IMPORTANT – New Web Address

Folks,

Very sorry for the confusion but for reasons too complicated to explain here I need to move this blog to a new web address.

From now on please go to www.CowboyLifestyleBlog.com and please change your bookmark.

B

COOL

The Country of Origin Labeling system known as COOL took effect this year after many years of discussion. Basically it requires retailers to label their beef (and other items) with the country where it came from. This is a good thing for consumers who want to purchase only US raised beef and maybe locally produced items for their dinner tables. There are all kinds of rules and exceptions as with any government idea but in general it works pretty well. Next time you go to the grocery store look carefully at the label and it should tell you the origin, or in some cases there is simply a sign above the meat area. My local butcher started out with a sign saying “beef from USA, Mexico and Canada”. It only took two weeks for customers to let him know they only wanted US beef – which is all they carry now.

If you want all the details about COOL go to www.ams.usda.gov/cool.

Heading versus Heeling

When cowboys rope a cow with the intention of bringing it down to the ground it normally requires two cowboys although I’ve seen it done with one. The first cowboy is designated as the “header” and he puts his rope around the cows head and tightens it around the neck. This basically controls the area that the cow can move in (a circle around the cowboy’s horse) although in practice the header often moves the cow slowly forward in the direction he wants to give the heeler a better shot.

The “heeler” then throws a loop around both the cows back feet and tightens it. You do that by putting a properly shaped and timed loop on the ground in front of the back feet (I’m over simplifying it) and when the cow moves forward it steps into the loop, which the cowboy then tightens. Sometimes you only get one foot.

When the two cowboys move their horses backwards the roped cow becomes gently stretched between them and can’t move. It’s possible to actually put the cow down on its side by controlling the angle of the ropes but most of the time a groundsman approaches the cow and pulls it down to the ground on its side. Or one of the cowboys gets off his horse, which has been trained to keep tension on the rope, and performs the groundsman role.

Under the New Mexico Sky

From BEEF Cow-Calf Weekly

“New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson signed legislation last week making the state the first to adopt an official cowboy song. The tune is “Under the New Mexico Sky” by Syd Masters and the Swing Riders.

New Mexico songwriters last year picked Masters’ tune from 26 others and he performed it on the state House floor in March. The state’s official cowboy song joins New Mexico’s other songs, including a Spanish-language state song, a state ballad and a state bilingual song. The state’s official song, “O Fair New Mexico,” was written by the daughter of famed sheriff Pat Garrett.

While New Mexico’s official cowboy song is the first, several other states already have official songs with a Western theme, including Kansas’ “Home on the Range” and Oklahoma’s “Oklahoma!” “

The Santa Fe New Mexican says that Masters was inspired to write the song after a scenic moment on the Turquoise Trail between Santa Fe and Albuquerque. “I was having a photo taken and while waiting for the clouds to move, I leaned against an adobe wall…and there was a creek running by,” Masters said. “It turned out to be the right thing to describe.”

Click here to visit BEEF Cow-Calf Weekly.

and click here for the Swing Riders website.

(picture is New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson)

Trichomoniasis Briefings

Trichomoniasis is a venereal disease of cattle that causes infertility and occasional abortions in cows and heifers.

From a TSCRA press release:

The Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) announces a series of producer educational programs across the state to help provide cattle producers with info on managing trichomoniasis (trich).

Co-sponsored by Fort Dodge Animal Health, the program will focus on the detection and management of trich in cattle herds. Free to the public and including a dinner, the programs begin at 6:30 p.m. local time, unless noted below. Dates and locations include:

• April 6: Pearsall Livestock Auction, Pearsall
• April 7: American Legion, Gonzales
• April 8: Victoria Community Center, Victoria
• April 14: Hopkins County Civic Center, Sulphur Springs (7 p.m.)
• April 16: Pitchford Genetics, Athens (7 p.m.)
• April 22: Mid-Tex Livestock Auction, Navasota
• April 27: Jordan Cattle Auction, San Saba
• April 28: County Livestock Facility, Graham
• April 30: Texas Cattle Exchange, Eastland
• May 1: Bonds Ranch, Marlin
• May 4: Bowie Livestock Auction, Bowie

Under the Texas Cattle Trichomoniasis Program, rules affecting interstate movement of cattle became effective April 1, and in-state rules become effective Jan. 1, 2010. Trich is now a reportable disease in Texas, and a significant animal health problem with a major economic impact on breeding cattle herds.

To RSVP for the meeting, contact TSCRA at rsvp@texascattleraisers.org or call 800-242-7820, Ext. 192. On-site meeting registration begins one hour prior to the meeting. For more info on the trich program, visit: www.tahc.state.tx.us/news/Chapter38_Trichomoniasis.pdf

Cattle Names

There are boy cows and girl cows. Boy cows are called bulls unless they have been castrated in which case they are called steers. Girl cows before they have had a baby are called heifers. Ones that have had one or more babies are called cows. Young cattle are called calves until they are weaned, then weaners until they are a year old in some areas, in other areas they may be known as feeder calves or simply feeders. After that, they are referred to as yearlings.

Californios Ranch Roping and Stock Horse Contest

“There’s nothing in life that’s worth doin’ if it cain’t be done from a horse.”
–Cowboy Poet Red Steagall

One of my favorite events of the year is attending the Californios Ranch Roping and Stock Horse Contest in Red Bluff, California every April. This is a competition based on real life working situations for a cowboy who follows the Vaquero style of handling cattle. It’s not a ranch rodeo and events are not timed. It’s all about the horsemanship, size of the loop, distance thrown, control of the slack and the dally. A leather reata is required, no nylon ropes here! Teams of 2-3 cowboys rope and then lay down specific cattle. They are judged on how well they handle the cattle (quietly!) as well as the overall quality of their roping and horse control. There are also horse evaluation and youth events as well as a vendor show with some top quality tack. Put on by my friends David Weaver and Gwynn Turnbull Weaver (pictured above), you’ll get three days of some of the best cowboying you’ll ever see. And ticket prices are very reasonable. Hope you can attend this year!

Leon Harrel and Cutting Horses

Cutting is the skill of taking one or two specific cows out of a herd by placing your horse in the right position to get it to move in the right direction. Cowboys do this routinely to isolate a cow for branding, doctoring or to move it to a different area. The trick is to take the cow out without disturbing the rest of the herd – not an easy thing to do. Some horses are bred specifically for their ability to cut cows.

If you are interested in learning about cutting horses, and more specifically how to ride a cutting horse, I can highly recommend my friend Leon Harrel. I’ve done several clinics with him and even bought a cutting horse from Leon! Leon has accomplished just about everything you can in the cutting world – National Cutting Horse Association World Futurity Champion, President of the NCHA, AQHA World Champion Junior Cutting Stallion and a long long list of others. Plus he’s a really nice honest guy and one of the best instructors I’ve ever seen. Appropriate for beginners and for advanced riders. He and his wife Alexandria now live in Springtown, Texas (near Fort Worth) on a beautiful ranch where he holds clinics. He also travels extensively so he may be holding a clinic near you. Check it out! Leon Harrel Cutting Clinics.

And you see a video of me cutting at an amateur event in California http://www.beal-net.com/richard/clips2/windowsmedia.html

Ranching Way of Life is Slipping Away

Sad story about how a major ranching operation in California is slipping away. You can see the full story by clicking HERE.

Welcome

Welcome to my new blog about the cowboy lifestyle. As you know I have a business selling cowboy buckles (www.bealscowboybuckles.com) so will periodically talk about buckles and feature special ones. And I’ll tell stories about horses and cows – the two main things that cowboys do – plus western tack and events and people. The western ranch lifestyle is disappearing rapidly and I don’t think that’s a good thing. I hope you’ll enjoy what you read and find it valuable. If there are things you’d like to see me write about please feel to contact me directly, I’d love to hear from you.

Cows

The beef industry in America is big business. There are about 100 million cows in the US but we aren’t the only people raising cows. China for example has about 130 million cows and South America is a major source of beef. Cattle, generically known as cows, came from two basic breeds: European cattle like you typically see in the US and Zebus (sometimes known as humped cattle) which are better-adapted to tropical climates. Cattle were probably domesticated as early as 7,000 BC. There are over 200 identified breeds of cattle which are the result of massive cross breeding from the original cows. About a dozen of those breeds make up 95% of all cows being raised in the US. Cows are raised as livestock for meat (called beef), dairy products (milk), leather, and as draft animals pulling carts and plows. In some countries, such as India, they are honored in religious ceremonies and revered.

If you are interested in news about the beef industry join the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.

(That’s me in the picture on my quarter horse Summer Soda)