Flip Flops, Cowboy Boots, Snow Boots?

My favorite farmer loves to downhill snow ski.  He has wonderful memories of childhood family skiing trips to Colorado, and also spent one winter working in Steamboat Springs, CO during college to take advantage of the beautiful mountain slopes.

I have worked with much more dedication to earn the right to wear cowboy boots than snow boots…

I ski like a Floridian who spent her formative years digging in the sand and swimming in the ocean.  My good friend from college competed on the Dartmouth Alpine team, and taught me to ski my senior year in exchange for a few good laughs…

The Alpine skier and the swimmer…

In the last 16 years, Matt and I have taken five or six ski trips back to Steamboat Springs.  I am proud to say that I not only ski the blue trails, but I try to make use of each and every inch of snow as I diligently make my way down the mountain.  My pride necessitates skiing well enough to do the blue trails, my common sense determines my speed…

Two years ago, skiing the blue trail together…I was the last one to finish the run

My older two daughters will likely ski the black trails with their Dad at some point this weekend.  I can promise you that I will not.  I actually find that I ski much better when I can not see my children and, therefore, do not worry about them breaking their necks as they venture down the slopes.

This year my baby will be able to ski the big mountain and may well join her older sisters wizzing past me on the slopes…

I figure that I have enough to worry about getting myself down the trail and then back up the lift…The truth is that I am afraid of heights.  The highest that I like to get is the back of my favorite black quarter horse.

This is high enough…

Unfortunately, the ski lift is much higher. It took several trips for me to desensitize myself enough to the ski lift that I wasn’t holding on to my husband’s arm with a death grip as we soared above the slopes.

Simply beautiful…

I can admit that the view is beautiful.  God’s paintbrush is as prevalent in the beautiful Rocky Mountains as it is in my own beloved Great Plains.  My greatest love is to be outdoors, so for that reason I enjoy skiing.

Now, if only they would let me ride my horse up and down the slopes instead of taking the ski lift…

Perhaps this weekend I will ski with the fearless abandon of my family—but don’t hold your breath

It’s Not About the Trailer…

When I bought my quarter horse (Dandy) from Mike Coffman in the spring of 2005, I realized the childhood dream of being a real horse owner.  While I had a couple of work horses at the feed yard, their care was primarily provided by my cowboy and I only rode them sporadically.

He full-filled a dream…

To have my own horse in my own backyard fulfilled a very special and personal dream.  Dandy was a coming four year old when I bought him from Mike.  Lucky for me, God made him a big, gentle creature and we have spent the last seven years learning from each other.

Dandy taught me a lot about communication, feel and intent.  He taught me to be a strong yet compassionate leader.  He taught me that slow and steady is always true, and to never take anything for granted.

Most importantly, he taught me that “It’s not about the trailer”…

One day, a couple of months after I brought him home from Mike’s ranch, I wanted to load him on my horse trailer and take him down to our grass pasture to ride.  I had trouble that day loading him on the trailer.  I got frustrated with myself, I got frustrated with him, and it was not a good experience for either one of us.

In the months that followed, I learned that the more time and effort that I invested into our relationship—the clearer our communication became and the easier it was to get him to be my partner.  You see, that day early on in our relationship, it wasn’t about the trailer—it was about the lack of trust and lack of good communication that made loading him challenging.

Clear communication and respect make for a success…

Today, it only takes the pointing of my finger and the lifting of the lead rope for Dandy to happily load into the trailer.  In fact, I move him from pasture to pasture around my house with that same point of the finger.  Sometimes it seems as though he reads my mind and offers what I desire almost before I ask for it.  Conversely, I can also provide what he needs and desires at critical times in our partnership —that is the power of a relationship that is based on trust.

What used to challenge us is now easy because I took the time to lay a good foundation and invest in the relationship…

As a blogger and a beef farmer that believes in transparency, I am often asked by other cattlemen how we can reach out to our customers that live far away from the farm to explain ranching practices or products that are used to raise beef.  There is no simple answer because I believe that it is not about the ranching practice or the animal health product any more than my problems loading my young horse were about the trailer.

I do not have a job without someone who wants to purchase my beef…

It is, quite simply, about the relationship between the farmer/rancher and the customer.  Is this relationship based on trust and truth?  Or is it riddled with distrust and inaccuracies?  In short, it is about whether you trust me to offer good care to my animals and use the resources on my farm in the best way.  Equally important, it is also about whether I trust you and value your questions and concerns regarding the way that your beef is raised.

I believe that I offer good care to them, but I need to be open to explaining that care to those that are interested…

It is not about the antibiotic, the growth hormone, the beta agonist, or the feed yard…

It is rather about the quality of our relationship and our ability to have a respectful conversation about all of the things that are listed above.

•  Can we empathize and have compassion for each other?
• Can we trust that each one of us can learn from each other and do our own special part to work for the betterment of our country?
  

  My dream gets better with each day that passes…

I think that we will find that our lives are enriched by the knowledge that we can share with each other, just as my beloved quarter horse has enriched my life and taught me that the best communication skills are the ones that are based on love and respect…

Becoming a Believer…

I have a quote down at the very bottom of the home page from football player Drew Brees’ book, Coming Back Stronger.  When I read Drew’s book a couple of years ago, it just plain spoke to me.  In fact, I have many pages of notes where I copied down quotes that I loved from the book.  The one below is my favorite…

“Believing—there are several layers to it. There’s the surface-level type of believing, where you acknowledge that something is true. Then there is a deeper kind of belief–the type that gets inside of you and actually changes you. It’s the kind of belief that changes your behavior, your attitude, and your outlook on life, and the people around you can’t help but notice.”

I am a person of very strong beliefs and faith.  I have always been strong-willed, but the confidence that I have attained as an adult stems from the development of personal beliefs and faith.  My life is centered around love, empathy and hard work because I believe that is what allows me to use my talents to achieve greatness.

I work tenaciously as a parent to teach my girls to be believers…

Although there are many different people that have served as mentors for me over the years, learning to be a caregiver for animals has inspired in me a deep level of believing that transcends everything else.  Figuring out what an animal needs and then working tenaciously to provide those needs brings me an inner confidence and a sense of peace.

Both of these animals are actively engaged with me and asking me for guidance…

As I watch my cattle thrive and grow, and then trace their performance all of the way to my own dinner plate I become even more of a believer. I am left with a sense of purpose, and inspired to work harder with each day that passes.  My love for animals is diversified and runs deep. I am happiest when I am surrounded by them.

On top of my trusty equine partner and surrounded by cattle…

My daughter, Megan, and I spent a couple of days recently in the Sandhills of Nebraska.  My husband laughs that even when I go on vacation, I take some of my animals with me.  Megan and I joined some friends at “horse camp” riding and learning how to be better communicators with our equine partners.

Megan (right) practicing her “Miss America” wave while sitting side-saddle on her horse.  She is joined by her two friends and their favorite equines…

My favorite part of the trip was watching my daughter in her own journey to becoming a believer.  Our animals not only teach her a sense of personal responsibility as she learns to provide for them and understand them, but living her dream with them also brings a sense of innate self-confidence.

The above picture makes my heart swell.  The absolute joy and personal pride in her expression is priceless to me as a parent.  At the very moment that I took the picture, Megan became a believer.  She realized what it meant to be a partner to her horse and they achieved a unique harmony that only a lucky few will ever feel.

She caught a glimpse of how wonderful it feels to use empathy and feel to successfully and unselfishly communicate.  Going forward, she will view the world differently—with a sense of confidence and understanding that enables her to successfully use the gifts with which she is blessed.

Is there a pivotal moment in your own life that caused you to become a believer?

Realizing a Dream…

My mother is a school teacher with a love of traveling.  I remember in elementary school being loaded up in her suburban to drive across the country.  Normally we headed to Wyoming and Montana (a good long drive from Florida!) because my dad is a devoted fly fisherman and has always had a true love for the area’s trout streams…

My brother and I taking turns fly fishing…

When we arrived after many days of driving, my dad would fly out and meet us.  What followed were days of riding horses to high mountain streams in search of trout.

During those long days of driving, I spent a lot of time daydreaming as I looked out of the car window.  As we approached the mountains of Wyoming, I would sometimes see cowboys moving cattle on horseback.  I would pretend that it was me and dream of the day when I could play cowgirl.

A great teacher who instilled a love of the outdoors and horses deep into my soul…Al, a horse and fly fishing enthusiast, getting ready to take me and my dad deep into the wilds of the Montana mountains.

As I grew older and became a competitive swimmer, the family driving trips ceased due to my swimming meet schedule but we still would fly out to the trout streams of Montana every summer before school started.  By high school, I had moved on from my childhood world of pretend, but the dream of riding horses and learning about cattle lay tucked somewhere deep in my heart.

When I met my farm boy from Nebraska at Dartmouth, little did I know that love would bring me to a farm in rural America where my childhood dreams would literally come true.  I have to admit that there is a lot more hard work involved than I had ever imagined, but the life that I lead in Nebraska is not far from what I dreamed of as a child.

Learning to be a cowgirl is a reality for her—she is lucky enough to live the dream…

Last Sunday, my middle daughter and I moved cattle on horseback down at our grass pasture.  That morning something triggered a sense of deja’ vu and memories of long ago dreams flooded my mind as the two of us moved the cattle.  I remembered that little girl looking out the car window and watching the cowboys, and realized that I had become the heroine of my childhood daydreams…

Trailing the cattle—Megan and Magnum lead the way while Dandy and I encouraged the cattle to follow…

My view of a cowboy has changed over the years.  I will never be exactly like those men moving cattle thirty years ago in the mountains of Montana, but I do spend my days caring for cattle and I have a love of horses that runs deep to my core.  I realized Sunday morning how much I loved what I do, and what a beautiful blessing it is to be able to teach it to my daughter.

Dandy’s ears show that he is alert and doing his job well. In turn, I take a moment to document “the dream” with my IPhone while on his back…

I do not know exactly what my parents had in mind when they took me to those mountains year after year, but those trips planted the idea of doing something different with my life—Something tied to nature in rural America.

Her hair is blonder than mine ever was, but she gets that same spark in her eyes when she gets to be a cowgirl…

Today I live in a state where cattle outnumber people 4 to 1.  I spend my days caring for animals and raising my children in God’s Country.

What more could any little girl with big dreams wish for?

Friday Fun With Megan…

“Horses” by Megan Anne Burkholder

Horses

I like them.

Ask me why.

Because they help me rope and ride!

Because they fly like the sky!

Because they take me in and say everything will be OK!

Because they stand on command,

Because they roam a wild prairie, free like wildfire…FREE as can be!

Because they walk slow and steady.

Because they run swiftly through newly fallen snow!

Because they are sleek, light beautiful creatures of Mother Earth!

Because…

Because…

Because…

That’s why I like Horses!

Happy Trails!

Horses…

Dandy and I have learned a lot from each other over the past six and a half years…

One of the most important things that I have learned from Dandy is that sometimes you just have to:

Stop...

Drop...

and Roll...

Followed by a shake, a lick, a chew, and of course, a short nap...

We all need to find a way to” let it go” and to relax…

Refueling and reinvigorating helps to keep the balance in your life and the spring in your step!

Happy Thursday…

The Gathering…

Our farm has many different components to it.  My husband farms crops on about 3000 acres in the Platte River Valley, I care for close to 3000 animals in our cattle feedyard, and we also have some “grass pasture” where we graze cattle during the summer months.  We typically graze the pasture from the middle of April to the Middle of June, and then again from the middle of August to the middle of October.  Our grass is “cool season grass” so this allows us to get the most effective grazing rotation.

Megan (my nine year old) and I love it when we have cattle down grazing at the pasture because we love to ride our horses down there.

Getting the horses ready...

It is an added bonus when we get to check the cattle while we are down there riding.  This week it was time to gather the heifers and bring them into the cattle feedyard to finish for harvest.  So, Megan and I loaded up Magnum and Dandy and headed down there last Sunday to move the cattle onto the piece of pasture where the corrals are located.  This is the first time that Megan has gotten to help gather cattle at the pasture and, needless to say, she was pretty excited!

After we got the horses ready, we opened the appropriate gate and went searching for the cattle. Megan helps me quite a bit at the feedyard handling cattle, but we do most of this on foot.  It was new for her to gather cattle and move them while on horseback.  As we set out, I told her the rules…

1. 

   Megan beginning to group the cattle...

   Watch the cattle so that you can read their body language and effectively communicate with them.

2. Try to do all movement at a WALK.  The easiest way to move cattle is slow and steady.
3. Keep the cattle gathered together and moving as a herd.
4. Remember to use alternate pressure to influence the movement of the herd.
5. Whatever happens, stay calm, use your brain, and focus (don’t get distracted).

“The gather” went wonderfully.  It was like a beautiful and coordinated ballet.  I was so proud of both Megan and the cattle (and the horses too!).  The cattle gathered nicely and walked in a straight line for several miles

Trailing down toward the gate...

before coming to the gate.  Megan displayed wonderful patience and focus as we approached the gate, and gave the cattle the time that they needed to figure out what they were supposed to do.  She did a great job “taking the time it takes to do it right”.  It was a tremendously successful morning—not only did we get the cattle gathered and moved, but my daughter also got to practice being an “effective leader”.  One of those “life lessons” that comes with caring for animals and living on a farm—hopefully one that she will keep close to her heart!  Now, if I could only

Watering the horses after the gather is finished...

get her to focus that well when I ask her to clean her room…