Cows!

I got a tip from a friend that they were holding a clinic for Ranch Versatility. I called and made arrangements to go. I wanted to see if Semper would work cows or if he had any cow sense at all. I have had him around cows, done local sortings, etc and he gets a little snarky. He wants to run over them and bite at them. I got up at 5am and drove to the clinic. It was a beautiful day, the sky was so blue and there was a slight breeze. Grass is starting to grow in the rolling foothills that we traveled through. We got to the clinic and I met the gentleman that was hosting. He and his wife were probably in their late 60's, very nice and welcoming. On the phone I had told him that I was coming specifically to get some time and direction working cattle. I also told him that I had little or no "real" experience working cattle. When I told him that I had done some sorting, he gave me an odd snort that let me know that he wasn't impressed. First thing he had everyone do was cut a cow from the herd and work it. I watched as the more seasoned horses and riders took there turn. When it was my turn, I had huge butterflies in my stomach. I went out and we actually did well. He told me which cow to cut to make it easier for a beginner and then gave me direction as we worked. I cut the first one and worked it for 4 or 5 passes and then he had me pull off and try to cut another cow out of the herd. We did as well the second time as we did the first with cutting out of the herd, but the passes back and forth weren't as good and we lost the cow back to the herd. He said the best thing for Semper and I would be to work a single cow in the round pen and that he would take some time with me one on one before the clinic was over to do that. After the other riders worked cows again, he took me to the round pen with 4 head of cows. He put a cow in the round pen and then had me just follow alongside of it and he gave direction as we went. It was great and Semper took to it really quickly. I made quite a few mistakes, but there is a ton of stuff to remember. We worked 3 of the 4 cows and we got better with every one. I will definitely be going back.