The Herd

So, last time, I had us in Fort Worth at the Stockyard District, and I said it was time the for the “twice daily longhorn cattle drive.”

I ought to explain that. One of the attractions of the Stockyards is a simulated cattle drive that occurs twice a day, once at 11:30 am and then again at 4pm. When it occurs, a section of East Exchange Ave. is closed to traffic. And then, a smallish but formidable herd of longhorn cattle is driven down the street by men and women on horseback.

It is a great tourist attraction, and there is always a goodly crowd of men and women, old and young, who flank the street and pack the area to see it. We’d watched the drive the last time we were in Fort Worth, and we ended up doing so again this time...not intending to do so, but we happened to be on East Exchange, and then we found ourselves in the midst of vast horde of fellow tourists, and it was hard to move. Best just wait until it was over.

At more or less precisely 11:30, we watched as the cowboys/girls led their charges down the avenue. Soon the street was completely full of, well, beasts. I don’t know exactly how many animals there are, but they are genuinely impressive. They are enormous, for one thing. The herd has its own webpage(1) and on it I learned that long-horned cattle can weigh up to 2,500 pounds. And “Their signature horns can measure six to ten feet, tip-to-tip.”(2)

About the photos: First, a shot from the “Cattle Drive” (a.k.a, “the plod.”) This is not my photo. I found, somewhat to my own surprise, that I hadn’t taken any. This is, however, an excellent piece of stock photography by “sean” of the same subject that I found on Adobe photo stock.

Second, a photo of Martha enduring the paparazzi (me) while she was at breakfast in the Stockyards the morning of the day we left.

And, finally, an interior shot of Billy Bob’s Texas, also in the Stockyards, which describes itself as the “world’s largest honky tonk,” which I’m guessed it is. Google says it is a “... huge country music honky tonk with a live bull-riding arena, plus dozens of bars.” This shot is from 2021.

That’s a lot of animal. They’re not particularly aggressive any longer, but you have to respect them. Something that weighs over a ton, and which has those kind of horns, is not to be trifled with. And, no matter how docile it might be normally, it is still powerful.

It frightens me a little to think of what could go wrong on the “twice daily longhorn cattle drive.” First, it is stunning how many incredibly stupid people there are in the world. And how much stupider they get when they’re drunk. And everyday, before the drive, the authorities have to come in and carefully shoo people out of the street, and then, try to *keep* them out of the streets. There are always lots of idiots with cellphones trying to get a Selfie with a bull, or, worse, trying to position their children in front of a longhorn so they can get a cute snap for the grandparents or whoever.

It’s also enlightening to read the “Herd FAQ” page on the herd’s webpage. Visitors are reminded that they cannot use drones near the animals. Oh, and please don’t use fireworks around them, The fact that you have to remind people not to do those things--both of which could spook the animals all too easily--is distressing.

I must confess, I do have a terrifying mental image of the street, crowed with men, women, and ...yes...children. And then...then...some damn fool thinks it would be so funny, so hilarious, to throw an M-80 firecracker into the street.

Let’s hope it never happens.

Anyway, we stood in the crowd and watched. The cattle seemed very docile. I’m sure they’re chosen for that characteristic. They’re older. They’re steers. They’re well trained. They’d have to be all those things to be here.

It was then that I began to feel a little sad about them. As Martha noted later, it wasn’t so much a cattle drive as a cattle “plod.” They plodded along, slowly and deliberately...like the senior citizens I’m sure they were.

My thoughts went back to the Garden. “Mono no aware” -- which is sometimes defined in English as “the pathos of things.” I suppose I’m misusing the term here, but even so... It felt sad for these enormous creatures to be here. Again, as Martha put it later, you wanted them to be somewhere else...on a range, perhaps, rooming where they would, enjoying the sun on a summer day, feeling the wind in Autumn...waiting for that final winter.

Except, of course, there are no old age homes for longhorn cattle. And I suppose this is the best they could hope for. Certainly, it is better than their end would be otherwise. Perhaps, indeed, maybe they like it...food and shelter, a comfortable place to sleep, the company of each other, the affection of their human caretakers (all of whom, I gather, are volunteers), a nice little walk twice a day...

Do they know they have fans? That they are the center of attention? If so, do they enjoy it? I don’t know, and they cannot tell us.

Mono no aware.

Time passed and so did the cattle. After a bit, they were gone. I don’t know how they get circled back to their stables, but they do. And the crowd began to break up. Once we were free to move, we visited a couple more shops...but there wasn’t anything we wanted to buy. So, finally, we figured it was time to head home.

We went to the car and I took the first shift. Soon, Fort Worth was behind us and Waco was in sight. Georgetown was only an hour and a half away.

So, all in all, the Fort Worth trip had been a success.

Yes, the Water Gardens had been a bust. But, on the other hand, it hadn’t been boring. Terrifying, yes. But not boring. The Stockyards had been okay. The Cattle Drive had been a bit depressing, but the longhorns had been their usual impressive and interesting selves, and all the shopping and eating was fine.

And...the Botanical Garden? That had been spectacular. That had been worth the trip, and much more besides.

So I guess you could say that we beat Ole’ Man Ennui into the ground this time.

But, stay tuned. There’s more to come. Next up...once more....North Carolina.

However, this time...with a very special twist.

Footnotes:

1. The Herd’s webpage is here: https://www.fortworth.com/the-herd/

2. “About The Herd,” https://www.fortworth.com/the-herd/about-the-herd/

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~mjt

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