And a rattlesnake.
A couple weeks ago, on our way to the house from the ranch, there was a real, honest to goodness rattlesnake in the road. Zach backed the car up, and opened the door so I could see it. It sat there, coiled up, looking quite fearsome, with its forked tongue going in and out, and his tail going 9-0. Yeah, I don’t wanna meet him while I’m waking in the pasture someday.
Up here they are mainly prairie rattlers with the occasional diamondback rattlesnake to be found. They are usually killed by the ranchers when they find them, and their rattles sorta give them away. Since I’ve been here, there has only been one horse snake bit, and his little nose swelled up to about 2 and a half times its normal size and in a couple days he was fine. They do keep a steroid on hand, in case they need to give a steroid shot should a horse not get over it on their own. Horses are so big, however, that they manage quite well to get snake bit and keep going.
Yesterday we rode a couple colts out to gather the yearling heifers and the three bulls that were with them, so we could take the bulls out and put with the cows to make sure all the cows get covered. Those heifers that aren’t bred, will almost all be sold as open, but that is another story altogether.
I was on a colt with about 12 rides, Zach was on a colt with around 35 rides and his daughter was on a finished horse; the neighbor was with us on his colt as well. We’re all riding along, and then I hear, “Rattlesnake!” and then the pppttttppptttppptttttt of his tail. I’m like, I don’t see the snake, and Kelsey, Zach’s daughter is like, you just rode over it. Crap. Zach and the neighbor get off their horses and go look for it, but it had gone back in its den.
We got the bulls sorted off, loaded them in the trailer, swapped horses, and went to move the ranch’s cow herd to another pasture. Three folks horseback, and a four wheeler and we moved 15 bulls and 500 cows, two pastures over. I wish I’d have had my camera because it was one of the prettiest things I’ve ever witnessed, and there would have been some great photo ops to be had.
I’ll tell you though- being horseback like that, and doing a job, while it beats riding and training on colts in the arena, is sure a LOT of work. I got back and fell asleep for 20 minutes on the couch. I was utterly exhausted.
That was my excitement for yesterday.
Please – oh, please – tell me somebody there is carrying a gun to dispatch of such vile critters.
My image of you cowboy folk will be utterly ruined if you say otherwise.
Well, that sounds pretty exciting to me! And lot’s of fun! But really? Rattle snakes don’t hurt horses much? I never knew that.