It’s been a while since we had a video… This one is a bit longer, but I thought I’d show you a couple of things.
We usually don’t trail this way, it tends to be more of a cross-country, bush-whacking kind of trail we do… or just a two track road… but, from the pasture they were in, this was the best route. In the first part of the video, the cows and calves are bawling for each other. Within a quarter of a mile, they had found each other again, and the last part of the video, you can see what a joy it is to trail cattle that are paired up.
Oh, there are some pairs that seem to never be able to keep track of each other, but for the most part, they try to stay together! A long strung out line is what you want, not bunched up in a wad. They can see each other, they can see you, they can see the dogs… and they all go marching along.
Now Marilyn just posed the question: “do your cows “know” where home is…would they just keep roaming and grazing on their own til they are moved to a new pasture or driven “home”…?” The answer is YES. Ha! Cows do know where they’ve been before, whether it’s a pasture or a hole in a fence, so yes, they know where home is. The trouble with that is all the fencelines and gates in between. If cows escape looking for the next pasture, they may or may not arrive… because, you know, SQUIRREL! (or GRASS!) We hope our cows respect fences, but… We’ve had them bust out of pastures to take themselves to the next (greener) place, but not quite make it… We had them spread all over with that huge blizzard once… We’ve had one end up in Kaycee, on the other side of the mountain. If they’re happy with their feed and water and weather… Cows are happy to stay where they are! That’s one reason we’re always counting cows… Indians count coup. We count cows.
Enjoy trailing along with us…
Trailing Along from Carol Greet on Vimeo.
Ride along as we trail cattle down the road!
Find me here!
You and Panama win the Trail Class – or the Working Cow Horse Class – for the day! Nice gate work, nice cattle work.
I’ve been wondering about your pasture management. And you can save these for the next Q&A if you want… I see such nice grass in your pastures, and Wyoming is such a dry place. How do you manage your pastures to maintain those healthy plants? How do you decide when it’s time to move cattle from one pasture to another? How many acres per cow do you figure, as a rule of thumb? I remember that Brandon did work on larkspur in one pasture as part of his (Master’s?) degree work. Do you need to do much weed spraying? And are your weeds mostly natives, or do you have introduced invasives too? (It looks to me like you don’t have enough weeds to convince Vernon that you need goats or sheep to manage them! LOL!)
Imgard is right! You need a Go Pro camera! Maybe we could all chip in and help you get one!
You read my mind, Susan! Count me in, provided that Carol also likes the idea, of course…
Be still, my heart. The landscape, oh my, the beauty of that land! That’s why I kept stopping many times on my trip across Wyoming: “This right here is where I will live one day, with a dog and a horse… In my tiny log cabin… because I don’t need much space in wide open spaces…” But then my brain would tell my heart: “Yeah well, unfortunately you live in a dumbstupid body that can’t stand the wind, or real cold, or real heat, so… resign yourself to dreaming…” 🙁
What a dream of a video, thank you!!! I’ve only watched it five times. So far. It is so perfect (I love it when there’s no music: nothing beats the original sound), just like your trailing along niiice and quiet. Nice commentary, too, for us poor deprived city dwellers! Also, good job opening the gate, Panama — OK, I’ll stop already. But I’ll keep watching the video some more! Wishing I could have come along…
May all your trails be nice and easy!
Btw, I think you deserve a head cam. 🙂
Wonderful video Carol. What amazing views you have along the way. Glad all the cows got to be where they should be. Keep an eye on the ‘clever’ one that got over the cattle guard. It was good to see Panama too.
I was surprised that the cows didn’t follow you along the other side of the fence — I didn’t understand what you meant by they needed more room until you and Panama moved away and they came through the gate. And I didn’t know cows could jump until one jumped the cattle guard! Thanks for the enlightenment.
Yee haw! I loved the sounds of the cattle, your squeaking saddle, and Panama’s steps on my vicarious ride. Perfect little trail ride. And thanks for answering my question.