Welcome to the Ranch!

Cathey

Living on a ranch is not for sissies.  This might not be politically correct, but it is true.  There are too many times when a person can get hurt.  We raise gentle cattle, but any bull separated from a cow in heat will become a force with which to be reckoned.  A cow separated from her calf will try anything to reunite with it.  These animals are not mean in nature, but their sheer size makes them a potential danger for people.

We were working our cattle several years ago.  My step-mom, Cathey, was working the back gate of a long chute that leads to the squeeze chute where we safely secure the animals for palpation, branding, or dehorning.  My dad thought it was the safest place to put Cathey.  She just had to open the gate before the cows were herded down the chute.  When all the cows entered the wide neck of the chute, she shut the gate.  Sounds simple, right?  Well, it was and safe, too, until our massive bull named Cactus Jack was herded into the chute.

He looked down the chute as it curves around the pen.  He lifted his head to look backwards at Cathey and the now closed gate.  Cactus Jack snorted and breathed deeply with his lips curling in the obvious sign that a cow somewhere was in heat.  Amazingly, bulls can smell if a cow is in heat as far away as five miles.  We suspect that this cow was in our herd and not on a nearby ranch.  Whatever the reason, Cactus Jack decided he was leaving the chute.  Surveying the solid wooden walls of the chute and the heavy metal gate, he determined that the gate was the most vulnerable to his attack.

Cactus Jack heaved his massive body against the gate trying to jump over it.  The thick heavy metal frame of the gate bent under his almost one ton weight.  The gate popped off its hinges and Cactus Jack ran back to the herd.  Then we saw Cathey pinned under the gate.  Everything happened so quickly that she did not have time to react.  She was completely stunned and Daddy sprung into action immediately out of fear.  Everyone thought her leg was broken at best.

Quickly and with surprising ease, Daddy lifted the gate off of his wife.  His adrenaline must have really been pumping!  He lifted her into his arms and carried her into the barn away from everyone else.  Cathey was amazingly quiet.  He stripped off her pants to look at her leg.  It had a deep cut, almost a hole, in her left thigh.  He rushed her to the nearest hospital, which is about 20 miles away.

When all was said and done, Cactus Jack did not break Cathey’s leg.  Somehow her bone remained intact.  However, her muscle was torn and the hole in her leg was draining fluid from the injury.  She could not walk for several days.  Daddy carried her around, up and down the stairs, and took really good care of her.  His face wore the solemn look of regret as he bore complete responsibility for the accident.

But it was an accident, plain and simple.  Nobody could have foreseen what was about to take place.  That is how it is when working around animals.  They are as unpredictable as people.  Her leg has completely healed, but the muscle has never looked the same.  She bears a deep indention on her thigh where the gate hit her.  It aches, but she bears it silently.  Cathey is one tough cowgirl!

I believe that everything in life offers us a chance to learn; therefore, we have learned not to stand anywhere near the closed gate of the chute.  Once you shut it, move out of the way.  This past week a cow was frantic when she heard her calf “moo” in a nearby pen.  She tried to clear a different gate in the same place.  Luckily nobody was there to be pinned under it like Cathey.  We can replace gates.  We can replace boards on fences, but we cannot replace one of our family members.

So now you know why when I hear Reba McEntire sing, “Cowgirls Don’t Cry,” I immediately think of Cathey Holliday.  I also think of my daughter, Kyla, and I will tell you her story soon.

To go directly to “Cowgirls Don’t Cry, Part Two,” click here.

Kyla, Clayton, and Jake in Posse uniform.

Hey, this is Jake again.  I love to ride my horse, Ladd, especially in the Grimes County Sheriff’s Jr. Deputy Mounted Posse with my dad, sister, and older brother.  My horse get a lot of exercise riding with the Posse.  One time we rode about 12 miles on a trail ride.  Ladd loved every minute of it.

Jake with Ladd in Plantersville Parade.

We ride in many parades.  The Christmas Parade in Navasota was at night.  Ladd was a little spooked with the loud Christmas music, the sirens on the fire trucks, and the flashing lights on the police cars.  To help calm my horse down, I spoke to Ladd in a calm, soothing voice.  I also patted him on the neck.  Ladd settled down because he trusts me.

Clayton and Jake with Posse on Pony Express ride through Grimes County.

Trust is built by riding and working with your horse.  You need to bond with your horse.  It is in both of your interests.  It will keep you both safe.  Also, I highly recommend finding a group of friends to ride your horse with.  Ladd and I really enjoy riding with our friends.

Andrew, Isaac, and Jake with Ladd.

Working on a ranch is an endless job.  There is always something that needs attention.  The cows need to be moved into the next pasture to graze.  The fences need to be walked to check for weaknesses.  Pastures need to be inspected for proper grass growth.  Tree limbs need to be cleared after a thunderstorm.  Ranching is good for people who cannot sit still.

However at Cross Creek Cattle Company, we consider ourselves greatly blessed to be able to live on our ranch and pursue our dream of raising delicious and healthy beef and/or award-winning show cattle.  Despite all the work that needs to be done, we make it a point to enjoy living here. We want our family to not only work side by side, but play side by side.

Lane and Isaac on Cheyenne

Just the other day we saddled up four horses and went riding for sheer pleasure.  Not only did this exercise the horses, but it also relaxed our family.  It was just fun!  We rode through the bottom by the creeks while we talked and joked on horseback.  The horses were having as much fun as my children.

From time to time we take off a Saturday morning or Friday afternoon and go fishing.  Not only do we catch fresh fish for dinner, but we are able to spend time together.  Taking hikes through the woods on hot summer days is enjoyable.  The tall trees form a canopy of shade to cool us off after a morning of standing in the sun digging post holes for a new fence.

Another way we love to spend our time occurs in the evenings when dinner has been eaten and we have cleaned up.  We enjoy sitting on our porch in our swing or chairs listening to the crickets and cicadas serenade us with their newest songs.  Sometimes we burn a small campfire in the fire ring.  We roast marshmallows and tell stories of our past and ones passed down through our family.  These are times I treasure not only as an adult and parent, but as memories from my childhood when we did the exact same things.

Regardless of where you live and work, remember to take the time to enjoy where you are.  Do things as a family that include work and play.  Doing this enables families to create enduring bonds that will help secure them together through thick and thin.  Our motto is “Work together, play together.”

Jake and a fellow mutton buster

“Jacob DeHaven, you are rider number one.  Jacob DeHaven,” the rodeo announcer said over the loudspeaker.
I was excited to be first.  I walked through the gate into the rodeo arena.  Four men in red shirts pulled a sheep out of its pen.  The clown stood next to me.  I could hear my spurs clink as I walked.  As I got close to my sheep, someone grabbed me and set me on top of it.
The wool was soft against my body.  I tried to dig my fingers into the oily wool, but it was hard because he had been shorn recently.  I hung on as best I could with my legs locked.
The sheep bolted as the men let go of him and took off running across the deep sand.  I could see the lamb’s head moving up and down while it ran.  Sometimes it would hit my head.
I started to slip.  I tried to hold on, but I fell and he kept on running.  I jumped up and dusted myself off while the crowd cheered and clapped.  I was happy because mutton bustin’ is so much fun.

Jake fighting to stay on

When my family first moved to our ranch in the early 1980’s, the woods surrounding our home were practically empty.  The deer population was very small.  We had no feral hogs.  Even the squirrel population was down.  For years people had been poaching on our land.

Creating an environment where cattle and native wildlife could co-exist was very important to Kenton Holliday, my father.  He set to work immediately to remedy the problem.  First he built and/or repaired all the perimeter fencing as well as post ”No Hunting” signs.  These let others know that this was private property.  He surveyed our property finding a pool of natural spring water in the woods.  It is a beautiful and peaceful spot with thick brush surrounding a cool watering hole.  To encourage our existing wildlife to stay, he decided to completely let it be.  We began calling it the “wildlife refuge.”

In addition to the wildlife refuge, we have not clearcut any of our pastures.  There are buffer zones throughout the pastures of brush and trees which enable the native animals to feel more secure.  More buffer zones follow the creeks that cross our ranch.  Keeping these zones also helps with erosion.  The roots keep the soil from washing away in the creek.  We also keep our deer feeder filled with corn all year long.  The deer, birds, and squirrels enjoy the easy food.

As a result the deer population has grown considerably.  Kenton and Cathey enjoy seeing them at the feeder most mornings.  Kenton manages the buck population with responsible hunting.  In addition to the State of Texas’ hunting laws, Kenton has his own rules to ensure the population is healthy: not too sparse and not too heavy.  There has to be enough room and food for everyone.

Since we have lived on our ranch, the population of native animals has greatly multiplied including the return of several species.  In addition to deer, squirrels, and birds, we see raccoons, skunks, armadillos, roadrunners, snakes, red and grey foxes, bobcats, and coyotes to name a few.  We have two different panthers in the area.  We also have feral hogs.

While some of the species are a pleasure to host, others are less desirable.  Regardless, we are so excited to see the wildlife refuge working.  It is something near and dear to the hearts of us living on Cross Creek Cattle Company.