Well, it’s the end of October/first of November time around here… that means it’s time to move cows! We follow the same timeline year after year, so looking back (or re-reading) posts on this blog will find us repeating actions in a year long Groundhog Day type movie. Technically, it is referred to as transhumance. The definition reads: “The action or practice of moving livestock from one grazing ground to another in a seasonal cycle, typically to lowlands in winter and highlands in summer.” There’s your trivia for the day! You’re welcome!
It’s time to bring the cows home from our Mesa Pasture and put them out on BLM land. Bureau of Land Management land is federal land that is leased out to us. We pay to use the grass. We use three different pastures in a rotation, fall use, spring use, and rest. Although it is in a set pattern, changes can be made due to grass (or lack of it) and water (or lack of it). This year, we are headed to the Buffalo Creek Pasture.
But first. We come off the Mesa.
I volunteered to take the three young girls, while everyone else rode. Lacee and Lorelei need a bit more time before they ride through rough country, and areas of the Mesa are juniper covered (some just tree skeletons from our wildfire back in the day) and steep, rocky hillsides and canyons.
Still, we can help. There’s a rocky point down near the bottom gate that attracts cows. One side is a steep and rocky cliff. One side is a fence. They can’t get to the gate from there, but for some reason, they do want to go that way. The girls and I parked the side by side and walked up to block those trails.
It is a good hike. I was sweating. They were tired. But we arrived just in time.
The cows stayed where they belonged, on the other side of the draw. I do imagine it helped that Daniel and Brandon had arrived to protect the trails as well!
Bravo was a bit disappointed… If you look closely, you can see the girls practicing “hide in a juniper tree”, which is what I told them to do if we were overrun by cows! Better to be prepared than trampled!
Down the trail. Down the road. Down another trail to home.
Brandon swung by and said hello…
And I got my favorite photo…
(Double clicking on the pictures usually enlarges them if you’re interested)
Find me here!
Loved the “hide in juniper tree” which looks fun and is important. Cows are nothing to scoff at if they are determined to go somewhere!! Also nice to have a handsome cowboy come by to say hello.
A question: I’m watching a veterinarian series on TV and they sometimes have to dehorn cattle. I notice that yours don’t have horns. Is that genetic?
Your favourite photo is amazing. All those shades of red/brown/sand and the contrast of green and black. Plus the three horses & cowboys. Great.