Cattle branding in western Nebraska is about as close to real cowboys as you can get. Except for the horse trailers and propane-fueled fires, calves are rounded up and branded the same way they were over 100 years ago, using horses, ropes, branding irons and lots of manpower.
This little dogie got out of the pen and set off for the high hills; after seeing his little buddies get castrated, he had other plans. But his freedom only lasted about 20 seconds. The ropers spotted him immediately and wasted no time in running him down — the cowboy lost his hat but got the dogie with the first toss of his lasso.
The cowboy with the hat was there to shoo the calf out ahead of the roper to keep the calf from cutting in front of the roper’s horse. This branding was a lot of fun to shoot and quite an education for me. Eeeeee Ha!
Thought for the Day: Whoopee Ti Yi Yo Get along little dogies – Its your misfortune and none of my own. Chorus lyrics to “Get Along Little Dogies”
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