Welcome to the Ranch!

Yesterday I received a text message from my aunt.  It said, “Can you say global warming?”  As most of you are experiencing, an artic cold front is making about 60% of the mainland United States experience freezing temperatures.  The temperature outside is dropping steadily.  It is already well below freezing with a chance of sleet today and snow flurries tomorrow.  Temperatures are expected to be well below freezing for at least 48 hours.  We are not used to this kind of winter weather.

If we are not used to it, then neither are our animals.  We took extra special precautions yesterday by rounding up horse blankets.  Stores all over the area were selling them like hotcakes.  I personally had to call three different stores and have them hold blankets for us until one of us could make it to town.  Using our fingers to do the walking worked.  We were able to find enough blankets for all of our horses.

Some of the horses were not too enthused about having a blanket strapped around their body.  But, I bet they are thanking us later today.  It is rather awkward to wear a blanket.  Straps go in front of the chest, under the heart girth, and between their back legs.  The latter is the most strange to the horses.  They are not used to feeling straps around and between their legs.  Some of our horses rolled around on the ground trying to lose the blanket.  After several attempts at rubbing the blanket off, they gave up.

In addition to putting blankets on the horses and ensuring that they have plenty of fresh, unfrozen drinking water, we are also increasing the amount of feed they receive.  We expect them to shiver and shake, which burns more calories.  We are trying to account for this by providing them with more fuel for their bodies.

The cows are fine, but they are going through the hay at a much faster rate.  The best part of this time of year (and I say this sarcastically in light of our weather this week) is that it is calving season.  Usually this is not a bad time to be born in Southeast Texas.  The temperature is cool.  The fire ants are down in the ground.  In the dog days of summer, calves have to fight not only extremely high temperatures; fire ants can prove to be fierce predators.  They have been known to blind calves and occasionally even kill them in these parts.  Fortunately, Cross Creek Cattle Company has not lost any calves this way.

But I digress, this week will be unlike most winter weather patterns we experience.  This is not good when cows are having babies.  The calves can literally go into shock.  Think about it.  Calves have been happily enjoying living in an “oven” at about 103 degrees.  Suddenly they are pushed out, hit the ground, and it is 15 degrees.  Not only is their body having trouble adjusting to the rapid change in temperature, but the wind chill is in the single digits.  It can be a potentially dangerous situation for the health of the newborn calf.

What does this mean for my husband, the ranch manager?  It means keeping close watch over the herd.  It means being ready to intervene with blankets, colostrum, etc. as needed.  It means walking quite a distance in below freezing conditions off and on all day long for days.  He has to walk now because he almost got stuck this morning.  The rain that came before the front soaked the already saturated ground.  It means discomfort for the ranch manager.

As my dad always says when things on the ranch don’t go smoothly, “Welcome to the ranch!”  It is part of the life of a cowboy.  It is part of the life of anyone running a ranch.  The animals are our livelihood.  You have to take care of them regardless of the weather.  Thankfully, it will be 40 degrees again soon enough.  I don’t know how the ranchers do it in Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, or everywhere else where this weather pattern is the usual.

I just hope that everything does go well for us, our home, and our animals.  I will let you know.

Last night a big thunderstorm awoke us in the middle of the night.  I was waiting to hear the sound of a train whistle signaling a tornado.  The wind-driven rain was striking the house in all directions.  Luckily we escaped any major or minor damage, but the pastures are very muddy this morning.

I am proud to announce that Cross Creek Cattle Company has been named Cattle Ranch of the Week by Texas Born Texas Strong.  It is an honor to be profiled and showcased on this website.  We want to thank them for choosing our ranch.  Check it out and leave a comment, if you would.  The power of word of mouth is amazing.

As this year winds down and the holiday season is in full-swing, everyone at Cross Creek Cattle Company wishes each and every one of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!  I will resume writing in January; until then,  have a great holiday season.

Our snowman last December.

While most of the United States of America is accustomed to snow in their winter weather forecast, it is a rarity in Southeast Texas.  We actually have a chance of this beautiful precipitation on Friday and Saturday.  Already this week it has snowed in El Paso, Lubbock, and Dallas.

Last year two weeks before Christmas it snowed.  It snowed hard during the evening hours.  My kids bundled up and went out in the darkness to play in the snow because we knew it probably would not last until the morning.  They built a 8 inch snowman and a extra large snowball.  They made snow angels on the trampoline.  As funny as this might sound to someone in Colorado, we had a blast.

Hopefully it will snow again this year at Cross Creek Cattle Company.  We don’t need it.  It is not a necessity; however, a little snowfall is good for the soul.  It brings the kid out of anyone regardless how old.  It brings a sense of quiet to the ranch as even the animals stop to admire the beauty of a falling snowflake.  They have no idea what it is, but they know it is special.

When we have a winter blast of cold weather, we do have to take precautions for our animals.  We put the cows on a pasture with a wind block to the North.  Usually a solid, thick portion of a wooded pasture helps block out the bitter, cold wind.  Sometimes it is the dam on the lake.  Whatever the form of the wind block, we make sure that our cattle are as warm as possible.  We also give them plenty of hay as the grass in the pastures are gone until spring.

We have a very old horse named Ladd.  He starts shivering at 50 degrees; therefore, he wears a horse blanket when the temperatures dip.  The blanket does a great job holding in his body heat.  Ladd quite enjoys his occasional winter outfit.

Of course if it does freeze, our main concern is water.  We have to ensure that all of our animals have access to fresh drinking water.  When I was a child living on this ranch, I raised animals for 4-H.  I remember many mornings before the sun rose above the horizon that I was outside with a flashlight breaking the ice off of the top of the water troughs.

Winters here at the ranch are typically mild, which is great for our cattle and horses. They do not have to endure long freezing cold winters.  However this weekend we wait with anticipation to see if we will receive any snow.

Andrew DeHaven

John Wayne starred in a movie titled, “Cowboys,” in which a group of young boys become men.  They did not grow much older on the trail, but they did come of age.  By being entrusted with responsibility, each boy developed a great work ethic.  Each boy returned home a different person as the trials of life shaped them into men.

I personally think that our society is full of overgrown boys.  Men-sized boys who are more interested in self-gratification and the here and now without the vision to see into their future.  I see this problem not only with males, but with females as well.  Few seem to look long-term.  We, as a society, seem very short-sighted.

I also think that this problem permeates all areas of life.  Parents seem to wait expectantly for the time when their children finally leave home.  They are tired of having to provide for them, clean up their mistakes, etc.  I do not think that our society places enough emphasis on how important ones job as a parent is.  In fact we seem to demean anyone who makes financial sacrifices as they dedicate their lives to their family.  How many times have you heard or said yourself, “Oh, I am just a mom (dad).”

Isaac DeHaven

We are a little old-fashioned at Cross Creek Cattle Company.  And, that is just fine with us.  We purposely spend a lot of time together as a family.  Not just our immediate family, but our extended family as well.  We invest our time, talents, and energy to operate a cattle and horse ranch in the 21st century.  It is not for the money.  Ranches do not make the money they once did.  We do it for the love of it.  We love working together to accomplish something.  We love having a common purpose.  We love the work ethic it takes to run the ranch.  It surely does not run itself.

As a mom, I want my four sons and daughter to grow up with a vision.  To grow into their adult bodies, wise beyond their years.  I want them to experience life and learn from it.  I want them to know responsibility.  I want them to be prepared to be able to survive on their own.  I look forward to the day when they leave of their own accord to make their own mark on the world, as men and women in the true sense of the word.

Therefore, it is no accident that when we worked cows this morning that all of our kids were there.  Jake helped Lane sort the calves.  Clayton and I worked different gates.  Kyla watched the “babies” Isaac and Andrew in the barn where they still felt part of the action.

When I deemed it perfectly safe, I allowed the two boys to come into the round pen and stand on the catwalk adjacent to the chute.  We needed to load calves to take to the sale.  Each boy had a cow working stick like everyone else.  Isaac could barely see the calves over the protective wooden wall of the chute, but he smiled as he yelled, “Get on outta here cows!  Yah!”

His smile said everything.  He felt a part of the team.  He helped load the cows.  He cannot wait until we have to work together again.  Even Andrew, who just sat on the catwalk holding a stick, said, “Yah, cow!  Yah, cow!”  At three years and nineteen months of age, my little boys are becoming cowboys, who will one day become men.

This is the last installment of the Horsemanship Camp series.  The ranch sent my three oldest to the Texas Charm School and Cowboy College. Cody Johansson runs the camp.  Her goal is to empower youth with horsemanship.  I know that all three of my children gained knowledge, skills, and confidence.  They had five great days at her place in Field Store, Texas.

Today Clayton, my thirteen year old, will be demonstrating longeing and the human currycomb.  Clayton is becoming an accomplished rider, but has learned that ground work is just as important.  He enjoys working with his horse, Roxie, at the ranch.

I hope you enjoy watching him work with a horse named Mike.

This week is Jake’s turn to show off the skills and knowledge that he acquired at Texas Charm School and Cowboy College.  It is located in Field Store, Texas and operated by Cody Johansson.  Jake fell in love with her pony named Boudreaux.  He said, “It feels great to be as tall as a horse.”

If you read the articles from this blog, then you already probably feel that you know Jake.  He is a cowboy through and through.  Jake is eight years old now and going into the 3rd grade.  He is happiest when he is outside doing something with his hands.  Horses have been a great outlet for him.  He has to learn to be relatively calm and quiet around the barn, which is slightly difficult for boys his age.  He also has to be focused.

I hope you enjoy watching Jake with Boudreaux.  I think that you will see how much Jake enjoys being with this pony.

Cross Creek Cattle Company sent my three oldest children to Texas Charm School and Cowboy College last week.  The instructor is Cody Johansson, who wants to empower children through horsemanship.  My children had a great time and learned a lot about horses.  For the next three weeks, I will be posting a video of each of my children as they showcase what they learned at camp.  Ladies are first, so here is Kyla.

Kyla just turned ten years old last week.  She loves horses and has been working with them seriously for a little over a year.  Kyla attended the horsemanship camp hoping to gain more confidence working with such big, powerful animals.  I think that as you watch the video there will be no doubt that she is confident.  Enjoy!

Last week I described the performance that the Grimes County Jr. Deputy Sheriff’s Mounted Posse was practicing for the grand entry of two rodeos.  They did a great job representing the county at the rodeos.  At the last minute, the Posse had to change their ending song from the “Star-Spangled Banner” to the “Grand Ole Flag.”  Apparently the professional drill team that followed our performance were already using the national anthem.

Kyla and Jake ride in first holding the Texas and American flags.  They ride into position and hold it while other team members ride their horses in different drill patterns.  Clayton is riding a black and white paint mare.  Together they made a great pair and are relatively easy to spot.

I just thought that ya’ll would like to see the performance for yourselves.  Enjoy the video!

Hey, it’s Jake again!  I am finishing the second grade this week.   I am really excited.  Today, I want to tell you how inspired I became after attending one day of a horsemanship clinic.

On April 26th, I went to Conroe, Texas to hear Clinton Anderson from Downunder Horsemanship speak and demonstrate horsemanship skills.  It was called the Walkabout Tour.  Mr. Anderson is originally from Australia.  I think he was born with a true gift, a gift of understanding horses.

I really had a good time.  Mr. Anderson was hilarious.  I laughed out loud on several occasions.  Several people from Cross Creek Cattle Company were there, too.  My PawPaw, Grandma, and Dad took me to this workshop.  We all enjoyed listening to Clinton and we all learned something, too.

He showed us how to load a horse into a trailer and how to get a horse to side pass among many other things.  He demonstrated both what to do and what not to do.  The what not to do demonstration was the funniest.

The most important thing I learned was how to load a horse into a trailer.  Some lady brought her 5 year old black gelding who had barely been halter broke.  Clinton Anderson longed the horse.  The he took the horse to the trailer and showed how most people try to coax their horse into the trailer.  You know, like people trying to reason with a horse saying, “C’mon horsie, we have to get in the trailer.  C’mon sweetie, do it for mommy.”  I was laughing so hard!

You cannot talk a horse into the trailer or bribe them with carrots every time.  He showed us to make the horse uncomfortable outside.  Then he would get it in the trailer and leave it alone.  He would get the horse out again, make it uncomfortable, load it, and leave it alone.  The horse soon understood a trailer was a good place to be.

My favorite part was when Clinton Anderson showed us his horse, Mindy.  She is really pretty.  She can do tricks like the Spanish walk.  If you don’t know what that is, it is a style of marching where the horse kicks its leg out in front of itself before stepping down.  It looked really cool!  Mindy could also do a one-legged bow, a two-legged bow, and a saddle bow.  She could play dead, too.

At the clinic, Clinton Anderson was selling horse equipment and tack.  I was really interested by the spurs he uses.  They do not have rowels.  They are just round balls attached to your boots that get its attention.  He was selling saddles without saddle horns.  He was also selling all his training tools.  You could buy gloves, training sticks, etc.

I feel that I learned a lot and understand horses more than I did before I attended this clinic.  I also learned that Clinton Anderson has a television program called Downunder Horsemanship that shows on RFD.  I highly recommend viewing his show and trying to attend one of his clinics.  You can check out his schedule here.  I am a better rider because of it.