Despite a few showers of rain and muddy yards, we’ve continued on with the weaning muster while we’ve our very own head stock person home from University.

She’s such a fantastic role model for her siblings ….

Our cows are usually run in mobs of between four and five hundred. Rotating them through their paddocks  means they are relatively accustomed to gathering together and moving on. 

Never the less, everyone needs to be alert and on watch when we get to a gate opening as sometimes calves lose their mothers in the crowd and become a little disorientated … not much different to a four year old in a city crowd!

There are plenty of instructions thrown around to our young recruits. “Steady”, “Watch the lead”, “Chase them up” and “Pull up!” come to mind ….

Skill levels are growing both in horsemanship and cattle sense and the enthusiasm certainly isn’t waning. Wish I could say the same about the washing up as our dishwasher has died …..

With the days rapidly shortening and nights somewhat cooler, grass growth has slowed considerably. Perfect time to budget what we have as we head into the dry season.

 

Tess and I spent time together inspecting a few paddocks that are spelled. It’s nice to take photos now to look back on later in the year ….

Eliza continues to grow and assert lots of toddler antics and independent traits …. just like a big heifer calf really!?

Over the ten days Tess was home, the two year olds she broke at the beginning of the year came back in for a refresher course. Plenty of giggles from her offsiders when she bit the dust (lucky it was mud)  on her first ride out …..

The broken winged bandit is now fully repaired. It’s great to have him back in the mustering team.

As the boys grow into more capable cowboys, I’m just praying the washing machine doesn’t go out in sympathy with the dishwasher!

There are 2 comments on this article:

• On 30/04/2014 sharon said:

  I have learnt that STOP is far better than PULL UP as what do they do as a new rider…they take things very literally and PULL UP wards!! which proved interesting on the quiet old pony who had some cutting training in his resume. (in good news, he still can spin on his hind quite well!). Thankfully the girls have progressed past that point but the boy…he’s still an ornament yearning after Honda Horsepower….

• On 30/04/2014 Fiona said:

  Our mob sizes are considerably smaller than yours Ainsley, and with six of us saddled up, we often feel we’ve nearly outnumbered them! The cows rarely put a foot wrong with eager children ready to pounce at the first sidewards glance.
  On the one occasion we did have a little trouble with kids pushing too hard through a gateway, we found ourselves with rather a large mob of weaners facing outwards and all went awry. Of course the kids declared it the best mustering experience they’d ever had. Funny how your attitude changes with age! Of course, I spent all my time with heart in mouth relaying instructions, which mainly included ‘SLOW DOWN’.
  Your grass budget looks to be in better condition than the federal government’s.