Girls working cows

Girls decided to move cows with the horses tonight, which is a not so common event around here. We usually do everything on foot. I decided to get my camera and take a few shots. The oldest wants to start roping and getting involved in rodeo events, so she has a new found love for working with the hay burners. Thought I would share!

Nice ponies! Love the buckskin Paint. I wish we would saddle up and use our horses more than we do. Every time we have some smart somebody take off and try to be difficult, I always swear I'm never running em on foot again! But then I do...

Honestly, our cattle are usually pretty easy to handle. They come when we call until they have babies running around. Still, we have six horses that just stand there and look pretty most of the time! I know they would enjoy chasing a cow every once in a while!

What great pictures. Thank you for sharing!!

Here are the other horses... thought I would share  ;D The palomino mare my daughter is riding is out of my very first paint mare, buried in the back pasture (lived to be 29!). The other paint and palomino are out of  her. The grey is out of the black mare, and is a Playgun granddaughter. The kids have gotten a new love lately, for some reason. I think this might cost me a little money, but if it keeps them out of trouble it is worth it! They want to learn to rope so they can compete.... ugh  :-\

Be thankful they just want to rope right now...they could want to be doing all around events at shows like me.  Western show saddle, barrel saddle, training saddle, English saddle, a gazillion bridles and bits, a set of English clothes, multiple sets of western clothes, 3 different hats, 3 different helmets, a museum of pads, plus show halters for yearlings to adults...oh, we still have a bunch of grooming supplies, a multitude of sheets, blankets, and hoods, for me 3 large ponies to haul everywhere and show, often in the same classes.  I still have boots for the ponies, and so many other million little things.  That is where it gets really expensive!  It's a good thing my mom can sew nearly all my western show clothes and I do all my own training

RidinHeifer said:

Be thankful they just want to rope right now...they could want to be doing all around events at shows like me.  Western show saddle, barrel saddle, training saddle, English saddle, a gazillion bridles and bits, a set of English clothes, multiple sets of western clothes, 3 different hats, 3 different helmets, a museum of pads, plus show halters for yearlings to adults...oh, we still have a bunch of grooming supplies, a multitude of sheets, blankets, and hoods, for me 3 large ponies to haul everywhere and show, often in the same classes.  I still have boots for the ponies, and so many other million little things.  That is where it gets really expensive!  It's a good thing my mom can sew nearly all my western show clothes and I do all my own training

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Wow I didn't realize how much actually goes into showing horses. Those are some nice looking horses, What kind of breed is that grey/white one?

Cruiser said:

RidinHeifer said:

Be thankful they just want to rope right now...they could want to be doing all around events at shows like me.  Western show saddle, barrel saddle, training saddle, English saddle, a gazillion bridles and bits, a set of English clothes, multiple sets of western clothes, 3 different hats, 3 different helmets, a museum of pads, plus show halters for yearlings to adults...oh, we still have a bunch of grooming supplies, a multitude of sheets, blankets, and hoods, for me 3 large ponies to haul everywhere and show, often in the same classes.  I still have boots for the ponies, and so many other million little things.  That is where it gets really expensive!  It's a good thing my mom can sew nearly all my western show clothes and I do all my own training

Click to expand...

Wow I didn't realize how much actually goes into showing horses. Those are some nice looking horses, What kind of breed is that grey/white one?

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The grey mare is a registered quarter horse.
Ridin Heifer, I did all that as a kid myself. I still have most of my tack (show saddles, english tack and such), but I am sure it is out of style. We did barrels about 5 or 6 years ago, so we have the barrel saddles still, just one is too small (10 inch seat!). Anyway, about the only thing we have not tried is the roping, so I guess that is where the oldest wants to try next. Ropes can't be too expensive, can they??? 

I don't think the ropes are too bad... A good roping horse might set ya back! But maybe you have that covered... I hope they do well. I've been wanting to do team penning, but it doesn't look like I'm ever gonna wanna do it bad enough that I make time for it :-(

That's about the one thing I don't do! But, the last catalog I saw, the "better" ones were 30-50...maybe a few higher.  Not too bad in the whole scheme of things!  I rode in a 12" show saddle until I was 16...mainly because I have a little bum and I couldn't afford a decent one when I was showing about every weekend.  If you can find someone that ropes near you, see if they have any old ones you could get for learning.  I have one that a guy gave me when I got my first running pony(he wanted me to rodeo...I was happy just running).  It is used for catching cows if feed isn't working.
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Cruiser....I didn't even put price tags on those!!  You're looking at over $1000 for a western outfit, you have at least 2.  Figure $2000 for a nice new show saddle, about $1000 for a barrel saddle, English saddles $500 and up new, plus the horses...and everything else...and feed because a working horse needs plenty

GREAT pictures, looks like super family ....

I've roped and rodeoed my whole life, plus shown pleasure thought breed circuits. I'd suggest to start roping, a trainer trainer trainer! You CAN'T do it alone, it can be very dangerous with some little hand movements that could easily lose a finger. It's very fun and I loved doing it every weekend until I shattered my wrist, but it's hard turning a steer now with a plate in my arm! I'm not trying to discourage you, it would just be safer to find a good roping trainer or better yet a roping clinic. I was always taught never rope a live calf until you can catch 60 times on a dummy without missing. Probably a better start would be breakaway roping, and then moving to team roping. Little Britches Rodeo is a good start hope that helps! Sorry kinda off topic!

It is virtually impossible to train a horse and a new roper at the same time.  Start with a good horse.  Find someone with a HotHeels or one of the other steer simulator dummies.  You can keep things slow until ready to move on to live cattle with the simulator dummies.  http://www.ropehotheels.com/