Cattle Drive with Rawhide Adventures
Rawhide Adventures runs out of Peace Valley Ranch in Mulmer township, Ontario, approximately 90 minutes north west of Toronto. Four times a year, the cattle from the working ranch are moved to other pastures to graze and fertilize the land. In September, I was able to join them for a tense but intoxicating cattle drive. I had no idea what to expect but had at least been on one of their cattle sorting adventures where we learnt to separate a mother and calf from the rest of the herd. Cows are definitely herd animals and do not like leaving the pack so this is not as easy as you would think.
The reason I love Rawhide is because they offer experiences, not ho-hum trail rides. Every ride is different and caters to those participating. When you book a ride with them, it is for you and your guests, not a bunch of strangers. I am often the only guest but always happy when they bring along somebody else from the ranch. The exception to this are their special adventures including cattle drives and cattle sorting.
On this mild fall Saturday, we all arrived at the ranch early. We all hoped the rain was done for the day and knowing you cannot be messing with clothing once on the drive, half of us chose to forgo the raincoats and take our chances. Some may have regretted this decision but for me, I was so focussed on the task, I hardly registered the rain that fell for most of the 3 hours. As the horses were being tacked up, we received our positions. When driving cattle you are basically creating a box around them to keep them going where you want and not where they want! The cows can be easily distracted by green grass and delicious apples, so the goal is to keep them moving forward. I was apprehensive about being given the lead position. No cows are allowed to pass us and we set the pace. Keep the cows calm and slow and all should go well.
Eager to get started, we quickly mounted and headed off into the woods. Being the leaders, Crusty, Glen and I headed off ahead leaving the others to release the cows from their holding paddock and guide them into the forest.
As the cows exit the forest, they are guided across a road and into an open field where they naturally spread out. As long as they are moving forward, following the lead horses, all remains calm.
For the lead group, crossing the field was the calm part of our drive but Crusty reminded me to stay focussed on the job because things can change in a heartbeat. As we headed out of the field and down a pretty laneway, it suddenly became very real. The cows crowded up to our horses intent on passing. Cows can be intimidating, they are big, however, my horse is bigger, I’ve got this! My head was on a swivel as I was watching left and right to ensure the cows did not pass me. When they tried, I turned Harley’s head so they knew where they belonged. Behind, I could hear yelling and whooping as some of the cows had other ideas and tried to head into the ditches. Crusty remained vigilant, watching everything and yelling at anyone out of place. Animals are unpredictable and things change fast, there is no time for niceties. Had I not been so focussed, I may have noticed how pretty the laneway was with trees bordering both sides. I had to not only watch what was going on behind me but pay attention to the tree branches in my way ahead of me or I could easily have found myself sitting on the road being trampled by cows! This was the tense part and why Crusty is adamant that you stay focussed.
Exiting the laneway, we drove the cows about 2 1/2 kms down a live road. Cars travelling the road were asked to pull over to the side and wait for us to pass. We also had to navigate several driveways. Neighbours may be very friendly and tolerant but really frown on having their front lawns chewed up and covered in cow manure. It is also grounds for complete chaos when a cow goes wandering up a driveway! This is when you really count on the team to work together. Some of the team stand in the driveway while the others encourage the cows to see moving forward. For the most part, it worked!
Keep the cattle moving
I have no idea how long it took us to reach the pasture but I was very relieved when we made it! I didn’t realize that I had been barely breathing. This was the intoxicating part, watching the cows walk calmly into the field.
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After getting the cows into their new pasture, they all wandered around finding their own place to graze and recover from the stressful hike. We gave our horses a well-deserved break and took some time to admire the changing fall leaves.
With the horses rested and my breathing returned to normal, we started our journey back to the ranch. I took the time to reflect on the drive and enjoyed the quiet time as we walked through the beautiful trail in the woods. We crossed a stream and took the narrow, hilly path, avoiding trees and low branches. You can never get too relaxed on a horse, you always have to be paying attention to your surroundings. As we travelled up the roadway, Crusty came up beside me to offer some riding tips. I am pretty much a self taught rider and recently made the move from English to Western style and I have many bad habits so I always appreciate some advice. Even though my typical answer of “ok” may have left Crusty wondering if I was paying attention, I really did hear everything he said and absorbed it and hopefully next time I will do better.
We returned to the ranch 3 hours after leaving and after giving the horses a good brushing, we led them out to the field and back to their friends. We headed into the cabin for a fabulous lunch of burgers and salads while enjoying the camaraderie of the rest of the drive team.
I have been lucky to have participated in a couple of horse adventures this year. My first was the river ride I did in Florida with All Hitched Up Carriage Rides (read my post here), and this cattle drive was another amazing tense but intoxicating adventure. There is a real sense of accomplishment seeing those cows walk calmly into their field. I am sure the people at the back saw some misadventures but from the front, all appeared to go smoothly. Great team work from everyone involved. At the end of the day, Crusty’s yelling was all forgiven. He has a job to do and everyone respects that.
If you are looking for somewhere to experience a great adventure, whether it be a calm trail ride or participating in the excitement of a cattle drive, Rawhide Adventures is the place to go.
Just a reminder that I have not been compensated for this review. Please don’t hesitate to check out the links (red, italicized, bold, underlined text). They will open in a new tab.
