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Ever Wonder What It’s Like To Manage a Famous Long Horn Herd for 25 Years?
73 Plays7 months ago
Join Kristin Jaworski, the Director and Trail Boss of the Fort Worth Herd for 25 years, who shares her journey and insights into managing the world's only twice-daily cattle drive in the heart of Fort Worth, The Fort Worth Stockyards. Discover the strategic techniques encouraged by Dr. Temple Grandin in the ag industry and the challenges of handling Texas Longhorn steers while preserving the Western heritage. Gain a new perspective on this iconic tradition and the dedication it takes to keep the tradition alive. For a full episode transcript, visit our website at HERE.
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Transcript
Celebrating 25 Years of the Fort Worth Herd
00:00:04
Speaker
Hi, everybody, and welcome back to the kick your boots up podcast. We're so excited you're here for another week. And this week is really special.
Introducing Kristin George: Trail Boss and Leader
00:00:11
Speaker
We're celebrating 25 years of the Fort Worth herd. And who better to talk about that than the queen herself in my eyes, Kristin George, he she's the trail boss.
00:00:20
Speaker
of the Fort Worth herd, director, trail boss, she wears many hats, the mom of the group, whatever you want to say, that's what she does. Kristen, thank you so much for being here. Well, thank you
From Arizona to Texas: Kristin's Journey
00:00:30
Speaker
for inviting us. We are so excited to share this story along with Justin Booth, so thank you so much. Of course.
00:00:35
Speaker
speaking of that there's so much to talk about in terms of what the Fort Worth herd is for those of you out there that aren't familiar with it stay tuned you're gonna learn a lot about this iconic and historic cattle drive that happens twice daily in the Fort Worth stockyards but before we talk about that we've got to get to know Kristen herself as a person so I
00:00:53
Speaker
I've got to introduce her properly. I feel like in my eyes, I'm in awe right now of all the things that this woman is capable of doing and even seeing her behind the scenes. She's in meetings. She's telling everyone what to do. She's running the show, all of it. So not only is she the director and the trail boss, but actually in 2002, she became the first woman ever to be the trail boss for the Fort Worth herd, which is so inspirational to me personally. And I know a lot of girls out there relate to that. That's just so, so cool.
00:01:20
Speaker
Interestingly enough, you got your bachelor's degree in marketing and your master's in management and leadership from Tarleton State University. Tell us a little bit about that. What was your experience like there? Did you move there, move to Texas for college? Tell us about that. Yeah, absolutely. What a great way to move to Texas and instantly enroll at Tarleton State University.
00:01:38
Speaker
I will tell you that was a wonderful welcome. Not being from Texas, I learned real quickly, Texas has a lot of heart and a lot of roots and they were willing to share. And so when I moved here in about 97,
Roles at Fort Worth Herd: Management & PR
00:01:51
Speaker
I immediately enrolled at Tarleton State University and got to really know more about the North Texas area.
00:01:57
Speaker
And I can tell you're really passionate about Tarleton too. I know for me, I'm from Oklahoma, I bleed orange, Oklahoma State, but I can tell that you really bleed purple. Well, I almost wore purple today, but I thought, you know, I'm very proud of that. The show isn't about Tarleton, but I just want to make sure that, you know, everybody knows how supportive they are and how, what a wide range of experiences you truly get.
00:02:18
Speaker
Yeah, and for you specifically, not only have they kind of taken you under their wing, but you've gotten to do opportunities with them along with the Fort Worth herd. So for instance, I think you wrote in the grand entry at Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo a while back. Sure did. Just recently with the president of Tarleton and the dean here in Fort Worth. And of course, our first mayor to graduate from Tarleton, Mayor Mike Moncrief. So it
Managing Daily Operations & Challenges
00:02:40
Speaker
was pretty special.
00:02:40
Speaker
Wow, that is what an iconic opportunity just to be in the saddle or I guess you rode horseback. Oh, yes. Okay. Yeah. So to be in the saddle alongside them, that's really, really cool. But kind of talking more about you and how you got to Texas, your, your roots per se, how did you grow up? Tell us about your background there.
00:02:58
Speaker
Yeah, of course, absolutely. So I'm from Arizona originally. And I grew up at a young age at the Grand Canyon and just fell in love with tourism. There was just nothing better than to see these buses of visitors unload and just take in the United States and the Grand Canyon and also a Western way of lifestyle. So we always introduced them to that. And I just loved it.
00:03:22
Speaker
And of course, growing up as a kid, I think every little girl's dream is to be a veterinarian or have something to do with horses, right? We all had the my little ponies. And so I truly thought that was going to be my path and my career. I'm way too emotionally connected to the horses to be able to do that. And I value our veterinarians in the industry so very much. So quickly I learned I have a different
00:03:46
Speaker
path that I need to pursue. And so, you know, fast forward through different leadership opportunities, whether that be through FFA and 4-H as a kid. You know, I just really loved agriculture, had horses and mules my entire life, but nothing really on a large scale. So when I moved here to Texas and started studying at Tarleton, marketing. Marketing was definitely something that interested me.
00:04:10
Speaker
And of course back then we didn't have all of these beautiful technology, all this beautiful technology available to us. And so it's really progressed an awful lot. Yeah. It really has. Yeah. And go ahead. No, no.
Impact of Weather and Events on Cattle Drive
00:04:25
Speaker
Yeah. And so, so with that though, I mean your experience moving here and well, the one question I have is I've never been to the Grand Canyon. So what was the Grand Canyon really like? Just try to put it into words if that's even possible.
00:04:36
Speaker
Yeah, of course. So because I grew up in Arizona, I had the most fabulous field trips. You know, sixth grade, our field trip was truly hiking the Grand Canyon. So where else are you going to have that type of opportunity? And of course they have the wonderful mule rides down into the canyon.
00:04:53
Speaker
incredible excursion and so I think I probably took that for granted that I got those type of experiences at a young age. It truly is fascinating. I highly encourage everybody to at least put it on your bucket list and see you know what this country truly has to offer.
00:05:10
Speaker
You know what, Tyler, my husband, if you're listening, that's what we need to do for our anniversary. We've been talking about it. What are we going to do? The Grand Canyon actually does sound fun. It would be a lot of fun. But then, I mean, as close to the Grand Canyon as you can get, the Fort Worth Stockyards is basically where you live now. I'll say that. That's where you live because you're there most of the time, I can attest.
00:05:27
Speaker
What's it like for you then being the woman, being in charge, you have so much to do. You have to wrangle the cowboys, the drovers that are taking care of the livestock and stuff, but then also your first priority is the livestock. You're constantly
Community Engagement & Events
00:05:42
Speaker
making sure they have enough hay, water, feed, all of it. Tell us about your day-to-day life and what you get to do. Yeah, of course. It really did start when I graduated from Tarleton and trying to figure out what my true career would be.
00:05:55
Speaker
And when I heard about the Fort Worth Herd program here in Fort Worth, Texas, I certainly had a lot to learn. And they were preserving Western heritage and really showcasing the American cowboy to visitors from all over the world. And it was fascinating. And so I did apply for that job. I honestly was just overwhelmed that I was selected throughout that interview process for that position and that responsibility.
00:06:20
Speaker
I owe it all to great mentors and the people that were truly my management team. They taught me so much. I was young. I was responsible for this, you know, attraction that generated more publicity than you could ever imagine. And so stepping into that role, my livestock background, you know, I'd always had a horse, had cattle on a very small scale.
00:06:44
Speaker
But our purpose at the Fort Worth herd was to generate publicity, to be a public relations tool, to interact with visitors in education. And so I quickly learned I needed more experience managing a team. So that's what brought me back to get my master's in management and leadership because all of those responsibilities were so diverse and it just, no two days are ever alike.
00:07:07
Speaker
Ever. I can attest to that too. When you mix livestock and you mix people, there's truly, you know, everything that will go wrong can, or everything that can go wrong will. Right. And everything does eventually. And so, um, there's probably
Cultural and Historical Importance of the Herd
00:07:19
Speaker
been times, uh, that you've had like, it's 11, let's say 11 15, it's time for the, almost time for the cattle drive. And let's say a lot of go breaks or something happens and, um, you kind of have to be on your toes or same, same there. And a family emergency happens and the driver can't make it.
00:07:33
Speaker
What do you do in situations like that? Do you adapt, overcome? How do you manage all that? That's a great question because anytime, anybody that's ever dealt with a horse or cattle or livestock in general knows that you can't predict what's going to happen. They may behave in unruly manners. Instantly, a horse has a concern that it has to be addressed, but the show must go on.
00:07:57
Speaker
So it's no different than what you're doing here is you've got a deadline, you've got a show to produce and we produce that twice daily cattle drive every single day of the year at 1130 and four o'clock and it can be a little bit of a fire drill at times. You've got to reconfigure schedules or horses or tack and luckily we can always hold it a few minutes and make sure that safety is the most important thing to be addressed.
00:08:22
Speaker
Of course. And I have so many questions along those lines. Cause if you've ever experienced the cattle drive, you do have naturally questions. Even anytime we have guests come to Fort Worth, we take them there as a tourist opportunity and attraction. And they ask questions that I would have not even thought to think of just being immune to it. You know? Um, so I, we will talk about that a little bit when we get more into the herd itself, but for you specifically, I'm so in awe of that, like just your ability to do that. But I've got to ask, did you ever have to fill in for a drover? Did you ever have to hurt the cattle down the dress?
00:08:51
Speaker
changes often, especially for the first 10 years or so of my employment, not only to earn the trust of the team, but also to know what the expectation was that I was putting on us as a unit. You just really have to immerse yourself in that day-to-day responsibility.
00:09:10
Speaker
You know, I've got period correct clothing, a different hat, different pair of boots, and my horse and saddle is always ready because I am able to fill in should we need to. And in the early days, I did that quite often and that was really what gave me the best insight to how do you drive Texas Longhorn steers through the middle of the 13th largest city.
00:09:30
Speaker
And so those skills I didn't have, you know, that was something that I had to learn. I had to learn and troubleshoot and really, you know, take my experiences. How can we make tomorrow better? And that's really been what's kept me going all of these years. And it's 22 years, I think, is how long you've been the trail boss. I have. So before that, tell us about what you did, because I'm sure you had to kind of earn your keep around there to get where you are. Tell us about how you worked your way up to Trail Boss.
00:09:56
Speaker
Absolutely, and I'll never forget those first few years where if anybody stepped into a new job that's been with a team has been established, they're going to test you. And so there were several allies that I had and I learned real quickly, you know, to trust, to trust the system, to trust the processes.
00:10:14
Speaker
and recognize that the city of Fort Worth had done such an amazing job putting that together that I could do more listening and less talking and really take that in and learn where my strengths were, where my weaknesses were, and that evolved, you know, the more I became experienced in the Trail Boss role because, you know, you mentioned all the responsibilities. Trail Boss takes an awful lot of explaining. Most people look at me like I have no idea what that is, but that's really cool.
00:10:41
Speaker
It is such a unique title. It's not one that you can Google how to be a trail boss. You're going to learn about how they were a trail boss in the late 1800s. A little different than today, but very similar responsibilities. Whether it's personnel, livestock, programming, safety, facility, purchasing, budget, all of that is incorporated just like it is in any other business.
00:11:04
Speaker
That is so incredible, especially going back to the days when the Fort Worth Stockyards was the Fort Worth Stockyards where they would buy and sell cattle in the trading days there. What a cool tie that you've evolved the position, of course, over time, but still having the ability to buy and sell the Longhorns, get them up in the shape that they need to be in and up at the times there. So that's really cool. And one thing I've got to ask you too is knowing that there's women like me or even girls that are younger looking up to you.
00:11:34
Speaker
How does that feel to have kind of that spotlight on you in like a, I want to say you're the queen type of way, you know, the queen of the stockyards? Well, you know, thank you for that question because it is important that we as a team are so diversified and we truly represent the, you know, the men and women and those individuals that really created that history. And so there were women who
00:11:57
Speaker
you know, there were the Mexican Vaquero, the black cowboy. And so it's important for us to be able to relate to our audience. I try not to put too much focus on gender because, you know, I don't have an expectation of myself being any different than if, you know, the, than the
00:12:16
Speaker
the cowboys, the drovers that are in that role that are male. But it is always fascinating. I do hear that an awful lot. Oh my gosh, the boss is a woman. And I've always just really not focused on that and thought of myself as one of the team members. And that certainly helps because I don't ever want to be treated differently.
00:12:36
Speaker
Of course. And I think you do a really good job at that. I will commend you there too. Cause even just watching at the job before I had this job, I got to actually watch you behind the scenes, do a lot of stuff. There was luncheons that we would attend with the Fort Worth stockyards association and stuff like that. And the way you carry yourself and conduct yourself around everyone, it doesn't go unnoticed because you truly do just pick up the weight. You know, if, um, if, uh, plates needed restocked at the luncheon, you just hopped right in there, you know, and that goes to show your character and your,
00:13:07
Speaker
So before we do move on to the herd, I want to know your upbringing. What was it like growing up? Did you grow up on a ranch? Sure. No, thank you for that. And thank you for the compliments. I would have never expected you to say those types of things. I think it just comes natural. And where does that come from? You know, is what you're asking.
00:13:24
Speaker
I grew up with a small family, you know, I've got one sibling and my mom and dad really instilled work ethic in me at a young age. And I truly admired that, you know, my dad just could do anything that he put in front of him. And I wish I had taken a little bit more advantage of that because young, you know, you're not paying that much attention. Right, right. But, you know, he really taught me that if you fail or something doesn't go right, you got to get back in there. And it's the old saying of you get bucked off, you got to get back on.
00:13:52
Speaker
And that did happen. You know, it happens to all of us. Happens now. And you've really got to push through challenges. And so something that I really, I think it was instilled in me by my family, even my grandparents, was take on a challenge and that can actually motivate you. And it can motivate you to find solutions, to find better ways and better practices. But at the end of the day, it's all about who you surround yourself with. You know, I truly believe that. And of course, all of our parents said, you are who you run with, right? Oh, yeah.
00:14:20
Speaker
And I, you know, even in this career or prior to it was about always looking for mentors and people that knew more than I did in every type of industry. And you can always learn from someone just like I'm learning from you today. Yes, of course. And I'm learning a lot as well. So this is so good. And speaking of that, we've got to take a break to do some more learning. But whenever we come back, we'll learn more about the Fort Worth herd and everything that that has to share. And so we'll see you real soon.
00:14:48
Speaker
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00:15:19
Speaker
Hey everybody welcome back I'm so glad you're here we're gonna continue talking about the Fort Worth herd with Kristen and one thing that you guys need to know about the herd specifically is that they have a twice daily cattle drive but it's the world's only twice daily cattle drive at 11 30 a.m. and 4 p.m. and we were just talking off-camera it sounds like
00:15:37
Speaker
A lot of people have heard more about the cattle drive from being tourists in the stockyards than the locals. Of course, the locals know all about it and love it and appreciate it, but the perspective is for everyone out there listening, the ones that haven't seen it or only get to see it from time to time, you get a new perspective on it all. Tell us about the cattle drive. Tell us about everything that you guys do preparation-wise. I know this was something I'm throwing at you really quick, but I know you can handle it. If the cattle drive doesn't start until 1130, obviously, you don't show up at 1130 ready to go.
00:16:07
Speaker
So tell us about all the prep work, getting the cattle drive to what it is today. Yeah, absolutely. So, you know, thinking back to our history here in Texas, just after the civil war, the cattle drives were, it was a brief period of time, you know, a decade at the most.
00:16:22
Speaker
So late 1800s, then fast forward to modern day times, and Fort Worth really wanted to commemorate that time in history when Longhorns came through Fort Worth and made such a huge economic impact on our history, right? So on June 12th of 1999, to celebrate Fort Worth's 150th year anniversary, the herd was born.
00:16:42
Speaker
And every day since then, at 1130 and 4 o'clock, we have driven those Texas Longhorn steers right down East Exchange Avenue every day of the year, with a couple of exceptions for weather and a couple holidays, for over 8 million people a year now. So you're right, the visitation.
00:17:00
Speaker
Those folks come from all over the world. It doesn't matter where you're from, it doesn't matter what language you speak, how old you are, what your background is, it's fascinating. And for me to have been there 22 years, and I love it every single day. So it is my favorite thing to talk about. So I'd love to share that story with you all.
00:17:20
Speaker
Yeah, I'm so glad you did too because that's a very good point. 8 million people is a lot of people and so you're considered famous at this point and you don't even know it just because of the amount of foot traffic, right? Yeah, and you mentioned, you know, I think we do forget how many people we truly are reaching and what our goal and our purpose is. Our purpose is to bring people to Fort Worth
00:17:39
Speaker
And they experience the cattle drive, they get to truly visit the stockyards, but then also see all of our other districts in the city. There's so much that Fort Worth has to offer. So we are truly ambassadors. So to your question of what happens from early in the morning to 11.30, the team, the drovers always say it takes us seven and a half hours of labor to produce a 30 minute show. And I think a lot of people can relate to that. That is relatable.
00:18:06
Speaker
podcast world. There you go. You get it. There's only so much that's aired and the rest of it is behind the scenes. So ours is no different. You know, we're feeding horses. We're cleaning stalls. We're grooming. We're exercising. We're, you know, we're, we actually are cleaning the, the pens and people don't realize
00:18:23
Speaker
Someone's got to do it. And we are next to a lot of different attractions. And being in the middle of the city like that, you've got to really maintain your facility. It's an unorthodox environment because you've got cattle and horses next to Billy Bob's Texas, and Cowtown Coliseum, and H3 Restaurant, and Risky's Barbecue, and all these different venues. And you want to be respectful of that. And it's just really, truly a good match.
00:18:51
Speaker
It is and I feel like you guys do a really good job cuz now that I think about it, I don't even stop to think that you're in the middle of a city. That's a very good point. You guys keep everything pristine and clean and of course the iconic wooden fences that are of course maintained and up kept. They're not the original wood. Some of it might be but
00:19:08
Speaker
the fences there talk about the pins and everything because i don't think a lot of people realize the cattle actually stay there correct they stay there overnight that's right they are truly the only longhorns or actually the only cattle left in the stockyards that reside there on a permanent basis so that's
00:19:23
Speaker
pretty special. So even if you don't make it by at 11 30 or four o'clock, you can still see those majestic steers. They're just incredible. And so, you know, you mentioned fences. So the part of that behind the scenes at any given moment, you're repairing fences, you're, you know, changing the tire on the tractor, or you're doing things that you typically would do in a ranch environment. But because it's in the middle of the city, all of that becomes an experience.
00:19:48
Speaker
You're right. So you have an audience. You have an audience. So you might be on TikTok or YouTube or you're entertaining a group from South Carolina as you're doing that work. And that's what really makes it unique because it's really special to people to see how much work it truly takes for them to walk down the street twice a day.
00:20:07
Speaker
No, you're so right. And I'm, I'm glad you touched on that too, because that's a big part of it. And another big part of it too, is the fact that, um, people are able to walk right up to them as close as they can get, you know, um, to see the Longhorn. And I think a big misconception is everyone thinks the bigger the horns, the meaner the cow or bull or steer or heifer, whatever it is. Um, but I don't think that's true at all. I don't think that's the case with the Longhorns because they truly are like, they're big dogs, they're pets almost. Um, well, so what's that like just having the tourists come up and see them and interact and
00:20:36
Speaker
Yeah, of course, of course. So you mentioned that they're very calm, they're very docile as a breed, especially we're driving all steers. So we don't have the motherly protective instinct that you would see in a cow in a pasture.
00:20:51
Speaker
And so all of that is strategically done. Even when you watch the cattle drive, where those horses and those drovers are positioned is very strategic because the cattle move away from pressure. Just like every, you know, every bovine has a flight zone, so do they. Theirs is a little different because we're dealing with 10 and a half foot horn spans tip to tip. So their bubble is significantly bigger than what you would expect.
00:21:17
Speaker
But they're not pets, they're not tame. So that is very hard to communicate that they are livestock. You know, we're not taking them home and putting them in our bed. They truly live in a corral and we handle them as such because we always want to maintain, you know, safety, not only for the livestock, but the personnel as well as our visitors. So everything is done for a reason.
00:21:39
Speaker
And speaking of that, Kristen, you touch on a really good point that I'm genuinely curious about. Please answer this lifelong question that I've had whenever the head, the lead drover is headed down the exchange avenue and he's walking in a zigzag pattern. What is that doing? You are so observant. I might just take you with me and put you to work out there. I'm ready.
00:21:58
Speaker
So think about cattle and horses and how their eyes are positioned, right? Their vision is very different than ours. Because they can't see straight ahead, right? That's correct. So if we stay directly in front of that steer, we're changing eye, left eye, right eye, left eye, right eye with that lead position as well as that drag position.
00:22:17
Speaker
So it was taught to me all these years ago by a fabulous drover. He said, think of it like a rubber band. You're expanding the length of those steers or you're compressing that because you don't want them too close to each other. Because they are horned cattle, you know, they naturally don't want to hit their horns on each other or anything else. So we have to control that pace and that tempo of that cattle drive. They control and influence their pecking order and what order they're in.
00:22:43
Speaker
And that's cool to see too. I encourage everyone who's listening to give it a shot, even if you don't think you can make it to Fort Worth anytime soon, at least like Google it or YouTube it, because there's so many videos out there, but like seeing the way the cattle themselves work together is such a natural thing that I think is worth mentioning too, because it's stressful. I don't think a lot of people realize that there's like,
00:23:04
Speaker
actual tourists, city people, people that are coming from everywhere. In my eyes, huge liability. It freaks me out. No, I'm just kidding. But you guys handle it so well. The cattle, they don't ever go on the sidewalks. They don't ever, they're not like fighting bulls. They're very calm. How do you manage all of that? All the crowd control. I know you have, you do a good job about it. So tell us about it.
00:23:23
Speaker
Yeah, of course, I think that's the most important thing is livestock management and safety of how we're actually handling cattle. So early on, we really started practicing low stress cattle handling, working with professionals in the industry on a national level. Same thing with the horsemanship side of things. We work very closely with the Certified Horsemanship Association on safe experiences through horses. And so since we are riding horses and driving cattle in an entertainment type of discipline, that is so important. So we never put a steer
00:23:53
Speaker
in the street on the cattle drive that hasn't had those experiences behind the scenes. So we practice real early in the morning, you know, we introduce that steer a little bit at a time so that he fits in the herd, but that herd instinct and consistency
00:24:08
Speaker
And of course, cattle and horses are creatures of habit they love when they know exactly what's coming next. And one thing that's fascinating, if you all do come see us, is those steers will start getting up, lining up, and approaching the gate every day at the same time. And so that just really helps us because those people are lined on the street, their path is the same, and it just works very well for us.
00:24:32
Speaker
It's like a dog that you would train to do tricks or something. It's kind of the same concept. If they're used to the time, they're used to, I know for instance, I have a mini dachshund and he, around five o'clock, he starts getting antsy. He knows, okay, five o'clock mom and dad will be home soon. So it's probably the same concept. It truly is. And we have obstacles to overcome. You know, it might be a vehicle or a band or an event. I mean, the stockyards is truly activated at all times.
00:24:56
Speaker
This winter we had a skating rink, you know, that was built. So people are ice skating as they're watching the cattle drive. That's fascinating to me. So that's an obstacle, right? We work very closely with Dr. Temple Grandin, who I'm a huge fan of, and she calls them novelties. She said every time that something is new, those animals have to take that in. They're going to explore it. They're going to be curious about it. And so we allow that to naturally happen and just being very respectful of their space.
00:25:26
Speaker
I love that you brought Temple Grandin up. She is someone that I looked up through up to, especially when you mentioned FFA, all my time through FFA and hearing the stories of like the squeeze shoots and how she's just been an icon there. So that's really cool that you guys get to hear from her and hear her like teachings and apply them to your Longhorns.
00:25:46
Speaker
What a blessing she's been to us because she's given us some really good advice. She's constantly monitoring and she's available to us if we have questions. And some of her answers are so simple to me. And I think, why didn't I think of that? So we always are looking to people that know a little bit more than we do.
00:26:04
Speaker
Wow. I couldn't agree more because especially there's a movie out there and I forget now what it's called, but it's about her life. Do you know what I'm talking about? I do. Yeah. We'll have to figure out what the movie is, but. Yeah. Claire Danes played her and temple actually told me she did a great job and that is an accurate production of her life. So that's pretty special. Oh my goodness. Yeah. If you're out there and you're curious, you'll have to go look up that movie. I watched it, I think in college or maybe even high school ad class. I don't know, but just seeing her life and coming to life. That's really cool.
00:26:32
Speaker
And Fort Worth herd, they have direct access to that. Who would have known? Right. And that's really good, though, because it is important whenever you talk about the Longhorns, like you said, the fight or flight, their abilities to see new things. And you have the best doctor looking after them. We do. And to get a little bit more into the herd, you guys do such a good job of preserving the history. The early 1800s, you really depict that. So at any given time when you go into the stockyards, even if the drovers are, let's say, quote unquote, off work,
00:27:00
Speaker
When they're really not, they're just not on their horses or they're leading their horses or something. They're still dressed in the time period clothing. You can pick them out in a crowd. Talk about the importance of the clothing aspect and upkeeping the same standards from the 1800s. Certainly. The city of Fort Worth is who created the herd and we are managed by Visit Fort Worth. Authenticity is so very important.
00:27:21
Speaker
not only to our management team, but our stakeholders and all of the supporters that we have in the organization. From those steers being donated into the program to Justin producing an authentic period correct boot for us.
00:27:36
Speaker
Yes, talk about that too because that's so important to have. I know we were just talking off camera like a tough leather to keep that up. Yes, and it can't be what a modern day boot is. So everything that we have from the saddles, the saddle pads, our bridles, our bits, everything is replicated from the late 1800s to truly be authentic.
00:27:57
Speaker
And that's part of our story that we're telling, you know, we're taking people through the history through cattle drives and stockyards was born and then rodeo really became popular. But they're very different times in our history. So we're really proud to say that we keep the program as authentic as possible.
00:28:15
Speaker
Yeah, you really do. You do a great job of it. Like I said, you can truly pick out a drover in the crowd. And to me, that means so much that you're able to keep the heritage and maintain all the standards and all that. Is that ever a challenge to find? I know, for instance, Justin, you guys have to have custom boots made. We take pride in making exactly what you want. Is that ever a challenge? Oh, it's greatly challenging because, you know, typically you aren't going out on a Saturday night looking like a drover from the 1800s.
00:28:41
Speaker
It is different and you know in our you know, the pants are very heavy a canvas type They're wearing a felt hat that's different there their boots like you said are heavy and tall and dark and you know and in the wild rag in the vest and the suspenders and the Shapps and Everything that goes on that drover and then picture it in the summer, right? It's a little toasty, but they're not wearing a short sleeve shirt That's not what they wore on the cattle drives They had to protect themselves and protect their arms every single article of clothing had a purpose
00:29:11
Speaker
It really didn't. I'm so glad you brought weather into this because you guys do say we have every single day, we have to try Staley Cattle Drive or whatever, depending on weather or some holidays. I have personally witnessed there's ice on the roads. Nobody's around. There might be three people watching in this, you know, on the sidewalk, but you still have your cattle drive because those roads are clear and you're good there. So talk to us about that. Like what would keep you from having a cattle drive? And there's 365 days in a year. So how many days do you have it? Stuff like that.
00:29:40
Speaker
Yeah, so since the cattle drive was born in 1999, we've done over 17,000 cattle drives. And you mentioned that visitor that there's inclement weather, maybe the roads were treacherous, but if there's three people, we're doing that cattle drive. So we want to be consistent because you just never know where they came from. And what's important is that with the weather determination is, is it safe for the livestock, the horses, and the visitor to truly be standing there watching it?
00:30:07
Speaker
So unless we have severe weather or something that is dangerous, we're there, rain or shine, lightning we would cancel for, for example, or if there was a slippery spot on their path. Yeah, and I remember one time it was so hot that finally the brick road was so hot that you guys finally said, you know what, we just can't do this. So how do you determine that?
00:30:33
Speaker
Yeah, no, that's a very good question. So determining whether or not the cattle drive occurs. And you're checking whether, you're checking the temperament of the cattle. You're making sure that your horses are of good mindset to actually produce that cattle drive. So a lot of that, you know, it's a daily determination. But yes, heat in the summertime. Thankfully, there's all kinds of scientists that have done the formulas of when we should and when we shouldn't. And we measure so many different things. It's actually quite complicated, but we've got all the tools to do so.
00:31:01
Speaker
That's so cool. So cool to hear. I mean, the ins and the outs of it all. And I'm sure over time you've built like a special bond with some of the Longhorns. Do you have a favorite? Well, I do. I have a favorite that, you know, my favorite steer changes as we bring them in and out of the herd. But I have to share something with you. Okay. Since all those steers are donated into the program from various breeders all across the United States. I didn't know that. My favorite steer today is Boots.
00:31:28
Speaker
Boots. We'll have to pop a photo on the screen. Yeah, absolutely. So Boots was donated to us by a family who is very prominent in the Longhorn industry. And how he got his name when he was born as a calf on his front legs to his knees was solid. And it looked like he had boots on. So I thought that was
00:31:46
Speaker
very appropriate. Well, you know what, Kristen, he's my favorite too. Cause we're Justin boots and his name is boots has to be it's, yeah, it's meant to be, it works out so good. No, I love that you get to have like the bonds there though. That's so special because not many people get that opportunity to be even as close to Longhorn cattle as you do. And so talk about that really quick. Show, show some insight on the behind the scenes things that people might not get to see. So for instance, I know for me, I love to go.
00:32:12
Speaker
um on the bridge the wooden bridge over and watch and look at them from a bird's eye view you can learn their personalities the ones that want to be touched with you know by the other longhorns the ones that don't the ones that are kind of the ringleader so tell us about what your perspective there is yeah of course and you're right that's a excellent location to
00:32:27
Speaker
We have an observation deck where you can view the cattle and you can watch them in their natural environment. And that's when you really see, you know, that pecking order come into place. Boots, for example, you know, he weighs over 1,800 pounds. He kind of commands authority when he walks in the herd. Nobody messes with them.
00:32:44
Speaker
And then we'll might have a younger steer that's learning, you know, he's trying to figure out what his position is in the herd. And there's always a dominant steer, always. And so right now, our dominant steer, his name is Riata, and he wears a bell. And the bell signifies back in history, Charles Goodnight always put a bell on his lead steer. So there's a reason for that. And he just naturally has made his way to the front to lead them. And if he's pointed in the right direction, the others will follow.
00:33:13
Speaker
That is such a cool tidbit that I never knew about. I'm going to drag my husband to the stockyards this weekend. You're going to be very well educated. Yes. Whoa. That's so cool to hear, especially the bell thing. I'd always wondered, but I just thought, okay, it's a way of tagging or marking, you know, like you would a traditional herd on a ranch.
00:33:30
Speaker
The more you know. The more you know. The more you know. There's branding and then the bell. There's a bell. So he's pretty special. He really is. And what did you say his name was again? That's Riata right now. Riata. Okay. And he'll pass that bell to another student. Oh, I'm sure the torch will be handed. It will. And I know that you guys do a lot in the community too. There's different opportunities for you even. I've seen you speak at multiple organizations just by yourself on behalf of the herd. So tell us about the different avenues that the Fort Worth herd has and gets to do.
00:33:57
Speaker
Yeah, of course, you mentioned torch. We actually participated in the Olympic torch as it was being handed off. I remember that when Good Morning America came out or something. Yes, Good Morning America has been there. So we've had a lot of really great television shows, travel stories, but then some of our special events, we were able to commission the littoral combat ship USS Fort Worth.
00:34:21
Speaker
And those kind of experiences really put Fort Worth on the map as a destination. And so we try to take advantage of those opportunities as they're presented, whether it's entertaining a convention or a group that's here in town or downtown. You know, if they can't make that 11, 30 and 4 o'clock cattle drive, oftentimes we'll make sure that we have a presence and greet those guests as well.
00:34:43
Speaker
That is just so cool. And Kristen, you have been a breath of fresh air here on the podcast. This has been so insightful. I've learned so much and I'm leaving with even more questions, which is a good thing. I know we're almost out of time, but one thing I always do on the kick your boots up podcast is ask someone or ask the guests their best piece of advice for whatever.
00:34:59
Speaker
And so my question for you is what is your best piece of advice for someone who is wanting to make that switch to, so think back to your college days of like you moved, you packed up, you moved to Texas and you started your dream career on accident just by going to college. What's your best piece of advice there? So I think my best piece of advice without even thinking about that is as you're planning your life, whether it's a career, a job change, education, where you're gonna live, figure out what your passion is. Because passion can drive you to do an awful lot of things.
00:35:28
Speaker
And then you know, if you need to become more educated or more experienced in those areas and take your time to figure that out. Oftentimes we just, we think we know what we want. We get into that and maybe it wasn't quite what we thought, you know, but I think just taking the time, learning what you're passionate about, what drives your ambition makes such a difference.
00:35:48
Speaker
It really does and that's such good advice. Thank you for that. I know I need that right now. A lot of people do because you think you make one decision and you have to stick with that career for the rest of your life or whatever. That was really good. I appreciate that. If you have any questions for Kristin that I didn't get to ask or you just want to follow up with, you can reach out to them in several different ways. Probably the best way would be on Instagram at Fort Worth Herd.
00:36:12
Speaker
or I know that there's opportunities to give and donate so if you'd like to do that you donate to the Fort Worth herd you can go to www.fortworth.com forward slash the herd forward slash friends of the herd or you can click on the in the episode description below we'll have that for you here and we just want to make sure that you have the opportunity to go see the trail the cattle drive and to
00:36:37
Speaker
get it all in your paint, the big picture and experience it for yourself. So we invite you to the Fort Worth stockyards for their 25th anniversary of the cattle drive, the Fort Worth herds cattle drive. You're sure to leave with so many more questions, like I said, but also you're just going to get a full authentic cowboy experience. And I think if you want to put the best little cowboy town, I think that's Fort Worth. So
00:37:00
Speaker
Thank you, Kristin, for doing your part and for everything that you do to preserve the history. It doesn't go unnoticed and there's so many girls out there that are looking to you as a boss babe as well. So thank you for being you. Well, thank you so much. I appreciate the support. We could not do it without the support of the community, our viewers, our guests, and it just truly takes a village. So we surely appreciate it. Thanks for inviting me.
00:37:22
Speaker
Of course, Kristen. If you liked what you saw, feel free to like, subscribe, share it with your friends, comment below what you want to see more of. Again, if you have any questions for Kristen, comment below too. We can pass those along as well. Thank you so much for listening to the Kick Your Boots Up podcast. Thanks for joining us on Kick Your Boots Up. I'm your host, Taylor McAdams, and we can't wait to share the next story of the West. Until then, feel free to like, subscribe, and leave us a review.
00:37:47
Speaker
Follow us on social media at JustinBoots to keep up with our next episode, and we'll see you the next time you kick your boots up.