A Chiropractor for Bulls?

I know it sounds odd but bucking bulls (and race horses, barrel racing horses, etc) are athletes and even they can get their back and hips out of whack.  Enter Lewayne Hames, a chiropractor who works not just on people but on large animals especially bulls and horses.  When you start researching Chiropractors you will find that most chiropractors that work on large animals like horses and bucking bulls really started out on people and the bulk of their clients still walk with two legs, have opposing thumbs and speak. 

The definition of a chiropractors duties is this:  Chiropractors adjust spinal column and other articulations of the body to correct abnormalities of the human body believed to be caused by interference with the nervous system. Examine patient to determine nature and extent of disorder. Manipulate spine or other involved area. May utilize supplementary measures, such as exercise, rest, water, light, heat, and nutritional therapy.

 Well, guess what that is about the same thing Lewayne did to two of the bucking bulls at the ranch that day.  Talk about lucking into something completely different and unexpected! I think I peppered poor Lewayne with more questions, comments and 'can I take your picture' than I did anyone else on the ranch that week.  He was more than happy to answer any and all questions I had.  He also came with a unique set of tools to work on the bulls.

Unlike horses, smaller animals and people that you can manipulate with your hands, a bull is so much bigger and stronger that you need a little extra help.  See the mallets he uses? They are weighted so the white one is the lightest and thus it acts as the 'middleman' between the bulls hip, back or spine and the harder heavier mallet that applies the pressure.  What is amazing is as he is manipulating the bulls they have will have some of the same reactions people do.  When he was working on Strawboss he got the adjustment just right and not only did the bull burp loudly but you guessed it he let out some gas as well.  As soon as Strawboss was let out in the arena he was like a different bull.  His gait was normal and he was more level.  Just like people he needed a little rest to let the swelling and pain he'd been experiencing go away but as I type this he is getting ready to buck off another cowboy. 

In fact Strawboss felt so good when Doctor Lewayne was done he took a run at the bull fighter in residence, Dillon Bruce!

 

Channel Kat

Loading in the chute to buck

While visiting my bulls at Rawson Ranch I was fortunate enough to see many bulls buck on Wednesday night.  One was mine, Channel Kat.  He is a nice big healthy 2 year old and he's easy to spot with his black and white freckled face.  Once you see his face you know it's him.  There are a lot of black and white bulls but it's his freckles that let you know it's him. 

Channel Kat is named after my old USS swim club in the Tri Cities.  Tri City Channel Cats, and the Tri Cities are made up of Kennewick, Richland and Pasco.  Great times living there in the summers and with those memories of good swimming and good friends I made, I bestowed this name on one of my first few bulls in the company. 

He is tough and I had kind of just looked over him for Commander B and Easy E, but really this guy is good and in the field he rolls with a crew at all times.  It is kind of funny.  It's like they have very different personalities; Commander B is fine alone or with others but this guy he is never alone.

See here he is behind who I think of as the ring leader, the slightly smaller white bull with the black socks.  But...once Channel Kat got in the chute and had even the light 2 pound remote control on him he was raring to go. 

That said, he has potential and he is going to be big.  I am really excited for him and his future with Daisy's Bucking Bulls.   I know I have posted this on facebook but here he is bucking on the Wednesday night I was there visiting.  They will bring him and his 2 year old field buddies in every week or so this summer to get them practicing loading, bucking and even exiting the arena. 

Commander B

This is probably my most promising bull, Commander B, named after my husband Retired Commander Brad Buswell, USN.  Apparently he is a bit of a fighter and I love that in a bull, but he somehow managed to pull a back hip/leg muscle about a week before I got there.  Thus, I didn't get to see him buck, but I did get to spend some time watching him and seeing him walk around.  I will say that every day his walking improved, he is quite agile on three legs and is still happy to mix it up with another bull given the chance.  I love that he is such a fighter. I can't wait to see him come out of the chute with an unsuspecting cowboy on him and watch him buck!!

He is beautiful, and his coat is smooth and shiny and he might be a little skinnier at the moment, due to his injury, but he is going to be one tough bull.  He, like all the 2 year olds on Rawson Ranch just have literally, some growing up to do and weight to put on in this next year.

Not much else to say, for now about Commander B. I am just happy Morgan, Dillon and Mike take such good care of him and he got the vet care he needed. Here is a video I made of him walking and moving around the field. Every day he is getting stronger and soon he will be in the chutes again practicing his bucking and showing just how 'rank' he is.

Meeting My Bulls, Part 1



Yep, I took it while driving down the highway crossing into Texas from Louisiana after flying into Shreveport, LA.  

After a year of talking about my bulls and only looking at pictures and videos of them, I finally made it to East Texas and saw them in person.  I was also able to see where they were learning their craft of bucking off cowboys and meet the people I am entrusting their care in.  In addition,  I was able to just watch them for three days, and see how big they have gotten this past year and how much more growing they have to do in the next year.  Mike Rawson is a very experienced rancher and bull/stock contractor.  He's had a lot of success in both the Championship Bull Riding (CBR) and the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) with his bulls, and in partnering with others.  He is proactive in the care of the bulls and is not only looking back at what his bulls have done and how they got that success but also looking ahead and watching his own herd of yearlings develop. He has a field full of potential 2 year olds that are mixed in with my two as well.  I feel like Commander B and Channel Kat are in a really good place.  Mike isn't doing it alone though, he has Dillon Bruce living on the ranch handling the day to day feedings, maintenance and care of the bulls and the ranch.  Dillon, like any typical young gun wears more than one hat; he is also a professional bull fighter and rodeo clown. 

All in a days work for Dillon Bruce at Rawson Ranch.

These photos were taken all in one day and at then end of that day, we brought many of the 2 year olds into the pens in the arena. The bulls then got practice loading in the chutes, having a 2 pound remote controlled dummy strapped on their backs and then let them go in the arena to see what they would do.  At the end of the night, the clown in Dillon was starting to come out.  (keep in mind it was a mild 90 degrees or so that day and a bit of humidity too and by the time I took this last picture it was around 10 pm).  Before I go any further, what's the old saying? Behind every sucessful man is a woman doing just as much work?  Eh, something like that, and thus, meet Morgan.  She is the 'bull wisperer' at the ranch.  She is so good with Commander B and I really enjoyed not only getting to know her and spending an afternoon shopping with her but it gave me peace to know she was there too.  I felt like she could give my bulls some nurturing that I can't from this far away and you can tell, she really cares about not only my two but all the animals there. 


Morgan feeding Commander B
and giving him some TLC.

What started out as just a trip to meet my bulls and find out how they were progressing ended up with me making new friends and having a couple relaxing days in East Texas just watching my two boys and wondering what the next year will bring for them.