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.

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.

When I married my husband, I knew I’d never live in town or drive a beetle car. I’d need four-wheel drive and it’d be easier to see across my field than into my neighbor’s window. I knew there would be dirty boots by the door. On our honeymoon, we bought a sign that reads, “Please remove your spurs before getting into bed.” We anticipated cattle and hard work, but we pictured it with the bliss and naivety with which every newlywed couple enters into marriage.

Enter reality. No matter what time of year it is, there is always a potential for hay slivers in the sheets. I learned how to cook on a budget. I made a lot from scratch. Actually, it’s been sixteen years and I’m still doing that.

Showing the kids how shots work.

The reality is that we all have dreams and ideas of what life will look like. We imagine how it will transpire and it is beautiful!! Everyone is healthy, the work gets done in record time, and nothing ever breaks down or slips past a fence. Dreams are good for creating a hopeful platform as they propel us to keep going. Yet, I certainly never pictured tractors breaking down, bailing hay through the night to beat a storm, or feeding cows while having the flu.

On the flipside, I also didn’t imagine that ranching would rope me in and dally itself right to my identity. I had been raised in town. Please don’t stop reading. City girls can go country!
I met my husband in college at a country dance that someone coaxed me into attending. I gave him my number and didn’t think I’d hear from him, but I did and we started dating.
He took me riding, moving cows, and showed me everything I never thought I’d know about ranching. He didn’t get embarrassed of my lack of knowledge or ability, but kept encouraging me to try. It wasn’t until later that I realized this was in his favor, as now all my training came from “his” way of doing things.

Our girls heading out to help move cows.

So I married him and he carried me off to our first little trailer home.
Older than most of the dirt that held it together, it felt like a mansion.

Then something unexpected happened. Instead of me working for years alongside my man to get ready for a place of our own…we had a baby. Ahhh. Yes, it was wonderful. She is wonderful. But it is hard to ride pregnant, especially while still a beginning rider. Then we had another baby and another. Motherhood is the most amazing thing that could ever happen to a person, but also a fair amount of work. We didn’t have family around, so it was up to us to bring these babies everywhere we went. Our oldest daughter spent much of her first birthday in her daddy’s saddle, on his lap, while working cows. (That was a good horse.) I’ve ended up growing up in ranching along with my kids.

True, I never really knew what I was getting into, but I wouldn’t change it. Well, not most days. Guess what? Those dirty boots by the door? They aren’t going anywhere. They are mine.

~Marci

Marci is a city girl gone country. She married her cowboy and never looked back. While life may be different than what she first imagined, it’s also better than expected as well. She and her husband are raising their three kids on the ranch, and she has grown used to all the boots by the door.