Bringing in the Bulls | A Day of Ranch Work

Okay — without further ado, let’s jump into this week’s newsletter.

If you don’t know me, my name is Connor McCauley. I’m the guy behind these newsletters, and I’ve chosen to write them from my own perspective — that of someone who married into the ranch. I came in as a bit of an outsider to ranching and farming. I’ve done all sorts of blue-collar work over the years, but stepping into the Wild West and the cowboy way of life was something new. This newsletter is my way of taking you along as I learn the ropes.

Before we get started, I want you to know there’s a YouTube video that goes along with this newsletter — and honestly, I recommend you watch it even more than you read this. My goal is to bring you into the ranch, to have you see and feel what I feel. The best way to do that is through the sights — the landscape, the cattle, the work itself.

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Now for your quick update. We skipped a week recently because Helen and I were back in Pennsylvania celebrating my grandfather’s 90th birthday. But this story actually happened a couple weeks before that, and I hadn’t shared it yet. It was a day when Roger and I got to work side-by-side.

We had three goals that morning:
First, we wanted to work with the foals — well, technically, yearlings now. We’ve got three colts and one filly, and our plan was to halter them and lead them around. Roger explained how it’s all about pressure and release — guiding with the rope, giving slack when they respond. Horses take direction from their head, which is why reins attach there. Spurs and leg cues come later, but the head is the first “programming.”

Second, I wanted to build more horse skills. That day, I rode Dunn — our stallion-turned-gelding. Long story short, he wasn’t fully neutered the first time, so he ended up breeding our mares and giving us four foals. Roger rode Lariat, one of the mares, and gave me pointers along the way. Every ride makes me feel a little more at home in this world.

Third, we needed to pen a bull named Dusty. He’s earned the nickname “Old Dusty” because he’s always kicking dirt on himself and never looks clean. We tried pushing him with the horses, but he had his own ideas — heading back to the cows and water. Getting him into the trailer from there was nearly impossible, so we came back later with the Ranger (side-by-side) and a dirt bike. That worked like a charm. Once penned, we trailered him to the bull pasture, where they’ll stay until breeding season rolls around again. They may be massive and intimidating, but most of our bulls are gentle giants — big, slow, and steady to work around.

Looking ahead, we’ve got hay season in full swing. We’ve got a great stand of forage sorghum and just finished swathing. Sam picked up a new baler, so we’ll be rolling out some big bales soon. Our grain sorghum is also looking good — well-timed rains helped — but the Texas summer heat has kicked in, and we’re starting to feel things drying out fast.

Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you next week — hopefully with another story from the ranch and a fresh video to go with it.