Mountain Cowgirl
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 19, 2021
- Messages
- 1,212
Growing up in Southwest Colorado on a high-altitude mountain ranch as an only child, with the nearest neighbors having three boys, was the making for storybook tales. They were basically horse breeders and trainers and rented pasture to another neighbor that was a registered Angus breeder.
I learned from an early age that the best way to beat these three "wranglers" was to get them fighting among themselves. I have told stories before about how I did this on one occasion, with the help of their mother, to see them incriminate themselves in a living room mock court trial. That story was about who left the gate open which led to an unnecessary and unscheduled roundup.
One thing the three brothers stood firm and united was the great Angus VS Hereford debate. Having mostly registered Hereford's horned cows and polled bulls, I stood firm that Angus were meaner than Herefords. I took a stance that the reason God didn't give Angus horns was they were so mean they didn't need them. I had no proof since I couldn't produce a Bible scripture that supported my belief.
Push came to shove so the Angus VS Hereford rodeo was scheduled. In the corral, the oldest boy would be blindfolded with two blindfolds one by a brother and another by me so no cheating would transpire. Two very young bull caves would be on hand, one a Hereford and the other an Angus, both pure blood, so not to jinx this grand scientific experiment.
Being horse folks with lots of pasture for the horses to roam, the mother had purchased a young buck goat with horns in hopes he would keep the horses calm and charge any dogs or predators that might cause the horses to stampede and go through barbed wire fences.
Unbeknownst to anyone but me until old Bill was two years old, these three young "cowboy wranglers" would drag poor Bill over to the electric wire fence that surrounded their mother's small sheep pasture, and holding him by the horns, hold his nose to the wire and shock him unmercifully. Being an electronics buff, from a young age, because my father was, I had won the bet that they could do this because his horns were insulators. These young Archimedes misused my knowedge for evil purposes. I wasn't a tattle tale as such was not acceptable ranch child behavior.
When their mother found out, she ordered her husband to dehorn Bill. It was an ugly process that the boys had to watch as punishment. It didn't bother me a bit to watch but I did feel bad for Bill. His head healed up nicely and after that, he became mean and would charge anyone he could, which led to his being sentenced to his own small pasture and corral all surrounded by electric wire. I was the only one that could handle Bill.
The big day had arrived and as the oldest bent over blindfolded, his mother announced we were releasing the Angus so be ready. He laughed and was whacking his cheeks and saying, "Here bully bully bully."
Then I released old Bill and he charged with head down and caught his nemesis right under the cheeks and sent him forward all sprawled out and landing right into the mud puddle that was purposely made for effect.
While the great Angus VS Hereford anger issue debate was never resolved, justice was served. After that old Bill was put out with the horses, where he lived peacefully until he died.
I learned from an early age that the best way to beat these three "wranglers" was to get them fighting among themselves. I have told stories before about how I did this on one occasion, with the help of their mother, to see them incriminate themselves in a living room mock court trial. That story was about who left the gate open which led to an unnecessary and unscheduled roundup.
One thing the three brothers stood firm and united was the great Angus VS Hereford debate. Having mostly registered Hereford's horned cows and polled bulls, I stood firm that Angus were meaner than Herefords. I took a stance that the reason God didn't give Angus horns was they were so mean they didn't need them. I had no proof since I couldn't produce a Bible scripture that supported my belief.
Push came to shove so the Angus VS Hereford rodeo was scheduled. In the corral, the oldest boy would be blindfolded with two blindfolds one by a brother and another by me so no cheating would transpire. Two very young bull caves would be on hand, one a Hereford and the other an Angus, both pure blood, so not to jinx this grand scientific experiment.
Being horse folks with lots of pasture for the horses to roam, the mother had purchased a young buck goat with horns in hopes he would keep the horses calm and charge any dogs or predators that might cause the horses to stampede and go through barbed wire fences.
Unbeknownst to anyone but me until old Bill was two years old, these three young "cowboy wranglers" would drag poor Bill over to the electric wire fence that surrounded their mother's small sheep pasture, and holding him by the horns, hold his nose to the wire and shock him unmercifully. Being an electronics buff, from a young age, because my father was, I had won the bet that they could do this because his horns were insulators. These young Archimedes misused my knowedge for evil purposes. I wasn't a tattle tale as such was not acceptable ranch child behavior.
When their mother found out, she ordered her husband to dehorn Bill. It was an ugly process that the boys had to watch as punishment. It didn't bother me a bit to watch but I did feel bad for Bill. His head healed up nicely and after that, he became mean and would charge anyone he could, which led to his being sentenced to his own small pasture and corral all surrounded by electric wire. I was the only one that could handle Bill.
The big day had arrived and as the oldest bent over blindfolded, his mother announced we were releasing the Angus so be ready. He laughed and was whacking his cheeks and saying, "Here bully bully bully."
Then I released old Bill and he charged with head down and caught his nemesis right under the cheeks and sent him forward all sprawled out and landing right into the mud puddle that was purposely made for effect.
While the great Angus VS Hereford anger issue debate was never resolved, justice was served. After that old Bill was put out with the horses, where he lived peacefully until he died.
Last edited:
Don't know if the new owners of the Nugget will still have bull and ram sales.