Riding Outside The Circle

Family Style

- Bob Welch

WE TROTTED OUT from the chuck wagon on a warm, clear morning to gather pairs for a branding session at my dad’s ranch. Nobody’s horse bucked, and the day was sure to get hot. As the horses moved in a strung-out line through the cholla cactus, I counted the crew: 23 riders in all. A good number for the work at hand. But then I noticed some peculiarities. The day’s workers were divided roughly into three groups: eight adult men; eight riders under 13 years old; and a group of seven that included three men over the age of 60, two wives, an older daughter, and one young man riding with broken ribs after a colt bucked him off dragging calves the previous day.

My first thought: As one of the middle-aged men, I was going to have to flank a lot of calves.

Now, the folks on either side of the age spectrum weren’t just there for a trail ride. These were good hands. Among the older men were National Cutting Horse Association Futurity Champion Gary Bellenfant; Tom Moorhouse, arguably the most notable ranch cowboy of his generation; and my father, who despite breaking a bone in a horse wreck every few years remains surprisingly spry.

As for the kids, every one of them was handy with a rope and unafraid to jump in to try to tail-down the soggiest calf.

As the work unfolded, it was routine: a seamless flow of synchronized effort. I was right, I did get to flank a lot of calves; but I also got to rope.