The black rope is my get down or "neck rope". Basically a lead rope tied around the horse's neck and run through the curb strap. The other piece is a running martingale. The martingale helps keeps my cues consistent. Hope this helps!

Hi Zak,  how're things going with your gelding?

Zak Dietz sounds like there's a lot going on here.  Let's deal with the pulling back part first.  You'll need a longer lead rope for this, maybe 20' and a flag.  Bring him up to the rail or pole you're tying him to but instead of tying him, just wrap the long rope around the rail a couple of times.  If he wants to pull back, let him.  There will be some resistance from the rope but nothing to really pull against.   When he stops moving, flag him back forward to his original spot.  Do this every time you tie him and things will be safer.  You might even cure him, but don't assume that.  Sometimes they never get over it.  It would help to have 2 ropes with snaps that you can change out when needed. A long and a short.  The kicking thing is a little trickier.  Is he wearing shoes now?

Hi Zak,  When you say "bit" do you mean he was aggressive or just sort of playful?  Has pulled back other times or just the once?

We're working on some designs.  Check back in a week or so. Thanks!

Caldeen Gunter thanks for the input!  What part of the country are you in?

The stocker man is a middle man.  He doesn't have to own  any land, cattle, or equipment.  He takes advantage of the opportunities that the cow calf man provides when he takes his calves to the local sale barn.  I did a study once and determined that the calf sold at auction as a single lost 20 - 30% when you figure trucking cost, shrink, commissions, and discounts.  That's opportunity for the stocker guy!  Even an operator that sells his calves in the fall at 500 lbs by the truck load leaves a lot of money on the table.  What are your thoughts?

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?