misterp Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 Thought I would share some family photos a few of you might find interesting - real ranch life. My father is a life-long cowboy (team roper); it's what he does. I am not a cowboy (thank god) but I've been raised around it. My father and his wife have 1500 acres here in Stephenville plus another 40,000 acres in New Mexico and she has been raising cattle for many years now. The last 15 years they have always had a branding, which is a social event where friends are invited over and everyone spends the morning roping, wrestling, doctoring, castrating, and branding the yearling bulls. We then BBQ for everyone (which is where I come in, I do the grilling) and this is a HUGE deal in these parts, over 150 people are invited every year and I had to grill 100-lbs of steak for lunch. After lunch is an egg toss (I don't see how the hell you can throw an egg 75-ft and still catch it whole), kids' dummy roping, and then they go back out to the arena and rope & drink the rest of the night. As they say down-to-the-home, it's a large time. Not only is this a big event here in this part of Texas but is also the major family event of the year, we do not get together for Christmas or Thansgiving or Labor Day or etc but on this one weekend in November. Yes my family is some kind of dysfunctional, we deal. This is the first and only known photo of my sister and I together. And with the truck - can't forget the truck! Roping the head-end coming out of the chute - This gets a little "wild west rodeo" here, these guys all trying to rope the rear legs all at the same time; one of these days they're gonna collide and all go down together in a big-time train wreck... Where the fight begins - this is a yearling bull but he still weighs 600-lbs and it is ALL muscle. And horns, very sharp little horns. Definitely tests the linebacker in you. Ass-over-tea-kettle and all four legs in the air, nobody escaped getting kicked. Except me 'cause I've got the common sense not to get my ass kicked by a pissed-off bull! A lot going on here - injections, general health check, castration, doctoring, branding, etc. They had 125 head to do this year. Speaking of wrecks, there's usually one or two and I got a photo of this guy landing on his ass after his horse decided to bow-up and go stupid on him. Anyway, some pics of the life of real north Texas cowboys. Mr. P. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoolBlueSS Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 I have a cousin who was a rodeo cowboy back in the early 80s. Bull riding and steer wrestling. Never made sense to me why you'd want to get on the back of a 2000+lbs animal with horns that doesn't want you there. Looks like a good time, Steve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red03SillSS Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 looks like alot of fun, but hard work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r8rs4lf Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 Coming from SoCal where we never see anything like that, I thinks it's cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
26dub_SS Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 my god...40K acres? ur father is loaded with $$$$ assets.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misterp Posted December 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 Coming from SoCal where we never see anything like that, I thinks it's cool. You just don't know where to look - there's LOTS of this near Marietta & Riverside Co, all throughout the San Joaquin valley and even between Paso Robles & Salinas although that area is kind of dying out late years. Rodeoing in California is not the same as it was 20 years ago, in the last 5-10 years many Californians have left for Texas because of the land price/real estate situation, it's just too damned expensive to live an equine lifestyle there anymore. An insight as to how much money California is loosing now, the Brashear family (owners of Borden Milk) just moved to Stephenville from SoCal; there's lots of new money in this area and most of it is from the southwest. Mr. P. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wody Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 Coming from SoCal where we never see anything like that, I thinks it's cool. You just don't know where to look - there's LOTS of this near Marietta & Riverside Co, all throughout the San Joaquin valley and even between Paso Robles & Salinas although that area is kind of dying out late years. Rodeoing in California is not the same as it was 20 years ago, in the last 5-10 years many Californians have left for Texas because of the land price/real estate situation, it's just too damned expensive to live an equine lifestyle there anymore. An insight as to how much money California is loosing now, the Brashear family (owners of Borden Milk) just moved to Stephenville from SoCal; there's lots of new money in this area and most of it is from the southwest. Mr. P. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> yuba city Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r8rs4lf Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 Coming from SoCal where we never see anything like that, I thinks it's cool. You just don't know where to look - there's LOTS of this near Marietta & Riverside Co, all throughout the San Joaquin valley and even between Paso Robles & Salinas although that area is kind of dying out late years. Rodeoing in California is not the same as it was 20 years ago, in the last 5-10 years many Californians have left for Texas because of the land price/real estate situation, it's just too damned expensive to live an equine lifestyle there anymore. An insight as to how much money California is loosing now, the Brashear family (owners of Borden Milk) just moved to Stephenville from SoCal; there's lots of new money in this area and most of it is from the southwest. Mr. P. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I guess I haven't been going out of my way to find it. Still think it's cool though. Seeing different lifestyles is very appealing to me. It's a trip to see how other people live in other parts of the country. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoolBlueSS Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 Coming from SoCal where we never see anything like that, I thinks it's cool. You just don't know where to look - there's LOTS of this near Marietta & Riverside Co, all throughout the San Joaquin valley and even between Paso Robles & Salinas although that area is kind of dying out late years. Rodeoing in California is not the same as it was 20 years ago, in the last 5-10 years many Californians have left for Texas because of the land price/real estate situation, it's just too damned expensive to live an equine lifestyle there anymore. An insight as to how much money California is loosing now, the Brashear family (owners of Borden Milk) just moved to Stephenville from SoCal; there's lots of new money in this area and most of it is from the southwest. Mr. P. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I guess I haven't been going out of my way to find it. Still think it's cool though. Seeing different lifestyles is very appealing to me. It's a trip to see how other people live in other parts of the country. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> That is pretty cool. What's normal everyday stuff to one is extreme to another. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misterp Posted December 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 (edited) my god...40K acres? ur father is loaded with $$$$ assets..Well you have not been to NM! That's not exactly "prime" development real estate there! And it is not my father's, it was left recently to his wife as her dad passed away - here's the map, the ranch is the purple area near the middle, on Hwy 84 just south of Santa Rosa: Basically you drive south down NM Hwy 84 and once you clear town (about 5-miles) everything you can see on both sides of the highway for the next 11-miles is the ranch. On the west side the property line runs right up against the river, and if you ride back there about 1-day you will run out of land, you are standing on a 200-ft cliff overlooking the water below. The place is divided into 5 pastures, the largest (northern) pasture takes 3 days ride to check the fences. The land is the real wild west, I mean true NM badlands and brutal high desert, mostly cactus and some grass eeking out a living on red clay. It snows there a couple feet in the winter, is over 100 in the summer, and the wind is always 15-35 mph coming off the backside of the Rockies. There are also indian caves, lots of flint arrowheads, etc. It might be years until I go back again but when I do I will get some pics. Mr. P. Edited December 18, 2006 by misterp (see edit history) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaotik1 Posted December 19, 2006 Report Share Posted December 19, 2006 Pretty nice pictures P. Looks like a lot of fun, and a big ass cook out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
04CHASE Posted December 19, 2006 Report Share Posted December 19, 2006 that is definatly not my cup of tea, well except the eating im good at that. i guess im just a city slicker . i nkow id probably be in the same spot as you P behind the grill away from the the live stock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gixxerrider Posted December 19, 2006 Report Share Posted December 19, 2006 hey P, Your sister was blocking the truck. Whats the deal with that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoCalSS Posted December 19, 2006 Report Share Posted December 19, 2006 My parents moved from SoCal to Conroe, Texas a few years back and own a 20 acre plot, and a 6 acre plot out there. I think 20 acres is huge and to think your parents own 40K in NM and a 1,500 acre parcel in Texas is rediculous... Only reason my parents moved qas to aquire a large amount of land, because historically the value of land can only go up. Nice pictures Mr. P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon1178 Posted December 19, 2006 Report Share Posted December 19, 2006 that is pretty sweet man i used to team rope every thursday night and then go team pinning on saturday nights. now i just work all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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