Today while Steve and his old mate Sean were messing about I was trying to get the cows into the lane way so they could be loaded into the crush when Ian came to tag all the cows and castrate the bull.
Well it seems our cows are just too well fed as what would normally be an easy job worked out to be a real farming test. First the guys and I tried to lure them with hay, which I have seen Mercedes abandon her baby for in the past, but clearly the rich spring grass had left them disinterested. So the guys went and sat down while I went and got fruit - our cows preferred snack - but I got not a hint of a care from any of them. With time running out I decided to saddled up Teddy and tried to round them up like a real farmer!
I've never rounded up cattle before and this was one of the most worrying but funnest horse riding experiences I've ever had. I took Teddy up to the back paddock and just waltzed over to the cows and then led them to the far gate. Things were going well then just as we reached the gate the cows made a run for it. Teddy and I followed and I could feel Teddy anticipating the cows direction as they moved. We'd trot up to them on one side along the fence, then the cows would break from us and I'd canter around the other side trying to direct them to the gate. I honestly had no idea what I was doing and was kind of relying on Teddy's instincts. I wasn't getting very far as the cows separated into two packs so I could only focus on one mum and calf while the others went right back to the other end of the paddock. Then I tried to group them again but just when I thought things were going well they would bugger off in separate directions. Just as I saw Ian drive up the driveway I thought I'd call the guys back to try and block the next couple of run aways. With Steve and Sean walking in one direction to block them I managed to get them up and through the gate. I was wrapped!
I proudly walked up to Ian and told him I count this as my first successful attempt at rounding up cows on horseback. He said that it doesn't count, the cows were just sick of me charging around the paddock so they went through the gate to spare me the embarrassment! Laughing I told him as far as I was concerned it still counted!
We took the cows to the crush and put a ring on Gunny and tagged them all, vaccinated them and drenched the adults. Teddy looked on with his head over the gate while the cows made a huge racket. Then Ian, a true stockman, decided to give me some lessons on rounding up cattle on horseback and on the ground. Bloody good advise too!
I practised rounding up Mercedes on the ground and was wrapped to see how well it worked. I cant wait for the next time I have to round them up again.
