. It was pretty complicated but Nichole had written out pretty good instructions on who needed what done so we were good to go. Steve is branding one of his calves. Made his spur straps. He was Naval officer during Vietnam and his straps have Navy Challenge coins for conchos.

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Finished that one and my roping crew is waiting for instructions on who to catch next. I got a four man roping crew and this is the purtier half. Janene is riding Mannalito her little mustang this day.

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Ernie getting those chinks broken in. We had three or four calves that needed castrating. Its kinda traditional that a guy with new leggings will wipe some blood on em even if he wasn't doing the cutting. If he didn't do it, somebody else was gonna. Its a thing.

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Three old retired ranch horses. They pretty much have the run of the place. That black and white mustang on the right is Apache, Nichole's old horse, he's 34 years old. He's how Nichole and I met. She was having trouble with him and a neighbor of her's said to go see Dave he can help ya with that horse.

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My spur straps.

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Salty's spur straps. One of the first pair we ever used copper buckles and conchos for.

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Janene asked Logan, my son, to ride Mannalito for her. Her legs are a little shorter than his. He's getting ready to heel a calf that Nichole has necked.

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Logan has this one necked and Nichole will pick up the heels. Logan was helping the old guy (me) on the ground but she talked him into doing the last few calves on Mannalitlo. It was helpful to her to have some one really experienced ride her horse so that she could see he really is big enough to tug then calves around.

Well thats pretty much it for that weekend. Hope ya enjoyed our little tour and some of our leatherwork. As always questions and comments are welcome.
 
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This is like a visual trip into my past. Can't do it any more but I can still dream. Thanks, Dave.

Paul
 
Great storying and sharing. Very much enjoyed it, could almost hear the western music. Great that you have models to show your work.
 
Love the pics as always. I'm still just amazed out how differently people do the same jobs in different regions. Most are smaller operations with 50 pair or less on a couple hundred acres supplemented with hay in the winter. Around here it is less horses and more 4 wheelers and pickups. Round up normally consists of range cubes or grain in the bunks in the corral. Very few brand any more and most band the calves instead of cutting. I just find it really interesting how different it is.

On a somewhat related note, a whole semi load of hedge posts left our area this morning headed for west Kansas to help them out with fencing after the fires.

Chris
 
Thanks for taking this city slicker along.
Great photo journal!
:)
 
Thanks guys!!.

Yeah Todd ya never forget that burning hair smell. Course to us it smells like fun. Of all the jobs on the ranch branding can be the funnest as ya know.

You're welcome Paul!!

Yep its different everywhere you go Chris. Even our next door neighbor does things different than we do. Just seems like what works for ya and your outfit. We tried banding to castrate for a couple of years. We went back to the knife. Quicker and cleaner for us. One of my mentors said the difference between a cowboy and a buckaroo/vaquero (our style of horsemanship) is that a cowboy uses a horse to get a job done with cows. A buckaroo uses cows to get his horses better. Hadn't heard about your fires. We're expecting some bad ones this year too.

You're welcome ebbtide!
 
Thanks for the memories. Great photo journal! At 72 I don't git to it all that much. That Coors tastes mighty fine come day's end!
 
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