Colts of Summer
"I like to do this, in the heat." said my sturdy husband. This is the work of summer. Each season brings its own urgent task. The pen of deep red and shinning black coated colts will carry us on into future adventures. There is something very special about raising your own horses and dogs for the work that you do. This is one of the most attractive elements of my husband, and his set up. There are many budding field to table, operations that exclusively do not make use of the services of working horses or dogs. I say this in good humor, for I adore many a character who does not ride ...all I can envision is heavy mud boots, flat footed, hitting the grind "thud, thud, thud" and a life far too slow for me, in that manner! With the wind in your hair, hooves underneath you and the flourishing team work as old as time, you tap into and become part of a dance. The dance is so simple, yet so complex that you begin to move outside of just yourself and your plans and into this work we love, this work "we" live for. Horses can be neurologically and spiritually uplifting as they bring you to a state of regulation and self-esteem. I pray that we always keep these magnificent creatures in the soul of our ranch to table, operation. Not only are horses the rhythm of the day to day, an essential part of running our cattle, sheep and goats in rugged and diverse landscapes, they are also priceless helpers in situations that we have not thought much about until late. New thoughts arise due to the screw worm appearance, stated in our all-time favorite newspaper, the Livestock Weekly. "I don't know that we have the number of cowboys and number of horses that we're going to need to treat livestock on our ranches today if we get a new world screw worm infestation," said Dinges. "He recently visited with just one ranch in south Texas that had 30 cowboys on the payroll before the screw worm was eradicated. They checked cattle from daylight till dark, said Dinges. That ranch today has four full time cowboys."
("Texas Awaits Protocol Approval From USDA For Managing NWS." Livestock Weekly, Vol. 77No.23 2025)
It was those days with my beloved horses that I felt a bond so deep connecting me to the earth and sky solidifying what I knew I dreamt of. Rarely does a day roll by that the horses are not saddled on the cattle operation we run.
By Caroline Taylor
June 2025