Her Water-Bag Broke

Bessy broke her water at 7am and without intervention, her calf, and eventually she could be in distress. Getting her into the barn in a head catching chute was our goal. When it comes to maneuvering in the mud, songs have been sung about it, poems written, and marriages battled which is probably the origin of mud wrestling. Two headstrong, determined people, grasping for something to balance on, get a direction and move ahead towards a high spot.

He yells, “you got to dance on the high spots, move before you sink”. And, “I learned to dance across a muddy lot by the time I was six years old”, (which is no help to me when I pivot on a 6-inch square island of rock amid an acre of knee deep poop). Depending on who you consult, its either mud or poop. I reckon, composted wet manure is all poop.

Last spring on a cow-chase, I lost a boot in mud and could not pry it out until the fall. Today, we had a similar cow-chase going, which involved trickery, stealth and that light touch on the high spots. The dance exhausted me. As the veterinarian waited and observed from the safety of his truck, the dog, the cowboy and I managed to bury the UTV, while getting the pregnant cow close to the barn 3 times and without fail, she’d smell a trap and run for her life. You can’t out- run a cow, but you can act really big and if you are in the right spot and at the right time you might turn her in the right direction.

Within an hour, the vet left to help someone who had their animal in. The cowboy makes some comment about getting a real job.

We re-grouped as a team and pulled out the buried UTV, and the cowboy used the lariat to bring the 1200 lb Bessy in to the barn. David has long arms, and with the help of warm soapy water, he was able to feel the calf way down deep inside her belly. We’re waiting now for Vet #2 to arrive. Earlier, when someone called to ask how we were and what we were up to during Covid social distancing, I just laughed and said I had come in from a long walk on the pasture. If you want to learn more https://youtu.be/0GnSbphveC8