MAPLE CREEK, Sask. – When Dave and Sue Elliott look out their living room window, they see many of the things they value most in their lives.
The Elliot family ranch sits on the edge of the little sandhills and looks south toward the Cypress Hills in Saskatchewan’s southwest corner.
“I guess what I value so much about this view is there isn’t any civilization that I can see from my yard to the top of the Cy-press Hills, which is approximately 18 miles away,” says Dave, a fourth generation cattle ran-cher.
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“All I can see is native grass from here. It’s what I value so much about it, because it’s natural. It’s the way God made it.”
Adds Sue: “Really, there isn’t a much prettier view than this, straight south.”
Dave’s great-grandfather, Andrew Caswell, homesteaded near here in 1887. Sue and Dave married in 1975 and took over the ranch from Dave’s father.
They have three sons. Mark, 24, is a cowboy at the Nicola Ranch in Merritt, B.C. Kirk, 22, is an environmental consultant in Calgary and Kyle, his twin, is a farrier who remains involved with the ranch and is working to take over the reins from his parents.
However, times have been tough and life is not always as idyllic as it seems. Fallout from the BSE crisis has hurt the Elliott ranch and Dave is disappointed by how the federal government is treating the livestock industry.
“Our lifestyle is in jeopardy because of the federal government’s lackof concern,” he said.
The Elliotts use six sections for grazing their herd of Black Angus cows and calves, along with 19 Quarter horses. Calving starts in April and runs through May.
“We’re always doing two jobs at once. When we’re working cattle, we’re also training horses,” said Dave.
Preservation of natural grassland is key to the family’s ranching philosophy.
“Where we live, we mostly have native grasses and it’s important to us to maintain it. It’s the way God made it and we want to keep it that way,” said Dave. “I like grass more than cows myself. Growing the grass and having the grass in good condition is the most important thing. Without grass you can’t have cows. So I try to maintain my grass in good condition all year round.”
Another key is Dave’s work with horses and his love for the cowboy lifestyle. Along with their saddle horses, he and Sue use four Percheron draft horses – Sid, Dan, Mac and Bert – to do the winter feeding.
“Economics was definitely part of it but I hate machinery. I hate it with a passion. I don’t understand machinery and I don’t understand iron.
“As long as a machine is working everything is OK, but machines break down. You have to change the oil and you have to maintain them. If my tractor quits and it has fuel in it, I’m buffaloed. And I’ve always been that way because I have no interest in it.”
Dave’s interest in horses also colours his purchases.
“I don’t buy broke teams, I buy horses and start them myself. My young team cost me $1,000 apiece.
“As far as the two draft horse teams, I don’t have a lot of money invested. I might have $4,000 invested in all four of them.”
Dave has been writing and reciting poetry for years, gathering inspiration from the land and the way of life.
“If I’m not in a saddle every day, I’m thinking about cowboying or I’m preparing for the future. I’m preparing for spring.
“In the winter it’s a thing that every cowboy does is repair gear, or oil gear, oil saddles, look after your gear so that you’re prepared for when the winter finally breaks and you’re back in the saddle again. I’m a cowboy every day.”
Excerpt from a Dave Elliott poem written in January 1994:
A Moment’s Doubt
Cows need lookin’ after; it’s a bitter cold day
Yer out choppin’ waterholes and forkin’ em hay
There’s icicles formin’ on the end of your nose
The cold’s bitin’ yer fingers, same with your toes.
You get to thinkin’, what’s that town fella doin’
Probably plannin’ a ski trip, skatin’ or skidooin’
It wouldn’t be so bad, workin’ inside
Warm as could be, with no frost on your hide
The waterholes are open and the cows are all fed
All those duds that you’re wearin’ are feelin’ like lead
You look t’ords the house an there’s smoke from the chimney
You know that it’s warm there: regrets there ain’t any
Why were ya thinkin’ ’bout livin in town?
Must be the cold was getting ya down.
Winter won’t last forever, spring just round the bend
One day at a time soon this cold will end.
It’s a good feelin’ you get from comin’ inside
To stand by the woodstove to warm yer backside
Coffee is boilin’, fresh bread in the oven
Beef stew on the stove, this life is worth livin’.
