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a slow pace. You can look at the cows and you can
see things a lot better. And it’s just enjoyable.”
For several years, Freund’s father has invited others
who show draft horses to keep their animals
at Running Creek Ranch during the National
Western. The ranch, with its rolling grasslands,
hills, and cottonwood trees along a meandering
creek, is only 50 miles southeast of Denver.
“I think last year we had 30 teams staying and
people from all over: Pennsylvania, Florida,
Oklahoma. It gives them a spot where they
can put their horses up. The horses kind of
get acclimated to the altitude,” Freund said. “I
think more than anything people just love to
come out and get some Colorado sunshine.”
Showing off the draft horses is one of the
Freund family’s passions. The nitty gritty of the
National Western for them takes place in the
sprawling stockyards on the complex grounds.
That’s where the family’s “carload” of bulls —
a total of 10 — will hang out for a few days.
At one point, the bulls will also be taken as a
group to an arena to be reviewed by judges.
As the bulls that were headed to the
National Western were tended to in the barn,
Freund’s son, Ethan, explained the focus
is on sending animals that are the same
age and are uniform in appearance, one
of the qualities they will be judged on.
The National Western is the
only stock show that shows cattle by pens
— a total of three cattle — and the carload,
Freund said. Showing the animals in a group
is called a carload because the cattle used to
arrive at the yards by train car, he added.
“Down in the yards, it’s down to earth.
People are doing business,” Freund said.
It’s an opportunity to talk to potential buyers, go
over the kinds of traits the family breeds, make new
connections and catch up with regular customers
and fellow ranchers from all over the country.
Buyers from across the country and the world
attend the National Western, providing an
important platform for ranchers. The Running
Creek Ranch has sold semen from its bulls for
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