Then the riders — men, women and a young boy — come into view, leading a small herd of cattle down the road. Two dogs, Margaret and Jolie, watchfully trot alongside. The riders lead the herd into a field, and on command, the dogs skillfully encircle the cattle, before ranchers coax them into a pen and close the gate.
“More than 500 years ago, cattle were first introduced to what is now the Continental United States, right here in Florida. That was in 1521,” Ken Sherrouse, president of the Polk County Cattleman’s Association, told visitors, some sporting cowboy boots and red, white, and blue.
It’s the morning of July 1 at Circle B Bar Reserve. Local ranching families, county staff and officials, and members of the public have gathered for a celebration of the county’s significant ranching history, Polk’s 165th anniversary, and America 250…