National Day of the Cowboy was celebrated in Ainsworth, Neb.

Cattle handling demonstrations, a horse whisperer, Buffalo Bill, a trick roper, an old west parade and a ranch rodeo. What could all these events possibly have in common? They were just a few of many events taking place during the Nebraska Sandhills National Day of the Cowboy.

The Fourth Annual event was held in Ainsworth on July 17-19. The National Day of the Cowboy is an annual event that takes place in several different towns throughout the United States. The event was started after United States Senator Craig Thomas of Wyoming drafted legislation that created “the official United States Day of Recognition of the American cowboy and cowgirl, out of the feeling that the cowboy's courage, hard work, and honesty played an integral part in adding to the foundation on which America was built,” according to a brochure distributed at the event.

Arch Ferguson - horse trainer

One of the highlights of the Ainsworth event was Arch Ferguson, who is a horse trainer from Wood Lake, Neb. He showed a crowd of nearly 75 people how to start a colt. The colt Ferguson used during the demonstration had been halter broke, but had received no other training. By the end of Ferguson's 45 minute presentation, the horse was rideable and the cowboy working with it was teaching it how to turn inside the round pen.

Ferguson told the crowd he has trained horses for a long time and is “self taught.” He added that he never attended a school to learn to train horses, but did attend some clinics given by Ray Hunt for some guidance.

Inside the round pen, Ferguson started out by moving the horse around the pen using a lariat. “A horse can read your body language,” Ferguson said. “But, he can't read your mind. When you move in the round pen, he should move. If you stop, he should stop, too.”

Ferguson moved the horse around the pen until the horse showed Ferguson respect by stopping and turning toward Ferguson to look at him. Ferguson rewarded the colt by rubbing it all over. “You don't realize how important a reward is to one of these colts,” he said. “When they do something right, you need to make sure and reward them.”

During the demonstration, Ferguson showed the group other training techniques he uses such as placing the loop of the lariat around the colt's neck and around the outside of the colt's body to help control him. By controlling the colt this way, he was able to run the colt around the round pen, controlling its direction and eventually getting it to respect him.

Ferguson also showed the crowd how to train a horse to lift its hooves. He placed the loop of the lariat around the colt's foot and over its shoulder. From the other side of the colt, Ferguson put pressure on the rope until the colt would stop fighting him and he would release the pressure. He did this in repetitions until the colt stood quietly and lifted its hoof.

Once Ferguson felt he had good control of the colt and respect from it on the ground, he picked up a blanket and rubbed the colt with it over the neck, ears, shoulder and eventually, the rest of the body, to get the colt used to it.

Then he reached for the saddle and showed the audience the proper way to set it on the colt's body to get him used to it. “It is important to set the saddle on the colt easy and take your time putting things down, like the stirrup and cinch, so as not to spook him,” he said. Ferguson added it is easier to reach down for the cinch with your left hand so your shoulder is blocking the horse if it decides to move.

Once Ferguson saddled the horse, he turned it loose and swung a rope at it from the center of the round pen to get it used to the feel of the saddle. When the colt started bucking, Ferguson swung the rope at the colt to make it run until it stopped bucking, and turned to face Ferguson. The idea, he said, is to make it difficult for the horse to do the wrong thing and easy for the horse to do the right thing.

Once the horse quit bucking and was once again calm, Ferguson tightened the cinch and put a halter on the colt. Then, he grabbed the saddle horn and put weight on it going to both sides, to get the colt used to it. Eventually, Ferguson allowed a rider to climb on the colt and Ferguson moved the pair around the pen using the lariat to swing at the colt when he started to buck. “When the horse bucks, you put more pressure on him,” Ferguson said. “When he stops bucking, you take the pressure off.”

Dr. Kip Lukasiewicz - low stress cattle handling

Also during the event, veterinarian Dr. Kip Lukasiewicz presented a low stress cattle handling demonstration. Lukasiewicz said he learned the technique from another veterinarian, Dr. Tom Noffsinger. “His concept for handling cattle intrigued me,” said Lukasiewicz, who works primarily as a feedlot consultant and with cow/calf operators. The method of handling cattle that Lukasiewicz demonstrated involved “positioning of ourselves to move cattle and gain their confidence.”

During the demonstration, Lukasiewicz showed the audience how a certain steer could be sorted from a group of cattle by working slowly with the group using pressure and release techniques. His goal, he said, was to show the audience that cattle can be handled so they have confidence to walk by Lukasiewicz and not run by him. “Cattle are predatory animals and look at humans as predators,” he said. “They are also a herd animal. You have to gain the animal's confidence in order to separate one off. You need to be aware of how the other animals in the group act, you don't want to get them all stirred up,” he said.

He also used an assistant who works with Windmill Feeders, which is a cattle feedlot in the Ainsworth area. He said Windmill Feeders receives high risk cattle and has significantly reduced their death loss by utilizing this method. The employees of the feedlot were all recruited to learn the low stress method for handling cattle, Lukasiewicz said, and the results have been spectacular.

Lukasiewicz said when working with a new pen of cattle, it is important to not just put them in a pen and forget them. “There are other things they should be concerned with. They need a clean water tank, feed in the bunk, clean bedding for them to lay in and they need to know where the four corners of their pen are,” he said. “Cattle shouldn't be processed when they first arrive. You need to wait and let their stress level go down.”

Lukasiewicz proceeded to demonstrate how to show cattle the four corners of a pen by slowing moving them from one area to another. He would walk slowly toward the group of cattle a few steps at a time, before backing away a step or two so as not to spook the cattle. He would repeat this process until the cattle were confident enough to walk past him and head in the direction he aimed for them to go. “The object of this is to put pressure on them with your body using back and forth movements,” he explained. “You want them to lead off in a calm motion,” he added.

“Don't get directly behind them or they may not go where you want them to. You should work cattle from a spot where they can see you,” he said, pointing out his assistant, Ron, who was working cattle from near the front of the group. “If you have one calf that doesn't want to partake, send the others toward him at a 45 degree angle to get him to join in,” he added. “If you go to them at a 45 degree angle, it gives them two directions to go and the front leaders of the group will pull the others with them.”

Other activities

Although festivities differ by town, the Sandhills celebration tried to offer something for everyone. The event kicked off with a Cowboy Mugs and Legs contest and hamburger feed Friday evening. Saturday's festivities started with a progressive breakfast, followed by an Old West parade. During the remainder of the day, cowboy poets, a petting zoo, a display of equine, and an opportunity to meet Buffalo Bill (Terry Lane) kept the crowd entertained. In addition to Ferguson and Lukasiewicz, a Mounted Trail Challenge was held, as well as a trick roper demonstration by Joan Wells. The day concluded with a live benefit auction and inductions into the Cowboy Hall of Fame.

Sunday's events included a mounted church service, Plum Creek Trail Ride and Brunch and a ranch rodeo, all held at the Brown County Fairgrounds in Johnstown.