August 29th, 2020, Volume 15, Issue 34
This week in the arena, Shayne spent a lot of time talking about how riding is like a dance. It’s something I’m sure we’ve all heard before, but it’s always good to hear it again. To demonstrate this, Shayne had all the interns and guests do choreographed ‘dances’ with their horses to music. It was so cool to watch each and every rider mesh so well with his or her horse and really look like they were both partners in the dance. Watching some of our guests do their solos, it was clear how much progress they’ve made from the first day they got here until now. It was so great to watch both the riders and the horses succeed.
Twizzle taking in the views!
When we weren’t dancing in the arena, wranglers, guests and interns have been going out to Davis Mountain and checking on the cattle. The steers have been moving around through the piece, and Scott has been checking to see where by looking for footprints and cowpies. These are all signs we look for every time we go out to check cattle, not only are we looking to see where they’ve been hanging out we’re also looking to see if they’re getting the nutrients they need, are they still gaining weight etc. There is just as much to learn about cattle as there is about horses around here!
In preparation for selling the steers in the fall, Shayne taught Maddie, Sophie, Emily and I how to weigh them this week, and it was so much fun! Shayne really taught us about the finesse of moving cattle and keeping them quiet and relaxed when they get on scale, but not just on the scale but when you’re moving them in general. It was an eye opener to see how little it takes to move the steers in the right direction. It was a pretty fun week here at McGinnis Meadows, never a dull moment!
Well that’s all for this week!
Happy Trails,
Alyssa
Emily, Hemi and Trouble
Hemi eating is ‘oatmeal’
Scotts bear friend