# Shipping cattle with Rafe *VERY, EXTREMELY pic heavy*



## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

So, we shipped out all our yearling pasture cattle on Friday and Saturday. Decided to take little Rafe since Dobe is in need of a pedicure and Rafe needs the work anyway. He's just a little over 30 rides total and this was his first time actually working cattle. We've walked through them a bunch but never actually tried to _drive_ them anywhere.

We covered a lot of miles over those 2 days at all gaits and I even asked him to stretch out and run a couple of times. He hasn't figured out how to flatten out and fly yet but his stride is so big that a long gallop for him is the same speed as a hard sprint for a standard horse LOL. 

All the pictures of the first day are taken by me so all you really see of little Rafer is his ears. I just pulled the camera out of my pocket when I thought I saw something picture worthy. Also, I'll try to keep the number of pictures to a minimum. I actually took about 300 of them *blushes*.

Anyway, on to the pix....

In the first pasture, looking for cattle. We hit a lope to go check one corner while everyone else rode the creek out.


We found them and away we go...


(Step-mom on Nester)


Cattle tried to hide in the tall Johnson Grass


Rafe getting pretty close to push some of the more stubborn cattle





























Approaching what we have lovingly dubbed "Sh*t Creek". It has banks that are about 30 feet tall and the easiest spot to go down is at about a 45 degree angle. There is trees and deadfall everywhere and the creek itself has only _one_ safe crossing. Try to cross anywhere else and you _will_ get bogged all the way down to your ears.


This is actually the first year that the cattle have crossed without having to chase them back and forth to get them down the embankment. It was pleasant to just stand in one spot and watch them cross quietly.






Here is one part of the bank where I had to go down


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

Girl don't you worry, I take 300 pictures minimum everytime I use my camera... lol

Lovely photos though! That is a serious bank IMOP. I'm such a wuss in comparison haha!

Way to go Rafe! A+ cattle mover!


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## Roperchick (Feb 1, 2010)

Squee! Raaaaaaaaafe! Psh hes already an ol pro at this


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## FlyGap (Sep 25, 2011)

Hey how'd he get that chunk taken out of his ear? I knew you bite them to get them so broke so soon! LOL!

Awesome picts, well done to the two of you!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Gosh dangit!!! "Database Error"! Now I lost half my dang post *super ticked off*......

Anyway, let's try this again...

We got them all across and Dad had to sneak around to open a gate for them to go through. Step-Mom and I held the cattle from going back toward the creek while he did that.




Then, he counted them as they went through the gate to make sure we got off the creek and didn't lose one (has happened before and it's a pain in the butt to go searching for them LOL).


We had them all so they took that 50 head and went on without me.


I had to turn around and cross the creek again to go back for the pickup, which was about 3 miles south of us at that point.




Looks rather unassuming, doesn't it? Hard to believe that you go about 10 feet in either direction and you end up bogged down to your ears LOL




Then, I go loaded and around to the other side just in time to meet them as they picked up another 50 head from another pasture.


We got them all out into the road to take them down toward the corrals.









Once they were headed in the right direction, I split off to go gather 2 more pastures by myself.









This is the small herd that I gathered and now we're waiting to join them all together.









We gathered a couple more pastures along the way and ended up with a total of around 150 head.









We got them through the last intersection about 3/4 of a mile south of the corrals.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Then, when it was all okay and they could handle driving them without me, I took off at a long trot to cover the half mile to the corrals so that I could get all the gates set to run them in. You want to talk about one heck of an ab workout. Do a half a mile of sitting an extended trot on this booger LOL.


















Got all the gates set and then I had to just sit and wait LOL. Rafe was rather tired by that point so he hung his head and relaxed while he could.


















Then, here came the cattle and we had to make sure they all turned to go in the corral gate. His head sure came up in a hurry when they topped the hill LOL







































And, the drag riders coming in LOL










The second day pictures are coming but I wanted to post these while I could. Sounds like we've got storms rolling in and I didn't want to lose this whole thing to losing my electricity for a moment LOL.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Thanks all! I'm mighty proud of the little turd, but the best pictures are still to come, if we don't lose electricity that is, we've got a decent storm going right now:happydance:. These were sorted as the best of the best of the first 1/3 of the pictures LOL.



FlyGap said:


> Hey how'd he get that chunk taken out of his ear? I knew you bite them to get them so broke so soon! LOL!
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


You know, I honestly can't remember how that happened. He's had it for at least a couple of years. I don't know if he hung it on a tree branch or some other horse chewed on him or what :?.


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## DraftyAiresMum (Jun 1, 2011)

Raaaaaaaafe!!!!!! Lookin' good, my man!

Where's Mandy? She needs to see these pics. She teased me a couple of years ago about trying team penning on Aires because he's so tall. See what she makes of Rafer workin' them cows!

So jealous! Gonna have to come "help" on my big gallug next year.  Of course, he is so loudly colored that he'll probably spook all the darned cattle. "What the h*ll is *that* thing?!" :lol:
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Chevaux (Jun 27, 2012)

Great pics. Thanks for posting. I eagerly await some more.


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## anndankev (Aug 9, 2010)

^^ me too


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

Where are the rest, I'm in the middle of a story and want more


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

*Now, for the day 2 pictures!*

Hopefully I will only have to do this one once and not lose it LOL.

This was day 2. On day 1 we drove everything to the pastures bordering the corrals (couldn't leave them in the corrals all night as there was nothing to eat). We got started just shortly after daylight and had a heck of a time driving 355 head of sometimes wild yearlings the 2 miles total to the corrals. Oh, and Brother was able to come help us that day .

Picking up the 74 head from the farthest pasture and putting them through the gate into another pasture of ours.




Then, we met up and merged those with the ~110 head in that pasture.




We got them all pushed through the final pasture and merged with the remaining herd. We got them all pushed into the corrals (sorry, no pictures of that because there were a few hairy parts where we had a foot-race or 3 with the cattle who didn't want to go into the pens).

After we had them all in the big corral, I handed off the camera to step-mom since she's uncomfortable working in close quarters with the cattle.

Brother and I pushing the cattle into a smaller part of the corral set-up.


Dad coming to help


Waiting patiently as they all squeezed through the gate


Then, when we started trying to push some of them into one of the smaller pens, they started crowding the ancient fence on one side








And.....some of the rotten old railroad ties broke and fell over, nearly taking the whole fence with them and allowing the entire herd to escape.


So we had to stop for a minute and work with the truckers (who are good friends of ours) and fix fence LOL


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

We got that done and decided to take the cattle a different way so that they wouldn't push on the very weak fence.










I don't know what it is, but I love this picture. Something about it being seen from between Nester's ears is just cool LOL


Following in the last of the stragglers.


Then stopping to put up the gates back together to keep the cattle contained...


And, yes, I have that look on my face every time I have to get back on him. That is a workout in itself ROFL


Anyway, we started pushing up smaller portions of the herd into the smallest corral that leads to the loading chute




Then, it was time to sort them off into groups that ranged from 6 to 30 to load them into the trucks. This is the most fun part of the whole thing, IMHO. It involves a lot of close and quick work and requires a good horse. AND, it _makes_ a good horse if he hasn't learned to be one yet.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Rafe wants so badly to take after his daddy and be a cutting horse....but he's just too big to be very good at it. Sometimes he gets lucky and manages to put his bulky self in just the right place at just the right time.


Brother and I worked the gate to the loading chute to keep the cattle from coming back off the truck instead of loading




Dad and Pokey holding the end of the alley just in case any got by Brother and me






Rafe learned quickly that he needed to pick up the pace in a hurry to follow close behind those cattle to keep them moving toward the chutes






Sometimes the cattle would get sticky in that corner and it would take all 3 of us to get them moving in the right direction


My baby 






Screw getting off that big guy to re-adjust a cinch, I'll just do it from his back LOL


Taking a breather while they switched trucks at the chute


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

And here we go again










Pokey was having a ball LOL








Rafe even got excited a couple of times


Then we had to go and get a few more






Then Rafer and I got the gate, but the farmer who put the latch on there put it only about a foot off the ground so I had to get off to latch the gate :/


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Getting back on is _such_ a pain....






His big old butt needs some of those back-up beepers LOL


















Whoa! Hold on a minute, put the brakes on LOL


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Dad and Pokey got to have a bit of fun _playing_.








Rafe and I bending up into a corner so that I could unchain the gate.






Dad and I pushing in the last load




Then stopping to visit with the truckers for a few before they headed down the road




Love this picture!


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

After it was all said and done, come to find out we were one short on our count. After the trucks left and went on their way, we found her in with the neighbor's cows so we got to rope her and drag her in the trailer. Well, I didn't rope her because Rafe doesn't know how to track a cow yet and my roping is awful rusty...but anyway. Also, these pictures aren't great because the photographer was about 1/4 mile away so they're zoomed way in and a bit blurry.

Trying to drive her a bit closer to the trailer so we wouldn't have to drag her so far








Dad tried first and missed because his roping is a little rusty too LOL


Brother got his rope on her though


Getting her up close to the trailer so that brother could drag her in




BUT, his rope broke so here we go again LOL


Dad got a loop on her the second time


Got her up close enough to the trailer to run his rope through the side


Then, he told me to come get the rope and pull her in  I was a little nervous, but Rafe held her like a champ and even pulled her while backing up


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Pokey is just in the wrong place so that it looks like I'm riding him, but Rafe is just hidden behind him LOL


We got her in no problem at all.


Now, she's in my roundpen at home, waiting for a ride up to the feedlot




And WHEW, we're done! LOL.


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## DraftyAiresMum (Jun 1, 2011)

Love love love love LOVE!!!!!!!

That's it. Boyfriend doesn't know it yet, but we're moving to Texas to work cattle with you! He can come if he wants. ;-)
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Drafty, come on and bring Aires! With 2 big old butts in that pen, there's no chance they could get past us :wink:.


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## DraftyAiresMum (Jun 1, 2011)

Hahaha!!! Totally had a mental image of that in my head and it was GREAT! Two big ol' draft cuts blocking the way. *chuckles*
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

People would pay you to come ride along and help, you know that right? They'd pay more to ride the big guy:wink:

So nice seeing things done as they always have been.


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## Chevaux (Jun 27, 2012)

I don't think you can put a dollar value on the experience that Rafe got out of this, wouldn't you agree? I must confess to being rather partial to Pokey. I do like Rafe but he's way out of my 5'2" league - I cringe at the mere thought of trying to mount him from the ground.

Again, thanks for the photos.


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## FlyGap (Sep 25, 2011)

Awesome!
Wow, it's amazing seeing him next to the other horses and realizing his true ginormousness!
You've done such a great job!

(I want him and can I haz the buckskin too? LOL!)
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## anndankev (Aug 9, 2010)

Great bedtime story, good night.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

LOL, I did actually have one try to jump over him. Brother and I were standing with our horse's butts together and the heifer decided she was going to jump over the lowest point of the v between them. She landed about halfway up Rafe's butt and then slid off the back.

Denny, you're probably right, but it's too much fun and fun like that can only really be enjoyed if it's free.

Cheveaux, you are too right. Doing stuff like this is how we make good horses .

Fly, I'm sure you'd bring Pokey back inside of a week. He _looks_ awesome, but he's so very _not_ user friendly LOL. I don't even like to ride him because he's so touchy. You've got to ride him just right or things go very badly for you :wink:.


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## FlyGap (Sep 25, 2011)

Pokey is too responsive? Haha!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Cherrij (Jan 30, 2013)

Awesome pics.. I always wanna try smth like that..


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

smrobs said:


> Denny, you're probably right, but it's too much fun and fun like that can only really be enjoyed if it's free.


True that:wink:


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## CLaPorte432 (Jan 3, 2012)

Oh I just LOVE Rafe. Makes me want my own DraftX, But, no matter which one I found, he'd never be Rafe. ;-)

So...You should just sell the Big Ol' Love to me. :-D


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## Drifting (Oct 26, 2011)

I love these pictures! Rafe is huge, I could never get on him from the ground without looking like I was climbing up the side of a large rock.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

FlyGap said:


> Pokey is too responsive? Haha!
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


 Oh, it's not the responsiveness that bothers me, it's the flinching and squirreling around every time you make a move he's not expecting either on the ground or in the saddle LOL. He's about like handling a really reactive and unpredictable youngster every time you ride...but at the same time, he's got the responsiveness and training of an old broke horse. Seems counter-intuitive, but he's just a weird horse LOL.


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## DuffyDuck (Sep 27, 2011)

Soon smrobs... Reckon you can turn me in to a cowgirl?? I was looking for a horsey holiday ahaha!

Brilliant pictures, makes me very jealous.

Love Rafe, my size of horse!


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## SoldOnGaited (May 21, 2012)

^^^^ Me too! Me Too!!! 

Sign me up for Camp Smrobs!! I would love to experience this. Looks like a lot of work but fun at the same time. Especially working with your family like that. Super cool! 

Great pics too...can _never_ have too many. I never tire of a good picture story. 

Go Rafe...love that big ol boy


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## DuffyDuck (Sep 27, 2011)

...and I sit in an office looking at walls for a job  
I miss my horses, no miss being grubby, and being around horsey people.

Just don't get the cowgirl experience over here!


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

LOL, well, there's an open invitation to anyone who passes through my way to swing in and we'll go for a ride or 3. Unfortunately, though, we won't have any cattle again until next spring...and only then if it keeps raining.


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## Roperchick (Feb 1, 2010)

hmmmm...well Higgins IS only a 4 hour drive from Saint Jo....:think:

ill trade places with you for a day....you can chase my giant-crazy-**** charolais and ill take your nice smaller saner beeves hahaha:rofl:


ETA : oh and you can have Pigpen and I'll take Rafe roflmao


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## DuffyDuck (Sep 27, 2011)

Ha... Pencil me in and we will see what we can do!


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## AngieLee (Feb 20, 2011)

other then the fact that i feel bad for the cows because i know where there going, these were really awesome pictures and i really enjoyed them! i love watching horses actually do work (not that ring work isn't work, but its a different kind of work, if that makes sense), none of that around here. we have lots of farmland but its pretty much all crops, and lots of vineyards, i live in wine country LOL

Makes me really excited for when i actually get to take my boy team sorting when i can get a ride. except the only barns in the area that do it, do it on fridays, and guess who works every Friday (pretty much) ME, in fact if i ever get a Friday off i might cry tears of joy LOL

awesome pictures again! love your horses!!!!!!! <3


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## csimkunas6 (Apr 18, 2010)

That looks like a blast! Always wanted to try to work some cows on Rodeo, not that I think he'd be any good at it, I just think it would be a ton of fun! Rafe looks like hes getting the hang of things, and is coming along great!


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Thanks, all. Csim, he was definitely catching on by the end of the day. He does have some of his daddy's cow sense, just not enough of his agility LOL.




Roperchick said:


> ill trade places with you for a day....you can chase my giant-crazy-**** charolais and ill take your nice smaller saner beeves hahaha:rofl:
> 
> 
> ETA : oh and you can have Pigpen and I'll take Rafe roflmao


LOL, it's just been the last couple of years that we've had the pleasure of dealing with these nice, friendly heifers out of KS. Always before, we'd get steers either out of the bayou of Louisiana or straight out of Mexico and they were wild as a bunch of ring-tailed *****. Talk about some running off, no sorting, fence busting critters. Every one of them had an ear that hung nearly to their knee and there was simply no handling them with dog or horse until they'd run themselves nearly to death.

So, I'm no stranger to them crazy cows :wink:.

Oh, and I'm sorry, but I'll whoop an @$$ before anyone takes Big Red :wink::lol::razz:. Anyone is welcome to come ride, but he's staying here when they leave.

I might be persuaded to part with a younger black horse though.....


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## Plains Drifter (Aug 4, 2009)

Tell you what...I will invite you up to move cattle here when we move them if you return the favor! You can bring Rafe or Taz both with you and we can trade. You can feel really tiny and ride Lyric or Saffron and I'll try my first mountain of a horse! ;-) Feel free to leave Taz here!


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## NBEventer (Sep 15, 2012)

I wanna turn Rafe into an event pony. I just LOVE him!!

What an experience and a half. I would love to do something like that. It looks like so much fun. Thanks for sharing such fabulous pics!

I think I am going to take Nasty Brat down your way... she will never spook at the scent of a cow again :think:


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

PD, that sounds like it would be an awesome time. We may have to arrange that someday .

NBE, you might have a hard time turning him into a jumping pony, I've yet to find anything that he's willing to jump, even at a lope LOL. Huge wash-out place 4 feet wide and 5 feet deep in the middle of a pasture, just takes one big stride over the top of it. Big tree limbs too. We crossed quite a few downed trees (some were nearly as tall as his legs are long, an average horse wouldn't have been able to get over them without jumping from a running start) and he never even attempted to jump one of them. He'd just sort of skim his legs over the top without ever breaking stride. He's a trip because he's such a polar opposite from what I'm used to with young horses LOL.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

That's the best view of all, right between a horse's ears! Some great pix and it looks like you had some fun along with all the work.


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## Country Woman (Dec 14, 2011)

very nice pictures Rob


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## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

You are so very lucky to live the life you live......and your horses too! That would certainly make a good horse quick. I'm afraid my immature youngster will be young and immature for a long time. Although I did canter him out in the woods for the first time a couple weeks back. 

Sigh. I wish Zane and I were there with you!


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

THR, sometime in the summer, you just need to take a week (or more :wink vacation and come stay with me. Bring Zane, I've got plenty of room .


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## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

smrobs said:


> THR, sometime in the summer, you just need to take a week (or more :wink vacation and come stay with me. Bring Zane, I've got plenty of room .


Thanks Smrobs! I really appreciate the invitation. The odds of that are virtually nil, but I can dream. I do wish I could give Zane that kind of learning opportunity. He deserves so much more than what I can give him. He deserves a good start and a confident rider. I wish I could be the confident rider he needs. I am working on it, but I am a chicken at heart. :-(


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## HorseLovinLady (Jul 18, 2011)

Awesome pics!!


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## SaddleStrings (May 15, 2012)

First time time moving cattle!? Looks like he handled it like a pro! Congrats!


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## xlionesss (Jan 30, 2012)

Wow- I am so serious when I say this looks like a BLAST. I'm sure that's just a superficial thing to say, because it definitely seems like *very *hard work...but I really think that is would be such an experience.

...makes me re-think my English ways and wanting to try some things with Red and cattle! Maybe BO will let me go in the fields with them and we'll see if I can play around!


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## womack29 (Oct 30, 2011)

Awesome pics makes me miss rounding up cattle. Don't miss the loser husband
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Lopin N Paint (May 30, 2012)

Nice photos!


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## pbeebs (Sep 7, 2013)

Just over 30 rides and already working cattle?! You are a miracle worker :lol: Mind coming up to OK to give me a hand?

Great pics!


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Xlioness, it's only work if you don't enjoy it :wink:. I've always enjoyed working cattle even though it amounts to long hours and is sometimes physically demanding.

Pbeebs, I usually have mine on cattle within the first couple of weeks (barring any serious behavioral issues). He's such a mellow guy, I started using him to check them on about ride 5. That basically consisted of just riding through the pastures to get a count and make sure they were all at home.

I guess it just doesn't ever seem like such a big deal to me because that's the way we've always done it LOL. I can remember one very interesting year when I was 14. I was riding a horse with a little over 30 rides, my brother (who would have been 17 then) was riding one with not quite that many, and my Dad was riding one that had been out of the roundpen maybe once :lol:. That was quite a trip and I'm sure it would have been very amusing to anyone watching.

It's a very rare thing for me to be riding a horse with 20+ rides that isn't already neck reining and sidepassing like a pro and already up into a curb bit.


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## Clevelandbays64 (Sep 13, 2013)

That looks like fun


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## EquineBovine (Sep 6, 2012)

Holy cow that horse is HUGE! How the heck did he fit in those yards! LOVE the photos. Wish I could like them twice haha so jealous right now  Thanks for sharing them!


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## JaphyJaphy (Nov 15, 2012)

Right on Smrobs, thanks for sharing! That looks like a whole lotta fun!


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