Caldeen Gunter I like using those roping heifers under a beef bull.  That's the best way to build a herd of cattle cheap.  How many generations away from the original cow do you have to get before you don't know where they came from. I had a friend that built huge herd the same way.  He claimed that the 3rd generation was indiscernible from the straight black cattle he had.  I've found that the longhorn is way harder to breed out than the Spanish.  The white and horn just keeps coming back sometimes several generations out.

I like the stocker business.  I've worked both extensively and I can say that stockers tend to be more profitable.  The downside is they are way more labor intensive and the risk is greater, but I like the pace.  Any business that has a high turnover is going to have more potential for profit over something with a single crop.  

Samantha Jones that is a great question!  Nat (the love of my life) and I struggle with the time thing.  We have 3 kids at home , 4 dogs, and 3 businesses going and each of them are a full time job!  Recently, we decided to prioritize life based on what is most important to us.  In other words, we try to give the things we want to succeed most first attention.  I try to prioritize my day like this:  1.)God, 2.)my personal health, 3.)Nat, 4.)kids (no preference in order😂), 5.)business.  For me, that's what makes sense.  It somehow still seems that the business takes the bulk of my time, but listing things out like this gives me a clearer perspective on why I'm doing what I do and moves me in the right direction.  

Also, I find that getting up really early helps!😂😂

Caldeen Gunter on the cattle side, local grain and commodity by-products plus hay or haylage have always given me the most bang for the buck.  Locally, we can get things like gin trash or whole cotton seed delivered in bulk, dropped on the ground, and fed out of a Jay-Lor mixer combined with the haylage.  The equipment cost is significant, though.  

In the past, I have fed things like burnt corn gluten pellets, straight soybean hull pellets, and even chicken litter!  The chicken litter was a blend of litter and 3 types of flour from the local mill.  The mixture was piled into old chicken houses and composted for a year then delivered.  It was really gross but dirt cheap and the cattle loved it!

Honestly though, I'm way more into grazing than feeding if I can pull it off.  I find some of the modern grazing techniques like stockpiling and planting annuals helps a lot.  Thoughts?

Great question.  I currently feed my horses an equine ration from a local mill bagged alfalfa cubes, and grass hay.  The feed is a mid-level ration suggested by their nutritionist.  It costs me around $880 a ton (way too much!) bagged.  Horse and cow feed ingredients overlap quite a bit and it doesn't surprise me that you can keep horses fat on a bovine ration.  They're all made from grain by-products and typically are cheaper when purchased in bulk.  I use the feed I use because of a sponsorship relationship I have with the mill.

When I managed the horse operation at Creek Plantation, I found that feeding bulk feed (not bagged) was about 20% cheaper.  That equated to a $20k savings per year for the operation.  The up front investment in storage and feeding equipment cost around $35k so you can see the investment was worth it.  That was to feed 130 head.

It currently cost me $7.14/day to feed the horses in my barn.

Shelbe Rae Fritz Boy, you jumped right down the rabbit hole!  Taxes are my wife's department, but basically anything you use for your business can be deducted.  What specifically are you concerned about?

Dale Dyer no problem.  That's what I'm here for.

Dale Dyer,  you can definitely start the groundwork process and get him accustomed to wearing the saddle.  Just start promoting all the things you would want from him as a saddle horse.  I'll put up some more videos on that stuff ASAP. I have some in the hopper.

By the way, a horse turns another year old January 1 of each year.  We don't go by their birth date.  If he was a yearling last year, he's a 2 year old now.  Hope this helps and good luck!

It could take a while depending on the depth of the bad habit, but don't quit.  He's likely to get pretty lathered before you're done.  Make sure you aren't in a rush and don't get emotional about it, it'll work.  

Follow up with this exercise every time you ride.  It should only take a few minutes to remind him.  

This technique can be repeated if the horses are on a halter.  Just tie the parked horse and lead the other one off.  Lead him back and lunge him near the buddy horse then lead him off quiet, etc.

The whole idea is to make it uncomfortable near the buddy horse.

I don't currently have a buddy sour horse in my barn, but I will make a video demonstrating this technique for you guys.  I have personally been using this technique for years and found it to be effective every time I used it as long as I was committed to success no matter how long it took.

If both horses are saddle broke, take them into an open field or arena.  Park one horse and ride the other off 100 yards or so.  When he wants to go back, let him.  When he gets to the other horse, make him trot or lope circles around the parked pony.  This work should be uncomfortable for him.  Put pressure with your hands and legs as you go around and make sure to make 5 or 6 good trips.  Then leave.  As you leave, take all the pressure off and slow to a walk.  Try to get him to walk off 50 or 60 yards.  He'll likely want to go back, let him.  Repeat this process of pressure near the parked horse and release when he leaves until he doesn't want to come back.  

Hi Dale,  a lot of folks think it is necessary to progress into a shanked bit if they aren't getting what they want in the snaffle.  Personally, I want to stay in the snaffle until my horse understands it 100%.  After that, I might go into a shanked bridle for different reasons.  If I want to show a horse in a particular class that requires a bit, if I want to enhance some portion of my horse's performance and I feel the bit can help, or if I simply want to ride "one handed".  I don't want to progress into a shanked bit as a crutch, though.