Stampede -- RODEO RAMBLINGS

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Date Posted: 09:01:48 06/27/06 Tue
Author: ZD Ranch
Subject: Stampede

Last Monday I went to the ranch with the intention of spending the night and gettng my steers ready to ship to Muleshoe for the feed lot. Things went well on Monday. I saddled Little Satan and stationed him on the hittichin' rail by the tack room. Then I drove the 'Billy Goat' (red dodge) to the back pasture and began to call the boys. They were in knee deep in grass but the grass was gettin' mature and tuff so they gladly came to the truck and I led them all the way to the front pasture and into a 20ac hay field that had been cut 2 weeks earlier. Though it took about a half hour all the steers showed up and began grazing the fresh grass and all seemed right witht he world. That evening about 8:00pm I saddled PeeWee and we moved the boys into a trap so they could be penned at 8:00am, then hauled to the holding pens at the truckers house.

Tuesday morning was a bit of a strange day. It had showered overnight and the cool damp air felt good to all us critters but the boys seemed somehow, different. I got 'em moved into a 1/4 mile lane leading to the pens and they were moving kinda slow so I was glad that I was back on Little Satan and could use my bull whip. Just as the 2nd or 3rd steer walked into the pens all Hell broke loose. In an instant, every single one of my 69 steers turned and stampeded right at Little Satan & me. Everybody I have told this story to just thinks it was a bunch os cows runnin' away. That wasn't it at all. It was a full fledged STAMPEDE. I have only seen one other one in my 66 years. The cattle moved just like a school of fish. Every one in the same direction. The noise was deafening and nothig would stop them. They were not thinking they were reacting. It was a phenenom that I never want to witness again but one that I am thankful I got to see and survive. Steers brushed me on both sides. Little Satan was running backwards as fast as a 14hh horse can trot in reverse. I can tell you for sure that a horse can NOT canter in reverse but they can trot fast.

I was scared out of my wits but I managed to stay incontrol of LS until the last steer passed and then he 'blew' a little and walked calmly back to where the steeres had stoped under a little bunch of cedar trees.

If you ever want to find out if you are still alive and be sure your heart is working I suggest you be involved in a full fledged stampede. Every nerve cell in your body will be active and all the horsemanship you ever knew will come into play. It's no fun while it's going on but thrilling when it's over. Fifty thousand pounds of anything coming at you as fast as four legs will carry it is frightning, loud and surprising.

What caused the stampede? Who knows? It might have been a cottontail, a butterfly or ole' ben Lauden himself. I have no clue.

All the boys rode well on their trip to the Panhandle and ate their supper in Muleshoe, Texas on Thursday after their ride nearing 500 miles on Wednesday. The next time I see one of them will likely be on Christmas day when I cook a Prime Rib for my family. Until then I am sure the feed lot manager will keep me informed on how they are doing as the feed bill will start out at about a hundred bucks a day.

Eat more Beef.

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Replies:

ZD, glad to hear your still alive. Not having a Texan on the board to pick on would be the pits. Since it will be awhile before you have more cattle, guess your going to have to go skydiving to get that adrenaline rush. Let me know what gives you more, stampede or skydiving..... by the way, we have had over 6 inches of rain in the last 4 days, so guess we will have plenty of summer grass now. (NT) -- Varmit, 07:35:49 06/28/06 Wed
- I was struttin' 'round the house bragin' 'bout not havin' but 6 head of cattle to tend to and havin' 3 horses to do it on. My eldest son told his girl friend that I would have the ranch stocked again in 2 weeks. That night I got 2 telephone calls from people wanting to put cattle on me. Tomorrow I get 50 heifers and Sunday I'll get 24 steers. Now I am gettin' calls wantin' to buy my hay. I think I'll just be a cow baby sitter again for a while. May be I can make enough to pay my feed bill at the feed yard. Never worry about pickin' on a Texan. If you don't pick on us we think you are mad. (NT) -- ZD Ranch, 12:47:17 06/28/06 Wed
  - Took some calves to the market last week. Had one big one that I just left a bull from last fall. Was gentle acting in the pasture, a braford cross, except when he seen my grandson he would jump up and down and want to play with him. I just take something and chase him off. He was in the pens and was gentle, so I saved him and another one to put on the back of the trailer. After I got them loaded, he kinda came apart in that trailer, hookin at me. Got over to the market and the sale had just started so I had to unload myself. They got long alleyway pens, so unloaded him and the other calf then went inside the trailer real quick to unlock the middle gate. Turned around and here he was coming at me. Barely got outdside the trailer and on top of the pens. Then he stayed under me hookin at me. Anyways, he weighed 670 pounds and brought 84 cents. I thought, I hope somebody bought him for some youth kids to try out as a buckin bull, cause he was pretty athletic. (NT) -- Varmit, 14:02:31 06/28/06 Wed
    - That's about what my boys averaged when they got on the truck. In fact, that's why I didn't sell them. I just think they'll bring more than $85 even when the feed lot puts another 500+ pounds on them. That's about what fats are bringin' today and the cost of gain is arround $50 so this deal should work good. We cut some and sent them on the truck 8 days later. Usin' that Newberry knife and Henderson castrating tool is sure the way to go. The knife is so quick that it makes up the extra time that the Henderson tool takes and there is no blood or swelling. I sure would like to know how my old Leroy Brown is doin' in Mississsippi. I sure hope I see him on TV some day. (NT) -- ZD Ranch, 15:17:57 06/28/06 Wed
      - ZD... you could probably easily sell that hay to NM. I use to be told that Arizona did not allow any hay from outside states? What about during a drought? Or do they just plan on irrigation for all there hay? (NT) -- Varmit, 19:45:25 06/28/06 Wed
        I hardly ever sell any hay. It brings more for me to take customers cows and feed it to them. I can usually buy thin cows in Jan.-Feb and feed up my hay, put out some fertilizer and sell the cows in May when the ryegrass looks like it'll never ru n out and get more for it that way. Easier too. (NT) -- ZD Ranch, 14:24:05 06/29/06 Thu

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