Karina Jones is a real-life ranch wife in the Nebraska Sandhills and one of the most highly sought-after speakers in the cattle industry nationwide!
As I left off yesterday, I can tell you from first hand experience how important swimming lessons are, even for ranch kids who may never hit the pool other than that week of summer lessons.
When I was around 18 years old, those swimming lessons would come in clutch, on what started out as a typical, July ranch day. It was bull pulling season, so my uncle and I headed down to south of Gordon, NE where we were running some cows on my cousin’s ranch. It was getting hot and typical to pulling bulls that time of year and in the heat, the last dude had to be a real booger!
He had ropes hanging off of him like tinsel on a Christmas tree when he out muscled and smarted us and got into Sandhills lake. If you have never pulled bulls with my family, especially my Uncle Jack, then you wouldn’t know that we don’t give up and we don’t go home until all the bulls are in the trailer. Instead of drawing straws, it was quickly decided that I was ride into the lake, grab a rope and either dally or pass the rope off to my uncle or cousins, on shore, who were not fond of water, and admittedly can only swim in the bath tub.
I was carefully judging how high the water was on the bull’s back to know where it should be on me and my big, bay gelding, Wrangler. Suddenly, I realized I was getting in way deeper than what I expected. The water was up to my saddle horn. And at that moment I realized my mount had decided to take full advantage of this cooling off period and he was rolling in the lake.
Times up, gotta go! Come back tomorrow and find out what happened next!
karina@youragnetwork.com or visit facebook.com/ranchraisedwithkarinajones
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