Out Our Way: Cattle trails

John Bruington

ACTS 7

Out our way cattle trails are pretty common. In a lot of ways it makes sense. Following each other and keeping the weeds and grass trampled down, it is easier going than breaking trail yourself.

Old Goliath and I have “trailed” cattle out on Tiger Ridge in the Bear Paws and a few other places and we usually follow the cattle trail. But what do you do when the trail is blocked? Now and then there comes a time when you have to go off trail and do a little cross country riding.

Charlie and I were working a pretty good-sized herd and our task was to try to move them down from the summer grazing, which was getting scarce, down to the winter pasture. There was good feed and good water, but those cantankerous just wouldn’t believe us and cattle while we’d drive 20 or 30 pair up over a ridge in the right direction and turn around to get some  more, those contrary critters would find a cow trail leading to the summer reservoir and double back on us.

Well, there were only two of us and a lot of cow/calf pairs  scattered all over the area — so we decided we couldn’t drive them all at one time and would try to break  them into smaller groups. But even that didn’t work. I would drive a few head up the ravine and get them moving, Charlie would pick them up and take them over the ridge  toward the gate — but then they’d hit that cow trail heading to where they’d watered all summer and start trotting back to the old grazing grounds, making tracks in the wrong direction. After you do that a few times, you start to figure maybe there’s a better way.

So what we did was have me head a few pairs up toward Charlie and then when he picked them up, I would race around to the opposite side of the ridge and get myself on that cow trail leading back to summer pasture … and sure enough here they came with Charlie trying to turn them. But then they ran into Goliath and me blocking the road. A few smarter ones got off the trail and went on around me, but most just stood their bawling at me for blocking the road. A horse and rider can change direction and pick out a new path, but these cows had no imagination.  One horse and rider blocking 50 head simply by standing on the trail.

People can get so used to a trail that they can be just as easily duped.

The first Christian martyr, Stephen, incited the religious and institutional leaders because he dared suggest God could guide His people on new paths and sometimes take them off trail when the old road got blocked. The Temple was the House of God, but it wasn’t God.  Israel was God’s Chosen people, but not His only sons and daughters. The Law of God was the Living Word and not merely the traditional interpretations of men. 

Sometime scholars and religious leaders got it wrong. So God sent prophets to clear new trails when the old ones no longer served to lead the people to God’s green pastures.

Stephen reminded the religious establishment of how Abraham, and Joseph and Moses all had to break new trails as God led His people into new pasturelands. And, like many of the prophets, the religious people killed him for it. Stephen reminded them that the long-awaited Christ had come to lead them and they had refused to follow and, instead, betrayed and murdered Him. But that didn’t change the fact the old trail was no longer leading to home. He rose again and then dispatched more riders, like Stephen to stand in the way and guide them to the green pastures and still waters that would sustain and nurture them in the days ahead.

Blocking cows intent on going the wrong way can be a frustrating job — but eventually they got to the new pasture where the grass was good, the hay plentiful, and the water would flow all winter. It was frustrating for Charlie and me, but it was worth the effort. 

Cattle trails are the easiest way to go — but not always the right way. Hopefully we are a little smarter than cows.

(John Bruington is pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Havre. He and Goliath can be reached at [email protected]. Their book of cowboy parables, “Out Our Way: Theology Under Saddle” can be found at Amazon.com.)