The sun began to peek up over the hill that sits behind our house, and through Mattson’s bedroom window. He jumped up out of bed, with a smile on his face. This was the day that Mattson had worked all summer for—the 4-H horse show! As he catches his horse, I load the truck with the necessities—water, sunscreen, and of course, a comfy lawn chair that I can take a short, much needed nap in when the excitement of a horse show is too much to bare. As I look in the tack room of the trailer, I am pleased and proud of the organization Mattson has on display. Bridles hung neatly, saddle clean and oiled, floor swept and the water bucket and grain ready for reward for a job well done. I can learn a thing or two about his idea of being tidy and neat.

We pull into the arena, parked our truck and trailer next to the neighborhood girl and unload a blue roan gelding who is truly a part of our family. He goes by the name “Cody.” The sun blazing down on us all, I paint the hooves, brush the main and tail and pin the back number on Mattson’s freshly ironed shirt. The new halter is put on and they begin to show in their first class. Calm and collected, in all his classes, he shows his horse like a true champion. He teaching us the importance of having fun, having confidence, and being proud of who he is and what he has. I can learn a thing or two about his discipline and confidence to tackle everyday life.

As the day goes on it continues to get longer, hotter and dustier. Patience is tested, horses are ridden in patterns and parents are smiling as their child rides out of the arena with a red, white or blue ribbon. I remind Mattson to hold his reins steady, sit deep in the saddle, and make sure his horse picks up his correct lead. He reassures me with a smile and a wink, and tells me to relax. I once again am more nervous than he is.  

His favorite event has finally come—Team Sorting! Mattson is a member of the team who won the county fair and went on to win the State Fair last year. The cows are placed in the lower end of the arena. Mattson and his team members ride in, cinches tightened, and horses’ ears perked up. The team consists of three ranch raised cow kids who have sorted a cow or two before in their time. They begin to ride toward the cows, getting them sorted in order, one by one, with a total of 5. After the dust is settled, and the numbers are tallied, their team is the county fair champion once again. Mattson congratulates his team and the other teams as well. They are excited to compete at state once again. I can learn a thing or two about his sportsmanship in 4-H as well as life itself.

Now we get ready for State Fair……

~ Jayme

Jayme Thompson lives in Shelley, Idaho, with her husband Matt, and their three sons, Jackson, Mattson and Dawson. She was daddy’s little cowgirl being raised horseback on the family cattle ranch in Mackay, Idaho. Matt and Jayme have known each other since their early junior rodeo days. They are both 4th generation ranchers and have a cow-calf and horse operation. Jayme drives school bus, and helps Matt on the ranch in addition to chauffeuring kids. Matt is a custom saddle maker and a video representative for Western Video Market on the side.

Jayme also blogs at Cavvy Savvy, where this post first appeared.

Yesterday was weigh-in day at the fair. First, we had to go to school registration for 4th grade.

Then we rushed home to give Charlie his last bath at home. He was mostly clean because we’ve been washing him a lot.  But his hooves were covered solid in poop because we’ve had so much rain this month and his corral is really messy.  It took a lot of work to clean his hooves today.  (We had to chisel at them with a screwdriver).

When we loaded Charlie in the trailer, he didn’t really like it. He kept moving around.  Unloading him, he was fine.  Then we took him to his spot in the barn. A little while later, we weighed him in. He weighed 1,218 pounds.

Final weigh-in at fair.

There was a meeting a couple hours later about how the steer shows would work and what we’re supposed to do. Then I finally had a lunchable for dinner because we were super hungry and we didn’t want to wait until we got home so late.

I was tired and needed to get to bed; I had to get up at 5:50 in the morning (augh!) so I could go back to the fairgrounds and feed my steer.

Stay tuned to read more about my week at the fair.

Charlie and Sadie

Hi! My name is Sadie. I’m 9 years old and I’m excited to be old
enough this year to be in 4-H and take a steer to the county fair.

My steer’s name is Charlie and he is very gentle. His breed is Hereford Angus Limousin. I wanted to show a steer because I like cows and a lot of my family does it so I wanted to try it too.

My Grandpa and I picked out my steer.

I got Charlie from my Grandpa’s ranch in Oakley. I picked him out in December and then he came to our place in March. For the first few months, I just took care of him by feeding him grain and hay.

At the first of July, we started wetting him down and brushing his hair every night. Once a week, we gave him a full body wash. I also started walking him around and setting him up with a show stick. Then we started blowing his hair in August. I also have a spare steer named Buddy, but I’m not going to take him to the fair.

Our county fair starts this week. On Monday, we cleaned out our beef barn at the fairgrounds, spread out sawdust for the steers to lay on, and put decorations up.

Putting up decorations and getting stalls ready.

I also have a cooking project that my mom teaches. I made Raspberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies. They were delicious. I can’t wait to see what ribbon I get!

I’m excited and a little nervous about this week. I’m going to write a little each day about my experiences. I hope you like reading about my week at the fair!

We’re excited to share posts this week from a little guest blogger. Please check back daily to read more about Sadie’s adventures at her first county fair. So many life lessons occur when children have the responsibility of taking care of an animal. And talk about the family memories

With Labor Day quickly approaching, we thought we’d share another beef recipe. And rest assured, Idaho’s ranching and cattle feeding families are always working hard to bring you healthy and delicious beef for you to enjoy!

Here is a quick and easy carne asada recipe. We love how simple it is and lets the wonderful taste of beef shine through. Cumin gives it a smoky flavor and who can argue with the combo of garlic and lime?!

This is really versatile too and can be used with any cut for grilling. Slice it thin and serve over rice or in a homemade tortilla.

Wishing you a Happy and Safe Labor Day Weekend!

Cattlemen take great pride in raising a safe, wholesome and nutritious product. As part of our son’s senior project, he hosted a Beef Quality Assurance workshop at our ranch this summer. With the assistance of our county beef extension educator, producers and 4-H kids from our area received a refresher course on vaccine storage, handling and administration, livestock handling and record keeping. At the end of the workshop participants were give an exam and earned a three-year BQA certification.

The event was also a great opportunity to visit with our neighbors to discuss kids, cattle, grass and all our other many blessings. We appreciate our friends and neighbors who took time out of their Sunday to support our son’s senior project and hopefully gained some additional knowledge to improve the quality of product that they are raising.

~ Megan

Megan lives with her husband and three sons on a multi-generational cow-calf ranch in south central Idaho. She was raised on a small cattle operation and developed a love for the land and livestock at a young age.

“My favorite part of being a cattle producer is knowing, as the last calf is loaded on the semi, that you have done all you can to care for your animals and land, and both are in good condition. If you take care of them, they will take care of you.” she says.

Megan spends her spare time working and playing with her family, reading, gardening, fishing and watching her sons play football.