Bringing In The Bulls

This past weekend, Clay, our friend Nancy and I, all had the opportunity to visit Webster Ranch, south of the Chain Lakes in the Porcupine Hills of southern Alberta. This is the family ranch that has been in the Webster name for over 60 years and is the place where Clay and I eventually hope to set up a horse training operation sometime in the future. We have no idea when, exactly. But we believe it\’s always healthy to have goals and something to look towards in the future.

One of Clay\’s favorite pastimes is to jump in the John Deere Gator and toodle around Webster Ranch in 4×4 fashion. So that\’s what we did.

The fresh air is intoxicating. The wild flowers are amazing. And every once in a while, you can catch a glimpse of wildlife – be it a deer, beaver or Grizzly Bear. I have yet to come across a Grizzly in my travels at the ranch. This, however, is how close I\’ve come:

Thankfully, most of my encounters last weekend consisted of flowers.

And trees. And grasses. And trails.

That is except until Tony, Clay\’s father, asked us to give him a hand bringing the cows in.

Sure! Why not? Tony would be on horseback. I would simply ride in the Gator and take pictures. Easy peasy.

I was completely consumed with my camera and all the beauty that surrounded me when Clay chuckled and said, \”Hey Jenn, take a look behind you…\”

\”Nice Clay. That is just super… Can you please shoo him away now?? Please?\”

It was at this point that I realized, Tony was actually wanting to separate the bulls from his herd. But in order to do so, he first had to bring the entire herd into the holding system which – with him on horseback and Clay driving the gator – was done pretty easily.

The herd floated into the corrals like a butterfly into a net.

Cows, calves and bulls. Everybody was wondering what the heck was going on.

Nancy and I got to park our butts on the top of the panel fences and received a bird\’s eye view of all the happenings. Considering the fact there were 2 bulls inside the corral, I was more than happy to stay put away from the action. Clay on the other hand, likes to be more intimately involved…

\”Yes, I understand the fact that\’s he\’s only a 2-year-old bull honey, but still… could you please step away from him??\”

Luckily, no horses, cows or humans were hurt during the making of this blog. The bulls were easily separated from the cows, then loaded up into a trailer and taken to another ranch where their services were also required. <grin>

Here is Tony unsaddling his horse at the quaint red barn on Webster Ranch affectionately known as \”Normandy Arms.\” This little barn was actually Clay\’s grandparents\’ first home. It was built by Art and Betty Webster in anticipation of Art\’s return from World War II.

With so many memories and years of rich family history, its no wonder that Webster Ranch is one of Clay\’s favorite places on earth. That combined with the chance to visit with family and move cattle, made it a near perfect weekend for us.

With that, I wish you all a happy and safe September long weekend!