July 28, 2018 – Volume 13 – Issue 29
Hi Everyone,
Buck and Eddie
What a week! This week was the second Buck week and boy did we learn a lot! It’s been incredible to get to watch Buck’s horses improve over the last two weeks. Just when you think his horse is as soft as he can be, he unlocks another dimension. It is both inspiring and moving to see an example of what we all aspire to achieve in our own riding and we appreciate Buck for giving us that opportunity.
Kureha and Mighty on the cutting ball.
Although the guests started the clinic right away instead of riding with us a couple of days before it started, everyone got dialed in quickly and were working in the rodeer and on the cutting ball the very first day of the clinic. It’s so cool to see how fast everyone catches on to how to make their horses work. Being oriented toward a task – like cutting a steer from the rodeer – also helps everyone get focused on a common goal. On Wednesday Buck left for Kalispell and although we were sad to see him go we’re excited to see how far his horses get before we see them again.
McGoo, Jesse, and Romeo, the White Horse Trio.
During the clinics Sue, Brenda and Jessie went to the state section to continue pushing the remaining cattle over to the McKillop. When we move cattle to a new pasture it is always important to take them to a water source, which in this case was one of two water tanks. We spent time making sure both were running well and were full. This entails checking the spring boxes that fill them and making sure the valves and hoses are clear of silt. In the upper tank we found that a bear had used one of the floats used to fill the tank as a chew toy. We replaced it, thinking that the new one would last for a while before the bears came back. The next day, we went back to the same tank and found that the bears had already returned! We had to replace the float again and hope the bears have had enough fun for a while.
L – R: Shelly and Chalky, Terri and Dandy, Brenda and Paco, and Sam and Jasper
On Thursday and Friday Sam, Shelly, Brenda, Jenna, and I looked for the remaining few steers. We found the final eight on a side hill below a logging road. There were too many sticks and logs to ride to where we could get below the cattle so Shelly and Brenda volunteered to push them up on foot. Everything seems closer until you look down the hill and see how small everyone has suddenly gotten. They got the cattle on the road and mounted back up to drive them up the mountain. Dessert was certainly earned for that hike!
Joe and Twizzle
During our search for cattle I really gained an appreciation for how much I had learned about the country, where to look for cattle, and how to get to water in the six days we wranglers have spent rounding up the cattle. As long as you know where you are you don’t have to follow the exact trail you did last time. Each trip was a little bit different and everyone had a great time. As Randy said, every day outside is new no matter how much time you spend out there.
Federico and Hunk
The haying crew continued their work and finally finished on Thursday. The hay sheds are overflowing and we should be more than ready for winter. Since the meadows were mowed, Roby got to teach horsemanship there on Friday. It’s exciting to get to ride through the open meadows and we’ll be doing it a lot in the coming weeks! The haying crew all got a well deserved day off on Friday – which most spent at the Buck clinic in Kalispell. I’ve never met a group of individuals that worked so hard and yet were so eager to take advantage of every opportunity to learn. The rest of us have plans to go to the clinic this weekend to audit and support our fellow staff and interns riding in the clinic. It’s sure to be a great time!
Until next week,
Jessie
Traci and Chief
Mollie and Boone
Stash keeping a careful eye on the cattle.