April 4, 2020, Volume 15, Issue 14

Who would have thought we’d get more snow now than we had almost all winter!

Early morning sunrise

While we are eager for green grass and warm temps, it sure is pretty here. The birds are singing each morning so spring can’t be too far off.

It is quiet at the ranch without guests but we are making the most of the time by riding a lot, catching up on projects, and creating new ones!

We now have a new set of stadium seats for guests wanting to watch lunchtime rides, and as I write this the crew is setting up a trailer at the new arena which will house gear, feed, and brand new shelves for stashing our lunches each day.

stadium seating 🙂

Staff has been fortunate to be riding with Shayne and Des most days and we are all learning a lot. The 6 new horses that came in from Lazy U are getting ready for the guest string and have been rotating through staff each day. It is pretty cool to see what each person puts into a horse and how we can all help each other improve. These horses are all so sweet and very fun to ride!

Some of the things Shayne has us working on include walk, trot and cantering over logs in preparation for lead changes; getting our horses really straight (up and down in the shoulders and withers), practicing our roping, and working through our individual trouble spots as we ride. Each day he will ask us what are the two or three things we need to be thinking about. These are different for each of us

The elk are still here, including 3 large bulls

and a good reminder of what we need to be focusing on every second!

Shayne and Des have also been working with their new colt Lefty. She is preparing him with a bit more groundwork and then Shayne works with him from horseback. He is making great progress under their guidance.

That is about it for now. We hope that you are all staying safe and healthy, and we can’t wait to see you again soon.

 

Happy Trails,

Janice

Shayne working with Lefty

One of the wonders from our kitchen, courtesy of Emily

Des, showing us some roping tips

Kate secretly wants to drive the army truck

Parting shot