By ADAM STEWART

Staff writer

Callie Peterson of Marion kept busy Thursday afternoon cutting and coloring hair at her Signatures Salon. Hours later she was busy with much less delicate tasks: roping and vaccinating calves at Haywire Cattle Company, south of El Dorado.

Peterson, along with brother Seth Larson, boyfriend Andy Jones, and his father, Randy Jones, began by herding cattle from a pasture into pens.

After they herded the calves and cows into separate pens, they were able to begin vaccinating and castrating calves.

Peterson’s main responsibility was roping calves to separate them from the group and immobilize them while the they were vaccinated and castrated.

She estimated it would take about an hour after the calves were separated, but difficulties pushed the time closer to two hours.

“Things are usually supposed to go a little smoother,” Peterson said. “Everybody was hot and tired, and nothing was working.”

The ranchers try to work with cattle when it is cool — more for the benefit of the cattle than the ranchers.

“We can bellyache all we want,” she said.

Working with calves is more difficult. Adults can be herded into chutes rather than roped.

Working cattle has its risks because of their size and strength. Peterson has a scar where a rope wrapped around her arm. She also has cracked her ribs. Andy Jones broke an ankle during the winter when a horse fell on him.

Peterson recognizes that working cattle isn’t something everyone can do. It requires passion to endure all the frustration. Work doesn’t go as planned 85 percent of the time, she said.

“But when it’s great, it’s great,” she said. “It’s just something I love to do, and my kids love it, too.”

Peterson said her sons, Justin, 14, and Jacob, 9, were accomplished ropers. Five months ago, Jacob did a better job roping than his mother.

“I was just so proud,” she said.

Peterson works cattle two or three days each week with Andy Jones.

“If I don’t come out and do this, I never see him,” she said.

Peterson appreciates how different her two jobs — working at the salon and the ranch — are.

“In fact, they’re like opposites on every level,” she said.

She likes being able to work inside and dress up for her day job, but it also is nice to not have to worry about appearance sometimes.

“Cows don’t care what you wear,” she said.