After I watched the the new Ray Hunt videos I spoke about in a earlier thrown loop, it got me to wanting to explore connecting with animals more. I had read a book before that Tom Dorrance recommended called “Kinship With All Life”. I decided to read it again and looked for it on my iPad. I found a follow up book titled “Adventures in Kinship With All Life” by J. Allen Boone.

I read it and really enjoyed it. It has got me to working on connecting with animals and people better. I have really been working on it.

I saw quite a change in my animals at home. I worked with our horses to get them better to catch. I didn’t want them to force them to hook on and be caught, but get them to decide to be caught because it felt good to them to be caught. There is a big difference there.

I have been in Amarillo this week working for Texas Cattle Feeders doing some cattle handling/BQA workshops. I got a lot of chances to work with different pens of cattle and I really feel like I got along much better than ever before at relaxing the cattle when I went in the pen, could move and place a single animal just how and where I wanted, and pulled the cattle out of the pen without fear and force but made it there idea. I have a real satisfied feeling with the way I got along with the nice horses I partnered with and the cattle I worked with.

The people that were in attendance were told to be there by their boss. They are a tough lot that deal with very difficult work conditions with lots of rules. They were real interesting to present to. I really tried to use some ideas I learned from the book to connect with them and hopefully give them some ideas to get them better at their job and improve the quality of their life because of the work they are doing. I really hope I did.

Joel Ham was also presenting, and we spent a lot of time discussing stockmanship  in our free time. He is a real thinker and has studied the principals of Bud Williams and Ray Hunt for many years.

I love a good chicken fried steak. Green Chilly Willy’s is a great place to have one. It is kind of a hole in the wall type restaurant just south of Amarillo. We went there two nights in a row, and it was so good, and I think the waitress we had must have read kinship with all life, because she connected with everyone in there and made people feel so good. That’s what I like so much about Texas, it is Kinship.

Cattleman’s Battleground

Dear Cattlemen, we hear your battle cry
Many are fighting, some are loosing. Ranchers in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Colorado have lost their cattle and a in some cases their lives. Ranchers are living on a Battleground; not only are calving and branding season upon us, but the fight for ranchers’ lively hod is still to be fought. Many of our amazing customers have been effected directly with the recent fires, Greeley Hat Works is happy to help give back.

Trent Johnson

“punchy and progressive… but still profitable.”
Todd McCartney is a rancher, cowboy and family man. He manages the family’s ranching operation alongside his wife, Marianne, and their 5 hard-working kids.
The McCartney Ranch located in the rugged range land near Throckmorton, Texas. Their exceptional cow herd is Red Angus based and utilizes industry leading bulls from the historic R.A. Brown Ranch where Marianne was raised. In addition, the McCartneys’ ranch horse breeding and training program keeps them all very well mounted.

http://greeleyhatworks.cmail20.com/t/r-l-yushle-jdejtlyhi-r/
Hats to the rescue
Greeley Hat Works will serve as a drop off/contribution point for cash donations. We will be coordinating with our partners, The Colorado Cattleman’s Association, Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers and the Kansas Livestock Association to ensure 100% of the donations reach those in need. Those interested in aiding in relief efforts, please contact Greeley Hat Works: 888-367-2428

My son Rial sees things differently than lots of folks and I’ve always enjoyed his way of looking at things. He said to me one day after a pretty rapid ride on a paint horse that was a stampeder, the only difference in a run away and running a horse is one your pulling back on the reins and one your pushing forward. Pretty simple but pretty true.

A person I knew committed suicide and I am having a hard time understanding it. A young bull rider took his life a while ago and the thought is it was related to concussions he received. From what I’ve heard and read, depression is a very misunderstood thing, and a real problem that needs to be dealt with. All I know suicide is a terrible thing and it brings out a lot of terrible emotions in the ones living to deal with.

I have been around lots of people in the last few years that are in a battle with cancer.
My brother-in-law Pete Peterson is the bravest, toughest guy I know. He looked death in the eye and fought it with all he had. He’s taking his boys to Alaska this spring.

Another friend put everything else in life on hold and is now in remission after a long treatment in Houston, and in his style has made an adventure out of it, and found positives to focus on.

Another friend is flying back to Hawaii after a throat cancer treatment. Nancy wouldn’t give up, and she’se going to make it back to her paradise when lots of folks didn’t think she would.

We have also known some wonderful people that died from cancer. As I watched this I saw great people become even greater in the process, and the thing that takes a person away bring everyone closer because of it.

So the positive in this is to learn to live. We need to enjoy the important things in life, and learn the way to live like it may be the last day, for you or someone you know.

Life’s like that running horse. Your either pushing the reins forward or pulling back. It’s your decision.