Try a Cow Clinic

Peeling out a calf, the white one was fiesty!

Looking for something fun and interesting to do, try a cow clinic. Nico and I thought it might be interesting to learn a bit more about moving cattle. Not only is it good for your horse, by desensitizing them to cattle, but it also improves your horsemanship.

We headed over to Marty Martens place early Sunday morning for something different. Jody Marken, Marty's main squeeze, greeted us and directed us to the parking area. The clinic began with Marty and Rich Scott, and about eight other participants with a brief introduction about cattle, and what we could expect for the next three hours. We also practiced the basic movements involved in turning your horse, side passing and backing up. The goal was to influence the movement of cattle without stressing them. Simple movements, perhaps just a step by your horse one way or the other was enough to direct them. We also learned to identify Learning the "bounce point" to which they react and when to back off from the cattle. We tend to think we need to charge at cattle to get a reaction, and we also tend to get too close.

Horsemanship is also very important, your horse should know how to side pass and back up. The rider should understand how to ask their horse for these movements. I noticed many of the individuals participating in this clinic needed to work on these skills. They did not understand how to use their sit bones, crossed their hands over the center line of the horse, twisted their upper bodies and also lifted their legs instead of weighting their feet into their stirrups and pressing with the lower leg and rolling the upper thigh. In order to teach these movement to your horse you need to know the basics of these movements and how to use your body correctly. There is always something to work on!

All in all a fun time, peeling out a cow or two, leading them out and around the group and into openings was a fun time. For more information on these clinics and other obstacle clinics offered please contact Marty and Jody at 720 201 4363 or 720 494 9898.

Veedawoo

Well it was late June and the girls were off on our annual trip to Veedawoo with the horses. Mary and I left Thursday to try and get a couple of backcountry pens but when we arrived they were already full. We decided to camp just South of the spring and set up camp. Mary had one of those portable electric fence contraptions (don't waste your money on one of these) so we set it up but could not get the electric to work. We put Nico and Spear in the corral all day and kept an eye on them to see how they would do. They seemed just fine and content.

We went for a nice ride in the afternoon exploring the rolling meadows filled with Indian Paint Brush and baby antelope. Late that afternoon while we were in the trailer, one of our camping neighbors spotted the Bull moose, his route was just to the South of camp. We missed him but heard he was magnificent. As Mary and I were getting ready to hunker down for the evening we discussed whether we should tie the horse to the trailer overnight or leave them in the temporary corral. We opted for the corral since they seemed to be respecting the boundary lines.

My exhausted Abanico!

Early in the evening, before dusk, one of those wild Wyoming storms arrived with wind, electric and hail. We put the horses in the trailer and rode that one out. After the storm passed the wind continued but we put the horses back on the pen and checked them throughout the night. I think my last check was about 3:30 am and about 5:30 am I got up to take care of business and peeked out to a trampled corral and no horses, something must have spooked them, we guessed "Bullwinkle".

Those naughty boys escaped and were no where in site. I woke Mary, who at first thought I was joking, and we began to track the horses by foot. We realized that we needed a plan so we went back to camp, grabbed water, snacks and unhitched the truck. We reported the lost animals to the area Forest Service and proceeded to search and wait for other campers in the area to wake so we could leave our phone number and contact information in case someone sited them.

Mary found some tracks so we began driving the two tracks and climbing hills to get a better view with our binoculars. We discussed heading into Laramie to fill the tank with gas and decided to search a few more minutes than head out. On the way we saw one more camp and stopped to leave numbers with them. They hadn't seen the horses but were going to ride around in their truck later and said they would keep an eye out. We asked them where the road went where they were camped and they replied, "out to Happy Jack", so we decided to take it. It was a gorgeous two track which followed a creek and low gully, we spotted two set of hoof prints. I asked Mary to stop and I climbed up out of the gully. There he was, my beautiful, naughty grey gelding Abanico standing magnificently on the far ridge like a wild horse on the horizon. Spear was no where in sight. I whistled his call, his head turned and Spear ran up behind him. They were both safe, not a scratch, we breathed a deep sigh of relief. Three hours later and about four miles from camp they were found and we ponied them back to camp from the pickup.

The corral group saw us and come over to offer us one of the larger pens, they could double up. That was so generous and enabled us to get a good nights sleep the next night. The horses hung there heads, exhausted from their "all nighter", as we were from ours.

My suggestion: Don't waste your money on one of those portable pens. Get a Spring Tie and attach it to your trailer, it is more secure and the horse can move around even lay down. If you must have a pen get a sturdy metal portable one. Have binoculars, they were invaluable, don't panic have a plan of action and search methodically. Call in and report a description of the animals to the Forest Service in the area.