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Without a horse Wanda seems rather shy. But when she with her high-heeled boots and spurs, with her leather chaps over her jeans charges through forest and brush at full gallop, she appears transformed. And when she and her dogs Rusty, Max and Dingo finally emerge out of a cloud of dust with a herd of cows and calves, she looks rather happy. In spite of the daring ride "the fastest way to move cattle is the slowest one" says the experienced rancher, cowgirl since childhood. To solid riders she shows how it is done. That one drives cattle most effectively in a quiet way often remains, of course, wishful thinking. On the one hand there is the human factor that enters into this, especially when the human is a tourist. On the other, these tree roaming, wild cattle have their own mind. In the brochure of the Working Ranch, which lies in western Colorado, it says very simply: "We are neither comfortable, nor fancy. But we are real. Here one can live and learn the Cowboy Life almost as it was over a century ago. The cow camp "'7N of
the Boyds lies in the forest, about 60 kilometers from the nearest town; a log house with a shed and corrals for the horses. A hand pump brings the clear spring water of the Rocky Mountains into the house, the cast iron stove is wood fired; naturally, the axe is first swung with your own hands. Light comes from the gas lamp and the shower from the pouring bucket. Cowboy life is not for long sleepers. In the morning at about half past five it is slowly getting warm in the sleeping area under the roof after a cold late-summer night. Wanda is already making noises in the kitchen and fires up the stove, and soon it smells coffee. The water for the cat-wash or the bucket shower can, of course, first warmed up, but it does not have to be. The breakfast is rustic and plentiful. The horses get saddled, lunch and clothing for every kind of weather packed into the saddlebags, the long oilcloth coat rolled up. Often the big trailer with people, horses and dogs clatters through the Uncompahgre National Forest for more than an hour: the territory of the ranch is more than twice that of Cologne. The Indian Summer painted the aspen groves red and yellow. One can look out over almost 100 kilometers on the plains of the Colorado and Gunnison rivers. Under the unbelievably blue sky the peaks of the San Juan mountains are already snow covered. The days are now still warm, the nights starry and very cold. On the pastures at altitudes up to 3,300 meters there is enough room for over 2,000 cattle the best conditions for the two apprentice cowboys from old Europe to learn. To mend fences and to distribute salt blocks on the clearings is relatively simple. To gather the cattle to move them in a herd of usually 300 head from a grazed pasture to a fresh one is by far more difficult. Wanda turns loose her apprentice cowboys alone once again. Where is the road and where the goal? Landmarks nearby and in the distance, and the position of the sun are the checkpoints..
Now the cattle must be found - the thick vegetation does not exactly make this easy. The approximate location of the cattle is clear. Listen: from which direction comes the occasional mooing of the cows and calves? It will be loud only when we drive them. As expected, the novice cowboys promptly got lost. The only novel equipment is fortunately a walky-talky with a long reach. "Wanda, can you hear us?" At last: we can make out a herd of about 40 cows and calves in the brush. Of course they have some objections against being driven - they turn around and trot away in different directions. Dolly and Pepper prick up their ears and wait attentively for the commands of their riders. It is quickly discussed who takes which side and then we take off. The horses show their cow sense, they keep up with every move of the cows. That can develop into an adventurous gallop over stumps and stones, brush and between trees of the thick forest. Those who are not experienced and steady in the saddle have just about lost it. When the herd is together again it will be driven to the central gathering place. Are we done? Far from it. Back to look for more hiding places of the cattle. This is how the day goes with a short lunch break with 7 to 8 hours in the saddle. In the evenings in the camp one really knows what he accomplished, tired but satisfied with himself and his horse. A ranch style supper rounds out the day, steaks from the stove or the open fire, casserole or spaghetti, sitting together and telling stories. The "Coors" tastes especially good after a day like that. After the usual motto "bring your own beer" you took care of your supply of six-packs. But you should not drink too much of it. Not so much because of the alcohol. The toilet is outside, and the coyotes are howling.
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