Farm Chores Before School

By Paisley Clinton and Karlie Feuerborn

While many students are still hitting the snooze button, some are already hard at work caring for animals before the school day even begins.

Timber Vermillion starts her mornings early. She wakes up, gets dressed, and heads outside to begin her chores. She brings certain horses into the barn to feed them and turns others out into the pasture for the day. After that, she feeds her steers and makes sure all the animals have fresh water. On some mornings, she also cleans out the stalls before school. If she runs out of time, she finishes that task later in the afternoon. Before leaving for school, Timber lets the remaining horses out and double-checks that her dogs have food and water.

Kamrie Feuerborn also spends her mornings caring for animals. She feeds her dogs, cats, and horses and ensures they all have water. She rotates the horses between their daily lots before heading to school. Kamrie said working with horses requires patience and discipline. Sometimes she has to raise her voice when they refuse to listen. She also monitors their diet carefully because horses involved in rodeo need to stay in good shape.

According to Mr. Gillespie, his son Braden takes responsibility for checking on the animals each morning. Because they have an automatic feeder, Braden does not need to feed every animal daily. However, he checks water levels and looks for any new babies. On show days, his routine becomes more detailed. Braden feeds each animal individually, ensures they have plenty of water, and carefully cleans and prepares them so they look their best for competition.

For these students, farm life means responsibility starts long before the first school bell rings.