Drivin’ Dogies

By Jo Nickel

     “Head ‘em up. Move ‘em out!  Rawhide!”   It is not often in this century that a passerby has the opportunity to witness a Longhorn cattle drive that takes one’s imagination back to the old West or perhaps back to the T.V. series, “Rawhide.”  Such an event took place Tuesday, October 30, 2007 in southern Brown County, Nebraska.  Traffic slowed and cautiously passed the herd that filled the west ditch of Highway 7 for nearly a half a mile.  Some motorists stopped to watch with awe as the cowboys from the Open Box K ranch gave them a glimpse of a drover’s life.  I was one of those motorists.

     The trail boss rode over and introduced himself with a charismatic smile and a traditional mid-western handshake.  It was the familiar, firm grip of a Sandhills rancher.  He identified himself as the owner of the Open Box K and the patriarch of the Kramer family, Ken Kramer. That late afternoon he was riding drag along with his daughter, Sheena.  Ranch partner, wife and mom, Audrey Kramer, was ahead with the cake truck and a neighbor drove the pickup with the trailer in tow.  Four hired cowboys rode point.  Although the herd of two hundred and seventy-eight Corriente and Longhorn/Corriente cross cow/calf pairs had already come twenty miles since morning, this North American breed showed little signs of stress.  There were no hanging tongues, slobbering, or bulls lagging behind, as is often the case with domestic breeds.  This herd of many colors and many horns, although on the move, remained quiet and calm. Most of the mamas kept their calves at their sides.  It was immediately apparent that Hollywood has done a disservice to this docile breed by characterizing them as dangerous, hard to handle, and of course, on the stampede from the slightest provocation.

     The Kramer cattle drive began with wrangling the herd from pastures near the Calamus River on the Drayton ranch, which was leased for the summer.  The Open Box K cattle were driven across pastures owned by Draytons and Raus, then onto Todd Kicken’s place where they headed north on Highway 7.  A packed lunch was served on the move.  The drovers conducted the entire cattle drive the Sandhills cowboy way, from the back of a Quarter horse.  All the horses working this drive were in top physical condition from daily ranch work so no spare mounts or ATV’s were needed.

     Ken and Audrey Kramer returned to their Sandhills roots in 2004 after living 25 years in the Omaha area where Ken managed car dealerships.  They raised Quarter Horses on their acreage and showed competitively.  Ken, a graduate of Valentine Rural High School, and Audrey Clapper Kramer, a graduate of Ainsworth High School, longed to make a living doing what they loved best, raising cattle and horses.  They purchased the old Pike place 11 miles south of Ainsworth and rented additional pasture to accommodate 459 head of cow/calf pairs.  There were several reasons the Kramer’s decided to stock their ranch with the Longhorn and Corriente breeds. 

     First, the Kramer’s are able to graze 1 2/3 head on the same amount of feed consumed by 1 domestic beef cow.  The Corrientes are good stewards of fragile Sandhills pasture as they browse for forage rather than bunching up and overgrazing some areas and under-grazing others.  They handle easily and the Kramer’s report a 100% conception rate using 6 herd bulls.  This allows for the elimination of the labor and expense of artificial insemination.

     Once the calves are weaned they earn their living by becoming roping stock on lease for 5 months.  Upon their return, they are then fattened to 750 pounds and taken to market.  The heifers, after one roping season, become replacement stock, are sold as such or added to the Kramer herd to be bred as yearlings.  This rugged bovine is long-lived and the cows will consistently raise calves well into their 20’s.  The processed beef from Longhorn and Corriente livestock is lean, which is of interest to beef lovers who are concerned with the fat content of domestic beef.  The Kramer’s have Corriente freezer ready beef for sale or for purchase on the live hoof.

     The Open Box K ranch caters to a specialized market, that of the “weekend cowboy.”

Four ropings, using Kramer stock, were held this summer at the ranch arena where as many as 241 teams competed.  Ken and Audrey’s future plans are to host a ranch rodeo and several team ropings, along with 4-H horse shows and a foundation Quarter Horse show.

     The Kramers are equally as passionate about their horses as they are about their unique cattle.  Standing at stud at the Open Box K ranch is Truly A Big Leaguer, a 2002 bay stallion.  At 16.1 hands he has the calm disposition, easy movement and confirmation of a Western Pleasure horse combined with the cow sense needed for a working ranch horse, and the agility and speed required of a rodeo competitor.  He throws these characteristics into his foals as evidenced by the yearlings corralled near the house. 

    More information concerning the Kramer’s cattle and horses is available on the
Open Box K’s web site: www.theopenboxk.com or by calling 402-387-1662.   

    Fall in the Nebraska Sandhills brings the familiar sight of domestic cattle herds being driven home from summer pasture.  However, it is not often that a casual motorist is offered a scene out of the Old West, a herd of many colors and many horns driven north by authentic cowboys.  “Head ‘em up.  Move ‘em out!  Rawhide!