Beach cattle drive
A marketing venture by the Orange County Fair and the U.S. Open of Surfing brought 100 longhorn steers to the Huntington Beach Pier this morning. The cattle, herded by 40 cowboys and nine cattle dogs, covered 1 1/2 miles from Goldenwest Street and Pacific Coast Highway south to the pier. (Don Kelsen / LAT)
Shannon Hayes, Graceanna Condon, Taylor Pennington, all 9, and Justin Pennington, 6, from left, watch as 100 head of longhorn cattle are herded along the Huntington Beach Pier to the U.S. Open of Surfing. (Marc Martin / LAT)
The surf-and-hoof event at the Huntington Beach Pier, promoting the Orange County Fair and the U.S. Open of Surfing, left some onlookers puzzled. Doug Lofstrom, one of the cattle drives organizers, tried to explain the connection: Surfing is an individual sport. Rodeo is too. Its that rush, that adrenaline, that extremism that you see in both. (Don Kelsen / LAT)
The cattle await their close-ups in a temporary corral near the start of the drive at Goldenwest Street and Pacific Coast Highway. (Don Kelsen / LAT)
Surf meets hoof as a more traditional board-toting beachgoer navigates a path through the visiting cowboys and their herd. (Marc Martin / LAT)
One hundred’s a crowd for these Longhorn cattle on the sand in Huntington Beach. (Marc Martin / LAT)
Their job complete, cowboys and cattle dogs herd their Longhorns away from the U.S. Open of Surfing and on to less sandy pastures. (Marc Martin / LAT)
