Jan Swan Wood: Steer roping, Wyoming brand renewals, world show, bots

Well, the big election if finally over. That’s the only good thing I can say about it.

Congrats to Kristi Noem on being re-elected here in South Dakota. It’s so nice to have someone in D.C. that knows which end of the cow gets up first and who can actually ride a horse and look like they’ve done it before.

Also, I’m very glad to see that the common sense vote prevailed in North Dakota in the defeat of HSUS’s and outside interest’s Measure 5 nonsense. Good job, neighbors.

We’re supposed to get some moisture this weekend, and temperature-wise, it looks like it will be snow. That’s good for the opener of deer season, as the fire danger is still high where there is actually grass left. Keep that in mind when driving around in grass and weeds with a gas vehicle. Those catalytic converters create a very hot tailpipe and they can sure start a fire. The best idea is to park and walk. That’s called hunting.

In other random news, I’m sure tickled for my brother who finally got his Black Hills elk last week. He’d applied for a tag for years and was beginning to think he’d never get drawn. Then he walked all over the northern hills in search of the elk for weeks before finally getting the opportunity to harvest a nice five point bull. I can almost taste one of those wonderful steaks he’s promised me.

The Clem McSpadden National Finals Steer Roping was held Nov. 2-3 in Guthrie, OK. Hermosa, SD, was well represented by Jess Tierney who placed 4th in the 5th round, and 3rd in the 9th round. Good ropin’ Jess! The new world champion is Rocky Patterson, Pratt, KS, who had won the world championship two times before.

The last of the original Cowboy’s Turtle Association members passed away Nov. 4, just hours shy of his 102nd birthday. Bart Clennon, Tuscon, AZ, was originally from South Dakota and started his 20 plus year rodeo career in the saddle broncs at Ash Creek, SD, in 1928. He was one of the 61 original signers of the petition that changed the way committees treated cowboys at the early rodeos. The CTA became the RCA and then the PRCA.

I got my Wyoming brand renewal notice in the mail last week. I understand the Wyoming Livestock Board has gotten over 400 of the notices back due to non-current addresses. A lot of areas went to 911 addresses in recent years, so even if you haven’t moved, your address might not be right. If you haven’t gotten your renewal notice, you need to let them know where you are. The renewals are due before Mar. 1, 2013. Go to http://www.wlsb.state.wy.us or call 307-777-6444 to get your address updated. It would sure be a shame to lose a valuable brand due to an address glitch.

Levi Grimes, Kadoka, SD, is headed to the AQHA World Show in Oklahoma City, OK with a couple of good horses. He was the All Around saddle at the AQHA Division 2 show in Rapid City, SD, on Peppers Gotadvantage, a five year old stallion owned by Cheyenne Canyon Quarter Horses, Hot Springs, SD. He’ll be showing him at the World in Jr. Heading and Jr. Working Cowhorse. He’ll also be showing Chickasaw Twist for William and Corliss Kelley of Gettysburg, SD, in the Sr. Heading. Best wishes to everyone involved!

Anyone who intends to be involved in any way in the equine processing industry here in the U.S. needs to be a member of the International Equine Business Association and attend a members only meeting being held in the Kansas City area Dec. 3. Processing plants are slated to start opening this winter and the compliance regulations from one end of the industry to the other will be discussed at this meeting. For more details, contact sue.wallis52@gmail.com or 307-680-8515. For more info on the IEBA, contact info@ieqbssn.org.

We’ve definitely had all the hard freezes necessary to render our northern plains bot flies out of commision, so it’s now the perfect time to deworm those horses to prevent the damage from the larvae moving through their systems. We always use an ivermectin product this time of year and it sure cleans them up. I remember back when every spring heralded the arrival of a grub on a critical area of any horse I was needing to use regularly. We had a whole series of saddle pads with holes cut in strategic places to keep pressure off those bumps and to allow healing once they emerged. I sure don’t miss that.

Well, that’s my circle for this week. Keep your chin up and remember that the good Lord is in control of everything. Send me your news items and events. I’m always glad to share them here.