This past weekend Jakob and I worked for my cousin, Kendall Stacy at a team roping in Texarkana. He owns Integrity Team Roping productions. He started out small a few years ago and his team ropings just keep getting bigger and bigger. It was Fathers Day weekend, but my son went with me, so I thought what the heck, I’ve been wanting to see how he does all this stuff anyways.
Back during the winter Kendall drove down to Trent Ward’s saddle shop in Texas for a visit. They designed the saddles he would be giving away at each of his ropings for the entire year. He said it cost more, but he hates cheap saddles and it was worth it. I think in his mind, if it’s got his name on it, it’s got to be good.
Thursday morning Jakob, his school buddy and I rode some colts in the mountains for a couple hours. When we got home we worked on Jakob’s truck, it was really humid and hot.
Thursday evening we drove down to Kendall’s about dark and put horn wraps on about two hundred steers, it was midnight when we finished. We ear tagged the steers differently from the heifers as well.
The theory is the steers (castrated males) are better to rope than the heifers. I couldn’t help but think maybe team ropers are a bit prejudiced toward all females regardless of the species as we were doing this. It kept my mind busy most of the evening wondering if on average steers cooperated better than heifers. I’m not convinced either way.
Jakob and I left at six am Friday morning and headed to the Idabel tractor auction. I got mad at my round baler and sold it last week. It didn’t help that we had hay cut the same day I sold it. The balers were scattered around about thirty acres of other junk that’s hauled to the tractor/ farm equipment auction. This meant we had to stay there all day. I ended up with a newer baler, but it’s got some sheet metal bent. I just hope it will make a pretty bale. It wasn’t the prettiest baler on the outside, but it had good belts and about all of the pickup teeth. The important stuff looked ok, it was just the cosmetic stuff that was banged up. It’ll fit in good at my house. We loaded my big flatbed with a bunch of junk I bought for myself, my nephew and my neighbors. We left the tractor auction about dark and drove about an hour and a half to Texarkana. It was almost midnight when we pulled in.
Saturday morning we had to be at the arena by seven thirty. There was roughly a dozen workers ranging from elderly to thirteen years old. A friend of mine brought his grandson to work the chutes, he brought a colt and drove steers down the alley. There were kids from all over Oklahoma that came to work, they said it was fun. It was a really good crew of mostly kids. They were energetic and funny for the most part.
Sunday we were dog tired, but we drug ourselves out of bed and to the arena once more. It was pouring rain. Luckily the roping was held inside. Everyone was slow getting around. Jakob and I were the first ones to arrive. I let him sleep in the semi while I went and scrounged up some coffee.
Sunday was also Father’s Day. It bothered me that my dad isn’t doing to good and I wasn’t home to spend it with him, but on the other hand I know he’d say go to the roping and have fun.
At the end of a long and very tired day we were paid for working. I think we worked almost forty hours over the weekend and the Thursday evening when we wrapped the steers. My son was hoping he’d make enough money to buy new tires for his pickup. I gave him the money I made as well. It ended up he had enough to get a set of tires.
We drove back to Idabel Sunday night and stayed in a motel. Early Monday morning we hooked up to the new -used round baler and headed home.
The slow drive home gave me a good bit to think about the last few days. After pondering it over I came up with one simple thought.
I think my dad and my grandpa would have been really proud. My daughter is in Dallas in medical school. Jakob and I were dog tired after four days of work, but it’s a Father’s Day I’ll not soon forget. There was a lot of “dad” stuff these past few days.
James Lockhart lives near the Kiamichi mountains in southeast Oklahoma. He writes cowboy stories and fools with cows and horses.
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