August 24th, 2019, Volume 14, Issue 32

Howdy folks,

Well, I’m not gonna lie, for everyone who was not able to be with us this week: you missed out! It was an absolutely wonderful week!

A perfect Montana morning

We got to welcome a great group of new and old friends to the ranch. Betty and Tanja came back to McGinnis to continue their horsemanship education. We also got to welcome a new group from North Carolina! Their friendliness and willingness to learn quickly made them beloved by all the staff here at the ranch. Finally, all the way from England we welcomed Autumn, Laila, and Hannah! We had a great time with them comparing all the differences between the UK and our own USA. This group was so much fun that almost every evening there were grand tournaments of pool and ping pong going on in our game room!

Cahill being his handsome self

In horsemanship this week we all went back to our very favorite exercise: short serpentines! (For some people this statement is genuine and for others it is excessively sarcastic). However, all the practice that we had with it during the week really impressed upon all of the interns, guests and wranglers just how important they are in the education of the horse. Getting the horses to travel united through all four quarters really helped them to achieve balance and softness through every movement. We will be doing a lot more of that in the future!

After all the horses were well balanced and prepared following the short serpentines, Shayne allowed some of the staff and interns to have a couple races 🙂 And race we did! The new indoor arena is the perfect amount of space and footing to really open up the horses and allow them to stretch their legs. What a joy it is to be able to push yourself and your horse and then dial back to come to a full stop with a soft feel- our ranch horses are serious athletes!

Lorraine, Erin, and Tanja

…Speaking of horsemanship, do you want a learning adventure like no other? If you are looking for a way to ride and study at McGinnis Meadows the fall and winter seasons are spectacular. With eye candy fall colors and horsemanship to fuel your soul we still have just a couple of openings available the week of October 13th. If winter is more to your liking,

We like to think of these programs as a classroom on horseback 🙂 There is no other place that offers this level of detail for learning, with all the amenities. With possibilities to ride outdoor in the meadows in the fall and indoor in our NEW larger
state of the art indoor arena in the winter, there will be a multitude of things to work on in your pursuit of horsemanship.

Group shot!

For Winter Program, we move into the indoor full time – About the only place you’ll need a coat is to walk to and from the lodge from your cabin, or from the shuttle to the NEW heated indoor arena! The non-riding hours are low-key and relaxing, enabling guests to unwind and have some quiet time in a peaceful setting.

There are many reasons to reserve your spot – too numerous to mention here, so if you are serious about improving your riding and want to spend time in a beautiful setting, contact Janice for more info or to reserve your spot(s)– stay for two weeks if you’d like! (406) 293-5000. info@mmgranch.net

We were also able to do a lot of cattle work this week- Lorraine, Erin, and Laila went out a lot with Sue (who they nicknamed Sunshine) and Ash (who they called Dimples)- they all had a great time traveling the country and finding the cattle.

David, Preston, and Beth- good friends and wonderful people

To top off the week we had a great campfire- we had the pleasure of introducing s’mores to Hannah, Autumn, and Laila. We all had a great evening filled with music, campfire snacks, and conversation. I know I speak for all the staff here at the ranch that the guests that have become our good friends this week will be missed.

That’s all for now… but there is much more to come.

Happy trails,

Anna and Janice

Scott (sort of) teaching Hannah how to rope 🙂

Max, Cahill, and Nemo

Bunny and Trouble

Some moments are just perfect

Cookie and Monty

August 18th, 2019, Volume 14, Issue 31

The beauty of a peaceful evening

This week was originally dubbed as an “off-week” by Shayne and I.  Off-weeks are dedicated to re-riding through the string, catching up on ranch projects and tending to various odds-and-ends.

However, when we were notified that there was a chance that the ENTIRE Seattle Mounted Police Unit might be able to come out that week, with ALL of their horses, the week was opened up!

And since it was officially opened, we started filling it up with more and more really neat people—We had stayover guests Rainer, Genna and Diana from Germany.  We had the Binninger family.  We had former employees and interns, Brooke, Eden and Nathan (with his better half, Marianne).  AND to top it all off, we had two members from the Army Caisson from D.C.—Robert, their civilian trainer and all-around program director, and Staff Sgt Adam, one of their riders.

So basically, our off week went from zero guests to our busiest week of the season thus far!

Roby working the Unit’s colt in our round pen

It was actually a ton of fun, working with so many dedicated students of horsemanship and (in the case of the Mounted Unit) working with their horses too!  Stephan, the head trainer in the Unit, was even able to bring a new horse, and get it re-started and ridden with the help of Roby!

Since everyone was super dedicated on the horsemanship end, we created multiple “stations” for the guests to rotate through.  Roby covered groundwork in the old indoor arena and horsemanship outside.  I covered cantering exercises in the outdoor arena and lots of refined soft feel work.  Shayne was in his NEW arena of course!  He covered all aspects—from short serpentines, the hind and front exercise and leg yields, to cantering arcs and beautiful straight lines on correct leads to work on the cutting machine.

Chief Diaz and Shayne

Janice bounced around getting a few of our greener riders up to speed so that they could come into the larger classes with confidence.  She did an amazing job!  This was the first time that we had the mounted officers out here withthe full support of their superiors.  Sgt Kevin had never ridden before, but he came out and entered up so that one day he could deploy with his men to “lead from the front!”  Speaking of leading from the front…CHIEF DIAZ from Seattle surprised the Unit by ALSO showing up at the ranch to learn to ride!  Both men showed their leadership and focus and blew our minds with how good they got in such a short amount of time.

Robert was a guest at the ranch 9 years ago, and came here at that time to go back to the Caisson with tools to take back to their training program.  It’s been a long stretch away, but he was finally allowed to come out again for more training.  We think this is the start of many more training weeks ahead!

Des’ apprentice, Flora with Trump

This was the Binningers 3^rdtrip out here this year.  They are the most dynamic family I’ve ever known!  How much of a blessing to have an entire family of dedicated horse-people!  This trip they are leaving behind one member—little Flora is going to be my personal apprentice for the next three weeks!  I’m not sure who is more excited about it between the two of us.  It is certainly going to be a fun, fun experience!

And my goodness…I cannot even begin to describe how good it felt to have Brooke, Eden and Nathan back “home.”  These people are family to me, I love them to pieces!  Riding horses with them every day made this week so special.  Just thinking about it gives me all the warm and fuzzies J

It was a big week but it paid big dividends!  We are excited to see how the training this week translates into better riders, better horses and (for the Mounted Police and the Army Caisson) better overall training programs that are sustainable.

Have a great week everyone!

Des

Genna getting a soft feel on Paco

Nathan, Marianne, and Chad- what great friends to have back with us for the week!

We will all miss our Josie <3

August 10, 2019, Volume 14, Issue 30

Hey there everybody,

Moving cattle!

What a wonderful and eventful week we have had! This week we moved all of our steers from McKillop pasture all the way to Davis Mountain! Every morning the horses and riders set to go out on the hunt would pack up and trailer out to the mountain. They would then unload and set forth on a day full of playing hide and seek with the steers. After a week of searching, our devoted guests were successful in their conquest- the entire herd of steers were found and moved! Although the expedition was technically led by Roby and Sue, we all know it was really Genna who was the leader- Genna is a dear little friend from Germany and has been coming to the ranch for years to help us gather and move our cattle. Next week we will be able to celebrate her 12^thbirthday with her!

Fast friends Daphne with Gunner and Genna with Boone

Many of our guests this week also found a great benefit from participating in horsemanship class with Des and Shayne. Des led many through her round pen exercise where our guests were given the opportunity to really practice their seat at the trot and canter- this exercise is great because it allows the rider to simply focus on getting their balance straight and correct without having to worry about rein management. Without fail every person that has come out of the round pen from their time with Des are either more confident about what they have to offer a horse or are sure about what they need to work on to be as great a support to their horse as they can be. It’s really like magic sometimes seeing the guest’s blossom on horseback through this exercise.

Natalie, Sharon, Marty, and Carla

Horsemanship with Shayne was just as accomplished this week- on Friday we had a competition but it wasn’t the sort of roaring and racing that one might usually think of when competition on horseback is mentioned. In horsemanship, we all worked on finding the best rate to fit our horses at the walk and within that rate be able to work with them correctly in and out of a soft feel. It was a great time and the horses all responded so positively- every horse wore an expression of sheer relaxation through every movement.

Daphne at Horseshoe Lake

To take full advantage of the beautiful weather this week, we had a number of groups headed out to the lake! Kayaking and paddle boarding are favorite pass times of many of us around here at the ranch so its always fun to share it with our guests. Janice always makes sure that everyone going to the lake is prepared for a day of fun- she even makes sure that we have apple and orange slices packed to enjoy as a snack out on the water. It’s a great way to escape this dry heat.

This week we got to welcome to the ranch our newest intern, Jenny! She’s from the UK will be with us for three months.  This is just the beginning for her and we are so excited to see how she will improve from her training with Shayne and Des 🙂

That’s all for now, folks. Hope to see you all down the road!

Happy trails,

Anna

Lined up for their group photo 🙂

Anna working on Nemo during her shoeing demonstration

Nan on Chalkeye and Dale on Booker

Is it a yeti?? Maybe its just Scott 😉

August 3, 2019, Volume 14, Issue 29

Hey Everyone,

Now that the clinics with Buck are over haying season is in full swing here at the ranch! For days now our team of hardworking women and men has been out mowing, raking, baling, and storing all of the hay from the freshly trimmed meadows. Altogether they made over 2000 bales! All the grass that was previously tall enough to overshadow some of our smaller horses is now sheared short like a buzz cut. The bales they are making are nothing to mess with either- each square bale is close to 600 pounds! No wonder it takes so much work. Once all of the hay is stored away and the crew has a moment to rest we will be able to ride out into the meadows and do cavalry exercises and other fun games in all the newly opened space. Oh the anticipation!

Pard leading his buddies across the pasture

Apart from haying, the rest of the staff is hard at work getting projects done around the ranch. Up in the office, Janice and I are prepping for 2020 already! Finalizing our schedule and taking in reservations for the new year has allowed us both to become excited for what next year will bring- and its hardly August! Be sure to check out all of the great opportunities laid out on our newly updated website.

Downstairs around the kitchen our faithful kitchen crew are yet hard at work making sure that the rest of us have hearty meals to come to at the end of the day- we would all starve without them! I am sure you are all familiar with the quality of cuisine that we are given here at McGinnis Meadows- we’re spoiled with so many thoughtfully prepared meals. Hands down. No question.

Dave and Adrienne <3

Since unveiling his new indoor arena last week, everyone has been itching to get over to Shayne’s new ring! It’s breathtaking and BIG! Every detail has been considered and executed with mastery. The footing is great and the space ideal with enough pens set up to accommodate any ranch and personal horses that would be lucky enough to cross the threshold.

Although it breaks our hearts to think of it, this week we have the excessively miserable job of saying goodbye to some beloved members of our ranch family. Dave and Adrienne will be moving away… some of us are handling it better than others. The impact they have made on this place through their devotion to their work and friendships will always be felt and cherished. In the words of Shayne, “They’re leaving this place better than they found it.” And we all know this to be true. We wish them well and send all our love with them down the road.

Emily and Dani

We’re back to our normal schedule next week with a couple of changes- Dani finished her internship this past week and is heading home. We are hoping to see her again very soon. On a happier note, Kevin is back! Amidst all the sadness of saying goodbye to good friends, it’s a nice change to be able to welcome one back home to the ranch. In regard to our upcoming week: it will inevitably be very eventful as we prepare to move the steers to their next grazing allotment and welcome a whole new group of guests to the ranch.

Happy trails,

Anna

The trucks and flatbeds transported all of the new bales to the hay barn

Little Bow Peep… I mean, Roby 🙂

July 27, 2019, Volume 14, Issue 28

So many amazing things went on this week at the ranch!

Buck with Manny

For starters, Buck did his second ranch clinic with us and our guests, starting on Monday of this week. It was such a pleasure to be able to watch him ride varying levels of horses—from Manny, his three-year-old to Finn, his snaffle bit horse to Eddie, his bridle horse.

Buck started his day with Manny each morning, doing groundwork at the start.  Manny only has a handful of rides and we were able to watch Buck work through some areas in the arena that he found a bit scary. Buck made no drama out of it, but he made sure to address the spots and get Manny through to the other side in a good frame of mind.

Zoe and Dude working cattle

We were able to see Finn working cattle this week.  He’s only done it about 3 times so far, so it was really neat to see the progressions of what Buck expected of him—but more so, how well he worked one with hardly any experience at it!  It’s a testament to all of the arena work that Buck teaches—always with the thought in mind of one day putting it to use working a cow.

Of course, he and Eddie seemed flawless, both in his warm-up rides and when working cattle.  It’s so beautiful to see how soft Eddie remains in every single movement.  And to watch him working a cow compared with last year—Buck has to grab leather now because gets hooked on so well and turns so hard!

I learned so much and enjoyed every minute with Buck.  He has certainly become a great friend over the years and Shayne and I were so sad to see him load up his ponies and head down the road on Wednesday.  I wish we could have followed him on to Bozeman but we had some big responsibilities here at home.  The biggest responsibility of all—The new arena!

On Friday, we and our guests put the VERY FIRST hoof prints in the new indoor arena!  It was everything we hoped it would be and more. It was 90 degrees outside, but the indoor was a cool 60.  The footing, the air quality, the atmosphere was PERFECT!!!!!  The guests and horses loved it!

Marsha cantering without reins on Roanie

In-between all of this—we managed to work on cantering without reins in the roundpen, finding the last 4 head of cattle in our State Section and getting them to our McKillop Piece, and heading out on several trails.

In addition to the riding, we also started HAYING!  The meadows are thicker than ever and we are going to be haying ground that we’ve never even hayed before, because the grass is so lush!  I think we are going to have a record year.

Randy, Willy, Nolan, Dave, Anna and Scott have been working around the clock to get everything mowed, raked, baled and put away while we have this window of warm, sunny weather.

Neitha and Bob on the state piece

Next week is an “off-week” and we’ll be focusing on our interns and re-riding through guest horses on the riding end of things.  We’ll also be full speed with haying, pasture clean-up and lots of other projects that we don’t always have time for in a given week.  We never stop finding ways to improve this ranch paradise of ours 🙂

Have a great weekend!

Des

The whole Buck clinic crew!

Marsha dazzling us after dinner

Pattie and Anne-Catherine at the lake on Friday! 

Sam and Booker cantering without reins

Buck and Eddie

July 20, 2019, Volume 14, Issue 27

Hey there everyone,

The anticipation has been mounting and finally the time has come. Buck Brannaman is with us here at McGinnis Meadows Ranch once again for his annual July clinics. I am sure you all are familiar with the feeling of Christmas morning- right before everyone gathers around the tree to exchange gifts and sip steamy cups of coffee there is a great feeling of anticipation and quiet excitement for what the day could bring. Welcome to Buck week here at McGinnis Meadows! The feeling that consumed the ranch before the start of the clinic on Wednesday morning was just the same- everyone a little bit giddy and a little bit nervous as they waited for the gift of learning from our accomplished teacher.

Ann working with Jasper

Once the clinic started in earnest, guests each morning started with a short demonstration ride given by Buck on one of his three horses that he brought with him; it was fascinating to see the progression of education exemplified through each of his horses. Buck’s colt, Manny, was still very green and before coming to McGinnis Meadows had not worked cattle. A bit more experienced was Buck’s next horse, Finn. Although Finn is still green he is further along and more accustomed to the demands of a snaffle bit horse. Finally, everyone was given the chance to watch Buck ride Eddie who is currently working in the two-rein. Through each of his horses, Buck demonstrated the importance of consistency; although the movements asked of the horses and precision with which they are performed may vary as the horse advances in his education, the consistency and promptness with which Buck asked each of them was noticeable.

Marcus and Stormy <3

Joining us for our first Buck week this year were a great group of old friends as well as some fresh new faces. Marcus and Stormy came back all the way from Germany for their 4^thBuck week. Stormy is the artist behind many of our most treasured photographs- her eye and timing to capture beautiful moments is a great gift. We also got to welcome back Gail, Kevin, Anne-Catherine, and Ruth to name a few! It was a wonderful reunion of friends. Quickly welcomed into the family were our first-time guests Samantha and Zoe, Tim and Ruth, as well as Margaret, Eileen and Senta. After speaking with our guests this week and hearing their take on what they had garnered from the clinic, every one without fail gave me the response that their eyes were opened to what they needed to work on in themselves and with their own horses. The ranch horses they were riding for the clinic performed with excellence as they were entrusted to carry the guests through the days of horsemanship and cattle working; as the guests improved their skills, the horses responded in kind and everyone had a great experience in identifying their strengths and weaknesses.

Ash, Dani, Julie and Gail

Before the start of the clinic this week, the guests got an opportunity to ride out and help the wranglers and interns move the steers from the State section where they were then living over to the next mountain, McKillop Pasture. With the help of Roby and Buck’s assistant, Isaac, we were able to move over 100 head! We all had a lot of fun working together!

Federico with his colt, Forest

Overall, this week was a lingering delight- every moment of every day was the perfect chance to learn from Buck, our horses and each other. There is no better gift than to be allowed to be present in this environment and to share it with friends.  The feeling of Christmas carried itself throughout the entirety of the clinic; as everyone heads home it is as if bidding farewell to family with promises of seeing one another at the next holiday. I hope you can join us for our little Christmas-in-July next year 🙂

Stay tuned for more about the second week of Buck clinics starting on Monday!

Happy trails,

Anna

Margaret and her sweet mare, Porsche

Eileen and Senta

Julio enjoying his ride with Shayne

Buck and his colt, Manny

Gail and Chief

Stormy working on lateral flexions with Dude

July 13, 2019, Volume 14, Issue 26

Howdy friends,

Clem getting his horse Clover to hook onto the steers

This week at the ranch we dove headfirst into horsemanship… but with a twist. We practiced cutting! As some of you might recall, Hall of Fame cutting horse trainer, Doug Jordan did a private clinic at the ranch last month.  Shayne and Des have been working hard to incorporate everything learned into getting their personal and ranch horses much more “hooked on” to the cattle and on the cutting machine.  Shayne wanted to be sure he was not only able to get his riding horses better, but he also needed to be able to teach his best version to our interns and to our guests so that we could get the entire herd more “cowy.”

This week, Shayne and Des put all of their hard work to the test and incorporated guests and interns into the cattle and cutting flag program.  We must have rotated through at least 40 guest horses!  When it comes to cutting, Doug says you know you are on the right track when you are doing less and your horse is doing more on his own.  You don’t demand that the horse hook onto a cow, you suggest it via pressure and release and in no time, the horses figure out the game and start hooking on and cutting on cattle because it’s actually the most peaceful thing to do!  It’s amazing what these animals can do when we simply get out of their way.

Jane and Terry out at the State Section

To join us in our fun this week we had the beloved Binninger family who brought their personal horses along for the adventure. We always have a wonderful time with this handy family and they picked up the cow working really quickly. We also had with us again this week Jane and Terry Lynch who were game for anything we threw at them; this week they worked in the arena to learn cutting and also rode out for full day rides to check on cattle and explore the country. Terry was even so kind as to teach me how to fly fish this week! He is a great teacher 🙂

Madi and Mighty 🙂

And not to be forgotten is our friend, Madi! This week she visited the ranch as Des’ apprentice to learn horsemanship and cattle work. We all had a great time with her! She is quickly improving in her riding ability- more than once wranglers had to tell her to slow down because she was cantering with such gusto around the arena! And to think she’s only 11 years old! Madi was also a great helper this week and was eager to be of assistance in whatever capacity she was able. In fact, she excitedly offered to help write the highline this week! Please enjoy this excerpt by Madi about her adventures here at McGinnis Meadows:

This week I was an apprentice of Des. I learned a lot from her and had fun along the way. I learned a lot about working cows and getting the horses straight and soft in a circle. I rode two horses this week, Mighty on Monday and Tuesday, and Boone on Thursday and Friday. Mighty was a very forward horse. He was easy to ride and had a very nice gallop. Boone was a good horse as well. He wasn’t as forward as Mighty, but I did get him to trot and canter multiple times. Boone also did very well on the cutting ball for his first time. I also got him to hook on to the steers. He did a very nice job and would want to follow them everywhere. On Wednesday, we did not ride, but we did some pretty fun things instead. For example, a group of people rode up Shayne’s mountain and saw some beautiful sights and some cattle. Another group rode through the state piece and checked on steers, water tanks, and mineral tubes. I went with Janice and some of the interns to Horseshoe Lake. We rode paddleboards and kayaks around the lake and Josie and I jumped into the middle of a little cove. We also saw a little tiger Muskie swimming around a sand bar out in the middle of the lake. We had a great time there. The wranglers I stayed with were really nice and caring, even though they might have sent me to the lake without sunscreen or almost forgot me at the ranch one night 🙂

Trouble- majestic as ever 😉

As we head into the upcoming week, everyone here at the ranch is working hard to prepare for the arrival of Buck Brannaman. We are confident that everything will be wonderful for the clinics: the horses are ready for their guests, the ranch overall is being given an extra shine to ensure pristine accommodations, and, of course, Miriam has planned out extravagant and exceedingly delicious meals for us all to enjoy at the end of the day.

Well, folks, that’s everything for now! Stay tuned for the tails of our adventures with Buck this week!

Happy trails,

Anna

Jupiter and Jasper more than curious to meet Anna’s dog, Junie!

Intern Alyssa and Dude demonstrating a soft feel

The Binninger family riding out!

 Yaz hard at work

The steers: quiet and calm after a day of working

July 6, 2019, Volume 14, Issue 25

Happy Independence Day everyone!!

Can’t beat the views in Montana

It has been a great week here at McGinnis Meadows- the kind of week that makes you really stop and think about how truly blessed we are to live in the great state of Montana surrounded by mountains, lakes, and that big sky. Being witness to its beauty never gets old. And being able to share it with people that you have the pleasure to consider your family and friends makes it all the sweeter.

Trump looking glamorous after his grooming

Here to celebrate the 4^thof July with us this week was a great group of women from Australia- all friends and all accomplished riders. This set us up well for getting to business working cattle and moving them from one property on the ranch to another.  Although coming to the ranch for the week not knowing anyone, our new friend Vanessa quickly blended in with the staff at the ranch as well as our Aussie guests. It was so nice how much everyone became fast friends. We also got to welcome home our dear old friends Jane and Terry Lynch. They have been coming to the ranch for years and are always keen to move a few steers with Roby or one of the wranglers. And of course we can’t forget Merle! An old friend of Shayne’s, at 86 years of age he trekked out to Montana and visited the ranch; after a day or riding he opted for a more relaxing vacation experience and rode around with Dave, helping him do chores, and taking some great photos. 

Christina with Dude at Moose Pond

On Tuesday almost everyone at the ranch rode out and moved cattle- there were just a few elusive steers left on Shayne’s mountain so one group rode out to find them. Other groups of guests and wranglers set out to the State section where the majority of the steers are now held to gather as many as possible and push them up to the water tanks. The final group set out to find a couple of lame steers and bring them back closer to the ranch for doctoring- don’t worry, folks, they’ll be just fine. Overall it was quite the day! Everyone came home just in time to unsaddle and grab some refreshment from the beer fridge before the thunderstorms
started rolling in.

Yaz and Chief both focusing on the cutting machine

Later in the week we all got to apply our horsemanship when Shayne and Des let the guests work cattle in the outdoor arena and practice with the cutting machine. Everyone had a blast! And it was the perfect day for it too- after what seems like weeks of rain, the sun finally came out and gave us the perfect day to practice with the steers. The horses are all really getting hooked onto working with the cattle; under Shayne’s guidance the horses and the steers are getting quieter and more efficient in their work- it is really something special to see.

Judye, Ange, Michelle, and Yvonne after a full day of riding

To top off the week, we had a live concert from Boulder Creek Band on Friday evening! Everyone really enjoyed the bluegrass selection they offered and there were more than a couple people up dancing to the music 🙂 Following the music, Scott set up the bonfire and everyone gathered around for a laughter filled night- we even got to introduce our new Aussie friends to s’mores! Anna Banana even showed them her version of a s’more in which you ditch the graham cracker and just eat the marshmallow between two pieces of chocolate! And would it really be the 4th of July without fireworks? Dave made sure we were stocked with sparklers and gave us mini fireworks show as everyone lounged by the fire.

Well folks, we here at the ranch hope you had a great holiday. Stay tuned as wet get closer and closer to welcoming Buck Brannaman back to the ranch! The countdown has begun and our anticipation is growing 🙂

Happy trails,

Anna

Tracey and Yvonne- delightful ladies

Scott custom welding shoes for Chief

Ange with Mr. Magoo

A fun day searching for steers!

June 22, 2019, Volume 14, Issue 23

Howdy everyone,

Kaci, Steve, Leo, and Zach

This week at McGinnis Meadows has been filled with extremes: from moments of taking cover from large and looming thunderstorms to relaxing and laughter filled evenings around the fire- its been a great week. We got to welcome some old and good friends this
week as well: the Klipsch family was here for more cattle fun and horsemanship. In addition, Kara and Carol brought their horses with them for a third annual week of horsemanship training.

One of the major priorities of this week was to move cattle from Shayne’s mountain over to our state section. The Klipsch boys took on this project full force- with the help of Roby, Scott, and Shayne they devoted themselves to cattle work. At the end of the week nearly 100 steers had been moved! The boys also are great fisherman; whenever they were not horseback they were off catching fish out of Shayne’s pond or the creek. They even taught a couple of our interns their technique!

Roby riding out with Zach and Leo

Although the first day of summer has come and gone, it doesn’t quite feel like it here in Montana; with all the rain this week, the normally sunny afternoons gave way to clouds and wind. However, all the weather we rode through during the day did give everyone great appetites for Miriam’s masterpiece of a meal every night. This week alone we were treated to crème brûlée, key lime pie, and chocolate mouse. And of course, Rachel is always baking to keep the cookie jar stocked- even though I’m afraid it’s a losing battle. We all eat the cookies too quickly! Her problem would be solved if she did not make us such delicious treats 😉

Anna, Nancy, and Carol learning in horsemanship class

Horsemanship this week was, as always, a great time to learn and grow in our education; Des led a lot of the horsemanship classes in the indoor arena where we all worked on being excessively consistent with our horses in a soft feel. As we moved around the arena, we were charged to pick up a soft feel on our sweet ponies, ride with quality, and then reward the horses with a loose rein and peace. The slow pace at which we were able to practice all of this vital work was highly beneficial for everyone present.

The ranch horses here at McGinnis Meadows never cease to amaze us with their gentleness and ability; we are truly grateful for the opportunity to learn from such beautiful teachers. We got to welcome our newest intern, Bailey, into the fold this week. She is quickly learning the value of the horses that she has been allowed to ride as she adjusts to life at the ranch.

Brenda and Bernie

Well, another week has come to a close. We sadly exchange goodbyes with our friends as they go home and hope they come back to visit us soon. This week we have to say goodbye to our old friend, Bernie Ziegner. After staying for three weeks he is headed on back home. While we are purposefully here to learn from the horses, it is evident that we learn almost as much from the wonderful people we have the joy to meet along the way.

Happy trails,

Anna

Dunny being a good sport with Yaz’s shenanigans

All of the ponies loved Kaci!

Kara demonstrating a soft feel on her gelding, Handsome

Poise and balance 🙂