Taking cattle to the mountains with our Quarter Horses
- Becca Fischer
- Jun 27, 2025
- 2 min read
It's summer here in Calaveras County. For many ranchers in the area, that means it's time to take a few loads of cattle up to the mountains on grazing allotments in the National Forest. This is done for a multitude of reasons; it gives the pastures back home a break and helps mitigate wildfire risk in the mountains. I'll try not to dive too deeply into the details for the sake of time. I've written about this topic before, so if you'd like to read more, you can. My family has been taking cattle to the mountains since the 1960s, and since then, we've come to rely on a remuda of American Quarter Horses to successfully do the job.
Moving cattle from one grazing allotment to another is no easy trail ride. It's rocky, steep, and you need to be mindful of fallen trees and bee nests at all times. And the mama cows who birth up there often cleverly hide their calves in the hardest to reach spots. That's why it's vital to have a horse that's not only tough enough for the physical demands of the job, but mindful enough to pay attention to its surroundings.
Our horses do just about everything up there. Pick their way through rocks and roots to reach that hidden meadow. Pack salt blocks up and down steep grades. Prick their ears to the tinkling of cowbells. (Or did they just smell a bear in the wind?) Caring for cattle in the mountains would be impossible without a reliable horse. It's even harder without several of them as part of your stock.
Over the years, the horses we take up to mountains have primarily been made up of ones we bred here at home. We need to have plenty of horses for everybody, as well as be able to swap out horses so others can rest. We also bring up the old timers who have technically retired but need a break from the summer heat.
It's a time-honored tradition and truly a unique experience, seeing the mountains from the back of a horse. As summer goes on, we'll try to share more photos and videos of our remuda doing what they were bred to do: be amazing horses that do amazing things.
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