Come and experience branding season at the dude ranch! This time-honored ranchin’ tradition is a fantastic chance to bring friends and family together to brand, inoculate, dehorn and castrate our valued livestock.
Livestock is branded to prevent theft, advertise ownership and make the animals easily identifiable from other herds – they almost all look the same in a massive herd!
Vaccinating is really important: calves are born with no antibodies to protect them against disease. They ingest a few from the mother when they are newly born, however these antibodies slowly disappear over a couple of months and are not replaced until the calf is exposed to disease-causing organisms or is vaccinated. So vaccinating calves to boost their immune systems is necessary to protect them against disease.
We at Top50ranches love the whole culture of ranch life and branding season – the community gettin’ together, neighbors helping neighbors, kids getting involved and a general feeling of camaraderie.
You too can experience this true cowboy tradition of the Wild West with your dude ranch vacation family – get involved or just watch, it’s up to you! But you’ll leave feelin’ like you had a real taste of life on a ranch.
Let the brandin’ commence!
We let you into the secrets of what a typical day branding looks like!
We rose early, keen to get crackin’ and make the most of the beautiful day that was dawning over the gorgeous, unfettered landscape.
Time for the riders to gather the cattle together and bring them into the pens! Calves to be branded are separated from the cows, riders start the roping, and the ground crew takes care of the vaccinating and branding. Watch the experienced Teka Brock of the ‘Teka Brock Band’ expertly rope in a calf!
Expert roper Brock Bilden also demonstrates his roping technique, makin’ it look easy!
Check out some more roping here…
Kids get involved from a young age and grow up right alongside their parents on a ranch, takin’ in all the traditions, like branding. Meet Tara Kinsey and her son Rance – he’s gunna be the next top roper for sure!
Once all the calves have been done, it’s the cows’ turn! Now the first lot is done, the riders head out to gather the rest of the cows…
Wrangler Allen expertly pushes the cows into the chutes…
Once the calves and cows are processed, they are then all reunited and moved back out to enjoy the green pastures.
Owner Brad Kinsey gives us insight into why he loves the rancher life – he’s truly dedicated and for him, ranch life is the only life ¬– what’s not to love about the freedom, the culture, the animals?
Whether it’s a working ranch vacation or a luxury dude ranch vacation you’re looking for, with both experiences you will certainly be immersed in the wonderful culture that surrounds life on a ranch. Ranch vacations are also perfect for families – as you can see, everyone can get involved, young or old, it’s all part of the spirit! You and your family will really get a feel for the traditions that make the Wild West what it is today.
Keen to get involved in real ranch life? Why not check out the awesome Chico Basin Ranch – a massive 40% of its customers return to be part of the team again! Badger Creek Ranch is another dude ranch vacation where you can experience the life of a wrangler… head out to check the herds against the backdrop of beautiful Colorado.