Jennifer Merin Come on now, ‘fess up! You’ve always fantasized about being a cowboy or cowgirl. It’s kind of impossible to grow up in the US -- or anywhere else in the world, for that matter -- without wanting to experience America’s legendary Wild West. If you don‘t have a specific vision about what that experience might or should be, there‘s a whole catalog of engaging Western movies, television shows, novels and history books to inform your fantasies.
The travel industry has developed lots of dude ranches and trail or wagon rides to help you realize your wildest Western imaginings, whatever they may be.
But of all the wonderful Wild West experiences that await you, there is one that stands out as particularly traditional and authentic, and absolutely thrilling from beginning to end.
With park rangers and wranglers as your instructors and guides, you set our on horseback to ride through thousands of acres of rugged terrain to find and round up the hundreds of longhorn cattle in Texas‘ official herd.
For most of the year, the cattle roam free in this semiarid wilderness. But, two times a year, they must be rounded up, counted, inspected for disease and injuries, inoculated, and the calves must be branded and tagged. And, with supervision, you participate in every aspect of the process, and do all of the work.
The longhorns are huge (2,000 pounds) creatures, with magnificent and dangerous horns that can be six feet in breadth. These cattle are the descendants of the bovines that were brought to Texas by the conquistadors. The State of Texas maintains the herd as a symbol of its heritage and culture, and to demonstrate a traditional way of life.
The Texas Longhorn Cattle Drive has been taking place twice annually for the past 16, and it has become an essential element in the long term care of the longhorns. The idea for involving tourists actually came from the movie “City Slickers” (1991), in which Billy Crystal and Daniel Stern star as urban dwellers who head west for a dude ranch vacation, and had some big and amusing adventures.
Capitalizing on the popularity of that movie, the administrators and wranglers at Big Bend Ranch Park came up with the idea of charging tourists to volunteer to work the herd in order to raise money to cover some of the cost of maintaining the longhorns. The program, which is limited to 25 participants, is so popular that it’s completely booked. And, some participants come back time and again. And, some of them even bring their own horses and tack.
The four day trail drive costs about $975 per person, covering the use of a horse and tack, accommodations in a traditional bunk house (you share a dormitory-style room, using your own sleeping bag or their sheets and blankets, or you can pitch a tent and camp out), and all meals (all of which are hearty, cooked in the chuck wagon or over a campfire, and served family style), and fees for park visitation and usage. Transportation to and from Big Bend Ranch State Park costs extra, and must be arranged independently.
You don’t have to be an experienced rider to participate. The outfitters at Lajitas Stables, which is responsible for providing steeds and tack for participants who don’t bring their own, will set you up with a horse to suit your level of expertise, size and personality. They even have some slow and steady mules for those who find horses to be to spirited. They will take you on a practice run before sending you out into the hills. And, they are very adept at outfitting youngsters and introducing them to the trail.
The trail bosses are considerate, too. You will only be expected to do what you feel you can do comfortably. It’s just fine if you want to keep to the main trails and flatter areas, where you can help the round up by driving cattle that have already been pushed down from the hills towards the corrals. You quickly learn how to outflank calves that tend to stray from the herd, and other strategies to keep cattle from stopping stock still to graze. It’s fun.
Only those who can really handle their horses very well are allowed to seek and surround a bull or a steer. The male longhorns tend to wander further a field, often establishing their territory on a remote and rocky mountain top, so riding to round them up can be quite a challenge. Steers are particularly large and powerful, and some can be quite ornery. If they get mad or spooked, you don’t want to be in their way. So, less experienced riders are advised to give them a clear birth. And, no worries, you can’t miss them on the horizon. They are that big.
You also needn’t worry if you’re not an accomplished roper. The wranglers will coach you through whatever you need to know. And, if you find that you don’t have a talent or the stomach for inoculating or applying a red hot branding iron to the hind quarters of a calf, you can just watch that part of the process. Nobody will criticize you, and you’ll still be welcome to join the campfire camaraderie with everyone else.
The land was first used for ranching by a cattleman named Milton Faver during the 1850s. In 1908, the area was called Sauceda Ranch. During the 1950s, the name was officially changed to Big Bend Ranch.
When the State of Texas acquired Big Bend Ranch in 1988, the land’s last private owner, Robert O. Anderson, delivered the property with a herd of some 200 longhorn cattle Pure bred and registered, the cattle are among the most genetically pure longhorns in the world.
The herd has been kept at around the same size through the years. With each trail drive, the herd is culled, and yearlings are separated out and sold. Income from the sale is used to maintain the herd, which is always returned to the free range of Big Bend Ranch State Park, which covers about 300,000 acres.
Copyright 2011 Jennifer Merin
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