It's 2017 and the world is changing, and though women have always had a part in the livestock industry, we're seeing more and more female stockmen making a name for themselves. THIS IS AWESOME.
The one's I know personally, myself, and the one's I have met through social media are a pretty kickass group. And here are some of the things we struggle with, laugh about, or just plain handle on a daily basis:
1. Not having the "man strength" to do some things.
2. Finding a creative or at least functional way to do things that our upper body does not allow us to do.
3. Getting salty when men assume tat just because we can't lift some things, we can't lift anything.
4. Being referred to as "so and so's wife, or daughter." instead of your own name
5. "Don't break a nail."
6. Being assigned the "easy" work, simply because of our "frail constitutions"
7. Having to work twice as hard to prove yourself.
8. All the old-fashioned wives in the community talk about you like you're the plague.
9. Even if it's your operation, you know there's gonna be that one guy who tries to make the decisions for you.
10. Being underestimated when it comes to a horse, a rope, a knife, or your work ethic.
11. Getting used to the dirty jokes when it comes to castration, semen testing, or basically any other job or term that can be made sexual.
12. Oh, and if you're really good people assume you're a lesbian.
13. "Princess"
14. Not being trusted to do things alone.
15. Not being taken seriously when you give input.
16. "Is that your barrel horse?"
17. Rockin' the dirt stache and mascara
18. Dying a little inside when your ponytail breaks while you're doing something.
19. Trying to remember you're a lady, but cussing at cattle.
20. There's never a tight enough sports bra for a rough enough horse.
Now, I'm not cussing men. I love men. The boys I work around are amazing. Not all men have an issue with women in the industry. But cattle-women and cowboy-girls are intimidating, and there's a few boys out there that can't handle it.
So shout out to the ladies make it possible to say, "BEEF, it's what's for dinner."
