The Highline: Opportunities Abound

August 4, 2018 – Volume 13 – Issue 30

Catherine and Brumby

Last weekend’s Buck clinic in Kalispell seemed like a family reunion with so many familiar faces (equine and human!). This week the reunion continued with the return of several repeat guests and some former staff. Betty, Susanne, and Catherine have all been to the ranch many times and came back to better their horsemanship. They’re always good students and we were glad to see them back. Eden and Stephanie both brought personal horses and they were a joy to ride with again. It is so fun to see where they are with their lives and their horsemanship.

Suzanne and Breezy

Because of the large number of personal horses brought this week we received lots of demonstrations of how new horses react to our training methods. When horses react differently it provides new opportunities to see how Shayne, Roby, and Des make fine adjustments to what they do to get through to the horse. Since more and more of our ranch horses have spent most of their lives being worked with in this style of horsemanship, it’s interesting to get to see the change as things resolved that were not addressed in previous training. From groundwork in the round pen to working at the hitching rail we learned a lot from these horses.

Jason on Concho and Jackson on Gunner

In horsemanship, we continued the work done by Buck in his clinics.The week began with practicing short serpentines both in the open and through a series of cones. This helps define the pattern and gives us a reference point from which to perform the movement in order to be more particular about how it is executed. Later in the week we worked on preparing our horses to get their leads. It at first seems daunting to think that one can know for sure if a horse will get his leads before they attempt it. When we better understand what goes into setting the horse up for the correct lead and what dry work assures they will catch it, it’s easier to predict if the horse will pick it up right away or have trouble. If the dry work isn’t good and you get the correct lead it may be that the horse is accomplishing it in spite of you rather than because of you.

Jackson feeding with Dave and I

Several days this week we went to check on the cattle on McKillop. Brenda, Sue and Scott took the lead on this and were assisted by Jackson who came with his Dad and Grandma. Jackson was a great help and was eager to do anything he was asked. In addition to riding on the mountain, Jackson got to learn to rope this week and even helped us feed one day. It is so fun to see what the youngest of our guests are able to accomplish with their horses because they are able to ride in a way that isn’t restricted by overthinking. They just go and their horses seem all the happier for it.

John and Trump

One of the neatest parts about riding at the ranch is the sheer number of equine teachers you get to learn from. I have found that the things I struggle with on some horses come easily on others and vice versa. Riding different horses helps us get exposure about how movements are supposed to feel versus how they happen to feel on a given day with a specific horse. If I can feel a united circle on one horse I can ride another horse with that feeling held in my mind as an ideal to strive for. After all, the measure of a good horseman is being able to make all of their horses, diverse as they may be, look the same all while having a good expression. As this week comes to a close, I find myself particularly thankful for both the horses that allow us to feel the things for which we strive and those who make us work to replicate that feeling.

Have a great week everyone and be sure to check back for next week’s installment of The Highline.

– Jessie