Worried by a Heifer Dragging a Rope
- September 28, 2026
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- Jan Swan Wood
Posted in: Featured, Ranch Life
Some years ago, I was heading to the eastern part of the state to announce pedigrees at a horse sale. I was going across the big, open country of the Cheyenne Reservation, admiring the river breaks and good
grass from the highway. Further along it drops off quite abruptly from the prairie down to the river breaks
and the river bottoms, with cedar choked draws and canyons. Cow country supreme, it is an enjoyable drive any time of the year.
It was early fall and the grass was golden, leaves were turning pretty colors, and the country was in its
Sunday clothes. The highway trends eastward, but to cross the Cheyenne River, it sweeps around to the
south before dropping off a steep grade toward the river. Just as I got to the edge of the prairie, I saw a
black critter trotting down the fence line on the west side of the highway, heading north. That seemed odd, as I hadn’t seen any cattle along the road on that side.
As I got closer I saw that it was a big heifer, maybe even a two year old, and she was blowing hard, tail up, hind end painted grassy green, and she appeared to be on the peck. Slobbers streamed from her
mouth as she trotted along at a rapid clip. What caught my eye was the rope around her neck and dragging behind her.
Clearly someone had roped her for whatever reason and lost their rope. But it scared me due to the
country she was in. Whoever had roped her had lost their dallies, perhaps just due to not getting up close enough, but so many scenarios went through my mind. As I dropped off the rim, I searched for a horse and rider in the pasture but saw no one.
I thought of how easy it would be to have a horse fall in that rough country, and be upside down in the bottom of one of those gullies. Having been a participant in some wrecks, the picture in my mind chilled me. I kept driving, thinking I’d see a rider, a trailer, or someone in the pasture who I could alert to the situation. I saw nothing. Not even cattle.
After crossing the river and climbing back onto the prairie, I remembered that there was a ranch entrance just a ways further, so I hurried to that place. The dog was friendly, but the house was locked and no one was there. I didn’t have a signal on my little flip phone, so couldn’t call anyone for help.
My anxiety remained high but I felt that there was nothing I could do besides report it when I got somewhere with a phone. About 10 miles further along, I came upon a car wreck. The driver was out of
the car and standing on the shoulder of the highway so I stopped. He was a young man who was shook
up, bruised some, and with some cuts from the windshield glass, so being a mom, I stopped and he got in.
We drove to the top of a hill where he had enough cell service to call for help and we parked there. Once the highway patrol was on the way, we sat in my car and waited. My mind kept going back to that trotty black heifer and the rope. I kept busy putting bandaids on the guy’s cuts and getting him calm and less shocky. When the highway patrolman and a wrecker showed up, I got the patrolman to listen to
what I’d seen. He didn’t seem very concerned until I told him my theory that someone could be hurt down in those breaks. He got on the radio and called it in so that the proper people could be notified and I got back on the road.
For a week or more I listened to the radio reports and never heard a word about someone being hurt in that area. Hopefully all was well, but I’ve never quit wondering just what in the world happened to have that heifer so upset and dragging someone’s rope.
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Posted in: Featured, Ranch Life
About Jan Swan Wood
Jan was raised on a ranch in far western South Dakota. She grew up horseback working all descriptions of cattle, plus sheep and horses. After leaving home she pursued a post-graduate study of cowboying and dayworking in Nebraska, New Mexico, Montana, Wyoming and South Dakota....