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Tagging Calves & a Bad Wreck

leanin' H

Well-known member
Finally! I had a Saturday that I didnt work my day job! :D I went with my nieghbor north of me to tag calves on his winter permit. Heading down the highway to meet at 8 this morning. As ya might see, winter kinda came back with about 4 fresh inches last night.
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I trailered to his place and jumped my horse in with him and three other guys for the ride up into the foothills where the cattle are.
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His permit has scattered cedar trees, sage brush and some pretty grass throughout. The cows are scattered chasing the green grass that was starting to show till the snow hid it. A shadowed sillouette and snow sprinkled scene!
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The first catch of the day! The new calves are a lot easier to catch than the kids who have a couple weeks of experience.
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My gelding "Ranch" had to get some camera time. I thank the good Lord i took him today! My mare NEVER could'a saved the day like Ranch did! I'll fill ya in later in the story.
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Our valley from the north looking back towards the Sheeprocks. I live out there somewhere! :D
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Ranch holding the line while we wait for a tag. When I get off to work a calf or shoot a picture i dally and take the tail of the rope with me. If something happens i can unhook all partys involved.
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Rick was the designated tagger/bander. They were his cattle we worked.
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#66 and her newly tagged shorter version of herself.
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Looking west and a little north towards Faust canyon and the Onaqui mountains. Rick's palamino gelding who will be the lead character in the drama to come.
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Loading to go to the east side of the allotment. It was a nice day weather wise today.
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Another shot of my backyard! Now for the wreck! Rick and i had tagged about 8 head and started east looking for untagged calves. We found 2 pair that fit the bill. Rick roped the first calf right away and she was a heifer. (if it had been a bull i'd a stayed to help throw and band him) Rick said he'd tag her and for me to get the other calf. Calf #2 was 2 or 3 weeks old and the race was on! I missed one throw and by the time i got ready to miss again we had gone quite a ways from Rick. I looked back just in time to see his gelding break away from Rick and head south..... in a runaway....... dragging a calf! They came south till a fence stopped them and then the went strait east. I had a quartermile to make up and i couldnt come in behind them because of the calf and i didnt want to chase the horse and make things worse. So i swung out wide, jumping gullys and washes, praying we'd miss any snow covered badger holes and going like heck. I knew i wasnt gonna catch them cause that horse was in a full-out runaway and in blind panic! But ol' Ranch (packing my heavy saddle and me in winter clothes and chaps) saved the day! We caught em' and i grabbed the side of the headstall and dang near got jerked out of my saddle. By that time i couldnt care less and would'a bulldogged the S.O.B. to stop him! It took another 300 yards to get him shut down! I bailed off and got the rope free. The calf showed zero signs of life with blood coming from it's mouth. I tryed to check where it was coming from and found a bad tongue slash. The calf layed out on it's side and tryed to breathe. I wanted to shoot a yellow horse! But i tied him to a brush and coiled the rope for Rick. He had tied a slipknot on his horn just incase of trouble but when things blew up and he jerked the rope to free the calf, his front saddle string got tangled and everything went sour. After about 10 minutes i figured the calf would die and decided to take Rick his horse. When i swung up that little sucker popped up it's head and got to her feet! :shock: Then with wobbling legs she started back in the direction of her momma! I took the Yellow horse to Rick who went and gathered up the cow. I went back to get the calf who was still plodding along. The cow got on the fight and wouldnt come so Rick held her along the fence and i loaded the tough little bugger on my horse and took her to the cow. When i gently put her on the ground she bellered at her cow and went right to her. They were getting re-aquainted when we left. All told, that calf got drug for most of a mile! I wish i'd a stayed with Rick and he wishes the rope would'a come off! I didnt take any pictures of any of it!
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After it was all over we all got together and went after the calf i had been chasing. Here's an action shot for ya! I let the fresher horses go and i took pictures! :D
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The last calf of the day. Rick had somebody holding his mount so as not repeat the drama.
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Heading for the trailer and home.
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Snow, Sage and Sky. It pays to be careful in every task. We all felt really bad for the calf. I just hate to see things hurt. Rick's horse had done this before when another guy owned him. That time the rope came free after 50 yards. Somebody will own the horse soon as Rick has too many good horses to ride idiots. I hope the calf lives. We are going back tomorrow to check them and make sure she has sucked. If needed we will take them home. The day was sure western and enjoyable except for the nightmare. I am proud of my ol' pony! He gives ya every ounce of try he has! I love that horse!
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WyomingRancher

Well-known member
Sounds like an exciting day out on the Utah desert :shock: . Glad to hear it turned out better than it could've, and that your horse didn't hit a hole or slick spot while in pursuit.

I'm guessing black calves are easier to spot after a fresh coat of snow :wink: .
 

per

Well-known member
Good story, Lh. Happy mostly all turned out well. Your grand kids will hear some version of this one. :)
 

Nicky

Well-known member
Wowie Zowie!!! Sure glad it turned ok. Let us know how the calf is tomorrow. You guys be careful out there!
 

gcreekrch

Well-known member
Glad everything turned out OK.

An old cowboy I knew used to say, "I think the only time a cowboy has fun is when he's been in a wreck, cause that's all he talks about when he gets home". :D

Another old-timer used to tie those spoiled rope horses to a big cow on opposite sides of a stout log fence. After they got jerked down or into the fence a few times they learned to face up and pay attention to business. :wink:
 

Shortgrass

Well-known member
Glad no one was hurt. Hope the calf can suck allright.

Must be a hang up with yella horses. I was working a place near Saratoga, Wyo when I roped a calf. I was alone, winter, lots of clothes, chopper mittens. I tied the reins to the rope, but the yella gelding I was riding threw his head, and the reins came untied. I left the calf to go tie the reins back, but too late, he turned and drug the calf about 1/4 mi. Ran into a fence corner, and no one was worse for wear. I was ready to sell a horse, but he was a ranch horse, and the owner did not agree. I was also ready to have my butt kicked for not having him tied better-- Should have taken my mitts off.
 

Northern Rancher

Well-known member
I had that happen once with an old seasoned horse-I was tagging a calf when another one barreled into her from behind-Megan was yopung and tried to catch her on her horse and it ended up alot longer race than it had to be. I had a black baldie literally and figurtively for awhile.
 

Faster horses

Well-known member
I'm glad no one was hurt, and hopefully the calf will be ok.

I am going to stand up for the horse tho. You mentioned he had
been in a wreck similar to this...horses are a flight aniimal; when
they get scared they run. Always have, always will--unless someone
or something stops them. This horse has had 2 tramatic experiencss
now and he's not going to ge better without some work on humans part,
because, you see...he was really frightened by the whole experience or
experiences...

We had a similar thing happen long time ago. We had folks help us
gather to brand that really didn't know how to do that, so the young man
that worked for us went behind them and got anything they had left. The guys tied the calves down and then picked them up in the pickup.
He found a calf, roped him and tied the reins to the rope, as he had
seen Mr. FH do, but he had roping reins, not regualar reins. And they came loose. The horse started to walk and of course, the calf moved on
the ground (cuz he was tied to the saddle horn by the rope). The horse walked faster, and the calf moved faster. So the horse started to trot
and then run. You know the rest of the story. We were near the house waiting for the young man to come in, when we saw the dust and then
the horse topped a hill far enough away that we could see he was dragging something. And we were worried that it was the young man
that worked for us. When the horse got to us, we could see it was a calf...a dead calf by then. So we took care of that and Mr. FH went in the pickup to find the young man. This young man was cocky at times and Mr. FH was upset already and had the young feller been cocky, I think
he might have lost his job. However, he was walking toward home and was crying over the whole episode.

The horse was bothered for a long time if the rope touched his butt
behind the saddle. He eventually, and with some work, got okay.
It could have turned out much worse. But did we blame the horse.
No. Of course not. It was human error that caused the whole thing.
 

Jigger Boss

Well-known member
Shortgrass said:
Glad no one was hurt. Hope the calf can suck allright.

Must be a hang up with yella horses.

I'm glad you said that first. I've always had issues with "colored" horses... pals, buckskin, gray, dun, roan, black, grullo. Real pretty and eye catching, but I've never had any luck with them. I swear they all have mental problems :lol: .
I'll stick with my sorrels, bays and chestnuts, I get along with them best.

Quite a wreck Leanin' H, sure hope the calf is ok today.
 

HAY MAKER

Well-known member
That's one nice picture story LH,now my 2 bits on the yella horse,how old is he ? Was this tagging deal part of his training ? if so Im gonna hafta side with Fasterhorses,everybody knows young horses aint got any sense,I dont wanna hijack the thread with my wreck I had couple days ago,so I will just say..........dont let a young horse,regardless of how good he is coming along fool you,..........bout the time you think you are a genuine horse whisperer is the time you forget how dumb a young horse can get and that is the begining of trouble.
good luck
 

PureCountry

Well-known member
Sounds like you had quite a day. Glad nobody was hurt.

As for the horse, I don't know any details, so I don't feel any urge to comment on him. Maybe his one prior blonde moment was his only prior mistake, and he's been bombproof everyday since. Maybe he's had a ton of groundwork and time spent with him since, and led Rick to believe he'd never do it again. I don't know, but I'm sure Rick knows what he's doing.
 

floyd

Well-known member
Probably one of those moments where lack of a side arm was a good thing. May have been a dead horse.

This is also one of those times it is hard not to want to slit the horse's throat once it was caught.

Any idea what made the horse leave?
 

cowboykell

Active member
Simple solution is to use a neck rope on your horse like the kind calf ropers use. It will always make your horse face what is roped.
 
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