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Farm
Journals
Yippie Ki Yay
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Butterfly Hollow Farm ____ The Path Leading Us Here ____ How The Farm Got Its Name ____ Restoring the Old Farmhouse ____ Where The Beefalo Roam ____ Saddle Up The Horses ____ Saving Wilderness and Farm Land ____ Farm Journals ____ Sharing The Farm ____ Guest Book ____ Site Map ____ |
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The hillsides are now a collage of bright orange Maple trees, dark red Sassafras and yellow Tulip Poplars. It's breathtaking and truly an awesome picture to be standing in. The fall cattle roundup begins today and I woke up, packed my saddle bags with water and snacks and hopped on my mountain bike for the quick ride down to the barn. 
My neighbor Larry is already saddled and I walk over and introduced myself to our two guests that drove up from Atlanta to join us in this weekend's adventures. I decided to ride Dakotas Mac Jacket and I could tell from his warm eyes that he was glad to see me walking towards him with bridle in hand. As I tightened the girth down on Mac, my friend Ken came strolling up with a warm smile and gave a big "Howdeeee Cowboy" welcome. Today's drive is with a herd of 60 or so cows and their calves. The barn yard was already filled with calves that we brought in and weaned the day before so we had to move them around into a holding area to make way and room for today's crew. Once they were secured and gates were propped open we began the hour and half ride over to the upper farm. We split into two groups and dropped down into the hollows and up on the ridges searching for signs and tracks of Beefalo. After another thirty minutes or so of searching and riding we began seeing the scattered herd. Larry also keeps some of the paint horse mares and foals on this farm and they posed for a couple great pictures as we pushed the cows passed them.  We finally had all the mommas and babies half way to the corral and were holding in one of the hay fields as we began making plans on how were going to move the entire herd out onto a road, down a few feet and then back up into another hay field on the other side. It always gets a little hairy through here but it became a little easier when Chris, who lives in the farmhouse next to our road crossing came out and helped us block-cade and corner the herd into marching exactly where we wanted them. Once we had everyone successfully across the road, Mac and I broke into a gallop to get infront of the running Beefalo. There was one more gate to get open and with their momentum we didn't want them to pass up the opening that led to the otherside of our farm's ridge. My hat flew off my head but held on with the leather strap around my neck. I jumped off, got the gate opened and resumed my position to force the herd through the gate. Everything slowed down as they began climbing the hillside and making their way to the top of the ridge. 
Larry shouted for me to go up ahead and make sure they didn't vear off coarse once we reached the top. Mac was happy to canter up ahead and we sat up at the top guarding a place the cows always seem to get confused at. I heard the moos and sounds of them running a few minutes before they saw me and Mac. I sat high up on my horse and watched a squirrel jump over my head with a walnut as large as his head in his mouth. I smiled and watched as Larry, Ken, Merl and Johnny came pushing the herd past me. All of sudden Larry's grin turned into a look of disbelieve and I turned around and noticed what he was seeing. About one third of the herd had veered off the trail past me and found a week spot in the fence and had broken through and were now running full speed downhill through the thick woods and heading towards the road. Ken and his group kept the others moving towards the barn and Larry and I ducked and dodged our way through the thickets and low branches. I wasn't sure how this was going to turn out and started imaging the worst.... scarred cows running wild through some of our neighbors gardens.... a car bumping into one as they drive down our one lane country road.... Once down on the road the cows took their first opportunity to jump through another fence and began making their way back to the farm we first found them at. I lost Larry sometime during all this and I was hoping he would somehow find me and that Ken and the other guys would be able to bring the rest of the herd into the barn yard without any more problems. I stayed pushing the cows up the creek bed in the valley and remembered about the closed gate that they were soon going to find. I couldn't get infront and I didn't want them to panic and break through another fence. Just as I started to panic myself ..... I could hear Larry and Easy Money crunching through the leaves up ahead. Once he had the gate opened and was back on his horse I pushed them on through and we began the roundup ride again for the second time. We had the renegades grazing once again back in the hayfield before the road crossing and was happy to see Ken driving up pulling the horse trailer. Dinner Time!!! We left the cows there until after lunch, rode back over in the truck and sat down for a wonderful country dinner that Faye, Larry's wife, cooked for us all. We feasted, shared in each others adventures and made plans for the second half of this beautiful autumn day.
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info@butterflyhollow.com
Butterfly
Hollow
Gordonsville,
TN 38563