Cleaning the North Pasture

 Cleaning the North Pasture

           by

                                                                             Mike Capron

I had big dreams of cleaning the north pasture. I returned hoping to find the big black muley bull with the cows and all gentle enough for me to move them to the shipping pasture.   After a half day riding hoping to find sign of the cows returning back from the Chico and the big black muley joining them. I was about to return to the rock house when I spotted the big black bull on top of the rim. He was watching me even though it was a mile away. After watching each other for a good spell, I thought I would try to move him down the rim in the direction of the shipping trap. I sure didn’t want to run him off the rim into some of the country below the rim that was a long way from the shipping pens on top. He moved slowly away from pressure and I just let him continue slowly moving away form me. All was going just fine and I liked his way of going. We were going in the right direction even though it was still a long ways to the corals or the shipping trap. We continued until it got just to close to the trap gate to be comfortable for him. I tried to bend him towards the gate and that is when we lost complete control. He went charging across the hills and canyons like a big black basketball player across a basketball court. One of my readers suggested that I name him “Shaq” . I thought it fit perfect, so from now on we will refer to him as “Shaq”. He was out maneuvering me in those short choppy hills and canyons.  I finally lost him and we weren’t that far from the Shipping trap.There was a nice set of cows close by in the trap to put him with, but no dice today. But I feel good that at least we have a good name for him now.