Wild Wainwright
Helping out at a ‘branding’
'To live is to experience things, not sit around pondering the meaning of life' Learning the ropes on a ranch in Alberta a few years back.
On the way to Wainwright a tumbleweed crosses the road ahead. I’d never seen a tumbleweed and felt then that I’d just entered a new world. I walked into the house and was greeted by the owners of the ranch and their friends sitting at the kitchen table. Cigarette smoke and excitement in the air. The whole scene feels like home, the farmhouse I grew up in in ontario.
‘Do you know how to ride?’ They ask me
I answered ‘yes’ though it’d been some time. I grew up on horses, and they’re second nature to me, I think.
I sleep upstairs. The ranchers have a full house of friends volunteering for the branding and I’m sleeping in a room of mattresses. Tiptoeing past the sleeping kids to get to my spot. Excited for what the next day has in store.
As we get to the pens that the branding happens in, people with horses are already there and ready. How early did they get up? I wonder. They put me on one and we head out to get the cattle. The memory of it is hilarious. I didn’t last long - that horse knew so much more about what was going on than I did. It was so responsive to every minor command.
It was like being asked ‘can you drive a standard?’ and being thrown the keys to a semi truck.
When what you drove was a vw bug. I’m pretty sure that if I’d fallen off the horse would’ve carried on without me. Apparently that was the easiest horse for novice riders..
New job for Amy, I’m tagging ears. I’m given what’s basically a leather punch and a pile of ear tags. Honestly it’s such an efficient and fast process, I have a hard time now remembering what happened when but -One rancher pulls the calf by its heels into the ring. While they’re pulling one person pins the calf. Its given it a series of inoculations, the ear tagged by yours truly, a rubber band on some dangly bits if it has them. One person comes in with the red hot branding iron. The smell of burnt hair, one yell by the calf - and done!
The calf is freed from the rope, pops up onto it’s hooves with a ‘what happened?’ look. Then runs off to join the other calves and mothers in a different pen. It sounds a bit rough but is a necessary step for keeping the calves happy, healthy and safe.
Thanks for reading, comment like and subscribe!!