Ranch neighbors geld and brand calves at a cattle roundup and branding in South Dakota.
A roundup may be conducted for a variety of reasons including routine livestock health checks and treatments, branding, shearing, lamb marking, sale, feeding and transport or droving to another North American roundup was an iconic image of the American Old West: the gathering of cattle in the open range, followed by them being driven vast distances from ranches to distant railheads over a period of several weeks. Due to the time and distance involved, not only did livestock and cowboys have to endure rough terrain and extreme weather, herds were also at risk from theft, hunger and disease. As railroads expanded, the time and distance travelled became shorter until railroads expanded into most communities, requiring cattle drives of a few days or a couple of weeks at most. Later, as motorised transport for livestock became common, rounded-up animals were often driven to the nearest road, herded into holding corrals, then loaded onto trucks for further transport. The modern American roundup now generally encompasses the gathering of animals from grazing lands in outlying sections of a large private ranch or from public lands leased from the Bureau of Land Management or US Forest Service. This process may still take many days and at times may require cowboys to camp out in remote areas, though most often this will be at a base camp near the holding corrals. The animals are gathered in holding corrals near a developed road, loaded into a livestock trailer or semi-trailer and transported to their ultimate destination. The skills required to round up and drive cattle became formalized in the sports of rodeo, cutting, reining, team penning and related competitive events. The term "roundup" is used in the title of many rodeos.
Size: 3634px × 2421px
Location: Belle Fourche, SD, United States
Photo credit: © Ken Hawkins / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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