Lucasia
Ranch Vacations... Cattle Drives
If
you have always wanted to be part of a cattle drive, give some thought
to spending some quality time on horseback in the beautiful Porcupine
Hills. We run about 600 head of cattle & 80 horses.
We would suggest that a week package would be most suitable
as it gives you the time to get to know your horse, as well as getting
a bit of knowledge about the terrain in the surrounding hills.
The
first cattle drive allows us to take the yearlings into the Forest
Reserve in the first part of June. Usually we gather
the yearlings on one day and drive them three miles to the neighbour's
corrals. They will stay there overnight, and the next morning
our group will join us as we combine the herd and move them between
15 and 20 miles into the Forest Reserve. This will take place
on the 1st of June (weather permitting).
Our second
cattle drive will take place in mid-July (weather permitting).
This involves taking up the heifers that have been with the bulls
for six weeks. This drive is similar to the first as they
will go into the same pasture as the earlier group.
The
third cattle drive is our Fall Roundup. This drive takes place
about the middle of October as the cattle need to be out
of the Forest Reserve by the 15th of the month. We usually
leave early from the ranch buildings and ride into the reserve from
the back of the ranch. The cattle are gathered and pushed
to the corral setup, which is located in the Reserve. At the
end of the day we will return to the ranch for a well-earned rest
and a wholesome supper.
The
next day will be very similar as all of the stragglers need to be
found and corralled. While the search is on for the stragglers,
a group of ranchers will be separating the cattle as there are five
ranchers with herds combined on the Reserve. When everyone has returned,
each owner will leave with their herds at different intervals. The
Lucasia herd will then be driven the seven miles home. This is two
hard days in the saddle and we recommend that the rider be seasoned. We would also suggest that if you are interested in a cattle drive,
please book early as space is limited and these weeks are the first
to book.
We look forward to
sharing our western way of life with you!
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