A California Branding

For my Texas friends that have ever asked or wondered about the way we do things in California, well here you go! I’ll do my best to give y’all just a short synopsis of what a branding at my family’s place is like.

Branding season for us is usually around December or January; it all depends on the weather and when other ranchers are branding. Brandings for the family putting them on are extremely stressful, but always worth it at the end of the day when all your cattle are where they are supposed to be, everyone is fed, horses are put up, and you’re sitting by the fire with your family. Branding season is with no doubt my favorite time of the year. Although it is hard work, takes a lot of preparation and you don’t always find all your cattle, at the end of the day, I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Gathering starts about a week or so in advance of the always tentative date, but where we hold our cattle still requires us to gather that morning. So after all of the coffee, muffins and more coffee are hauled to the corrals, the crew saddles up and rides out to bring in hopefully all the cattle you know where in that field the night before. 

You'll gather, count, and sort, get the medicine table set up and then the real fun begins.

P.S. You know it will be a good day when the two bosses are smiling.

Out West in California, depending where you are in the state, you'll see most cowboys/cowgirls wear chinks, instead of shotguns or leggings. 

We also head and heel the calves instead of heeling and dragging to the fire. 

Then someone on the ground will flank and set ropes then the calf will get an ear tag, EID button, shots, castrated and branded. 

Watching the young ones jump right in is almost as much fun as watching Dad take a wild shot and catch even with a little bit of slack in the rope.

After all the work is done, it's time to eat! Tri-tip, beans, bread, salad and the best cobbler you'll ever have. I promise you no one makes a better wild black berry or peach cobbler than my Nana in her Dutch ovens. 

Grab a plate, a drink, and a place to sit. If you get the chance to sit within an ear's shot of the {old} cowboy's hay bale circle I highly recommend it. You'll hear the best stories, laugh so hard your cheeks hurt, and get better advice about cows, horses, dogs, and life than any where else. 

If at the end of the day the two men in charge have a smile on their face you know it was a successful day. 

The rest of the afternoon/evening is spent talking with everyone that came and the night is wrapped up sitting around the fire enjoying the peace and quiet occasionally interrupted by funny story and a multitude of laughs. Oh and don't forget the huge sigh of relief because it's over.

So there you have it, a quick overview of a California branding. It takes so much more than anyone realizes to put one of these on, but it's a tradition and is always worth it in the end. It's the time of the year where all the local ranchers get to go have fun on each other's places, throw some crazy loops, hoot and holler when they catch, poke fun when they miss, share stories and talk about the markets, horses, dogs, and life. Although we do things a little different than they are done in Texas and other places, there's not a wrong or right, just different and I love it all. I can't tell you how blessed I feel to be a part of a ranching family. I wouldn't trade the memories made and lessons learned for the world!