About 40+ years ago, we had some good years and more grass than cattle.
South of here they were in a drought and had cattle for sale.
We heard of a set of pairs that may fit with ours.
There were 120 and we were buying 75, buyer’s choice.
We got there at daylight the morning of delivery, helped bring them into a trap and held them on the fence, while one of us went in there and eased chosen pairs out.
That was one of the neatest cow working times I remember, while holding the herd.
The rider would ease in the herd, pair up the desired cow and calf and the horse, knowing which ones, would ease them out of the herd practically on it’s own, without anyone every getting out of a walk or stirring the herd.
A time or two I was not sure the calf belonged to that cow, but eventually it was obvious it did, the cutter and horse knew.
One after another, the 75 pairs were cut and, once all cut, driven to the pens, the rest left in the trap.
Once in the pens, we left them there to mother up and went to have dinner at the local cafe, to give them time to pair up well.
Coming back after eating all was still, every cow had her calf, so we separated them in the working pens and shipped them home, cows in some trucks, calves in other trucks.
Once home they again mothered up nicely in our working pens.
Watching that horse ease those pairs together and out was like watching a magic dance, the cow and calf knew they were the ones being moved, the horse kept them going and the calf with it’s mother and pushed them out of the herd on to the cuts someone else was holding.
I have since seen many such, but that one was about the prettiest, smoothest cow working of all.
I wish I had a video of that time.
Do you have one such story, maybe at a 4H show you had a wonderful experience with your horse, or a trail ride, or some kind of western competition, or just at home had some fun or … ?
