The South Dakota Cowgirl

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Let’s Check Cows

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It’ the time of year when cows kind of rule the roost.

We typically calve our cows in the pasture, and this year that pasture happens to be about 3 miles from the house and corrals. Which, has made things interesting. Right now the set of cows calving were bought partially bred, which means we’ve been pulling more calves than normal. We always breed to a low-birthweight bull because we’d like the cows to be able to calve on their own and we believe it’s better for the cow to not have to have the calf pulled. The first one we pulled died, and so did the mama, the second calf we pulled (for which I had to call the neighbor because the boys left me here by myself) died but his mama is fine -always a good thing, the third pair pulled are happy and healthy and I found the fourth pair on my evening check last night – the boys pulled a big bull calf and are both doing well.

Checking on the girls, for us, is a twice a day deal. First thing in the morning either myself, Burt (who works for us), or the two of us, head out and see what babies decided to come overnight, tag them, (with a number tag to match their mama – in the right ear for boys and the left ear for girls – to make sexing easier in the fall) and then at about 5pm each afternoon, I head out again to drive through them and see if there were new babies born during the day, or if someone is struggling to calve, or if there’s a few that look close, so we can keep an eye on them. A few times I have had the big camera and the few times I haven’t I could have taken photos of Owls, Bald Eagles, mule deer and of course the babies. Calves are so freakin’ adorable.

The following photos are a combination of the last couple weeks, between my iPhone and Canon 7D. Enjoy the sights!

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Giving some colostrum pills:

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Happy Trails!

About ~The South Dakota Cowgirl~

Jenn Zeller is the creative mind and boss lady behind The South Dakota Cowgirl. She is an aspiring horsewoman, photographer, brilliant social media strategist and lover of all things western.

After a brief career in the investment world to support her horse habit (and satisfy her mother, who told her she had to have a “real” job after graduating college), she finally took the leap and stepped away from a regular income; trading the business suit once and for all for cowgirl boots, a hat, and jeans. She has not looked back.

When Jenn first moved to The DX Ranch on the South Dakota plains, she never imagined she’d find herself behind a camera lens capturing an authentic perspective of ranching, and sharing it with others. Jenn has always been called to artistry, and uses music, writing, images, home improvement, and her first true love of horses to express her ranching passion.

Horses are the constant thread and much of her work centers around using her unique style of writing to share her horsemanship journey with others in publications such as CavvySavvy, the AQHA Ranching Blog, the West River Eagle, the family ranch website, and her own website.

Using photography to illustrate her stories has created other opportunities -- Jenn’s brand “The South Dakota Cowgirl” has grown to the level of social media “Influencer”. This notoriety has led to work with Duluth Trading Company, Budweiser, Wyoming Tourism, Vice, Circle Z Ranch and Art of the Cowgirl, to name a few. She also serves as a brand ambassador for Woodchuck USA, Arenus Equine Health, Triple Crown Feed and Just Strong fitness apparel. Her photography has been featured by Instagram, Apple, TIME Magazine, The Huffington Post, and Oprah Magazine. Jenn’s work has been published internationally, has been seen in several books and has graced the covers of several magazines.

Jenn became a social media influencer by accident when she started to explore Instagram as a way to share her life on the ranch with folks that don’t get to experience it. It’s grown into an incredible platform that she uses to empower women, create an environment for self improvement and share life on the ranch.

When she’s not working, she loves to drink coffee, play with her naughty border collie named Copper, start ranch colts, and run about the country chasing cans. Her mother still thinks she doesn’t have a “real” job.

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