The Highline: Horsemanship, Roping, and the Search for a Missing Steer

June 16, 2018 – Volume 13 – Issue 24

Greetings everyone,

Another stellar week at the ranch has come to a close. This week we had a smaller group of guests, which gave us plenty of opportunities to ride and learn with each individual and approach them no matter their level of experience. While this is always something we strive to do I believe it went particularly well this week.

Bigfoot Bait

Last week we moved all of the cattle from Shayne’s Mountain over to the Ferguson pasture. During the week Jessica, Greg, Sue, and I went on Shayne’s mountain hunting for one steer it appears we may have misplaced. Although many possibilities exist to explain what happened to the mysterious missing steer, we had by the end of our day’s search decided that of the possibilities that existed to explain what happened, there were four that were the most plausible. They were: 1) The steer was outside the fence 2) The steer was still in the pasture (likely feeling rather satisfied with himself) 3) the original count from last week was off by one, or 4) Bigfoot had taken the steer. We were all in mutual agreement that option 4 seemed like our best bet. We even thought we might have heard some grunting in the bushes by one of the water tanks. Our search continues…

Greg and Cheech

It seems a great deal of having cattle involves either keeping them in where they’re supposed to be or getting them out of where they aren’t. On Friday, Phil, Greg, and Jeanette went out with Nathan and I to bring in three steers that had escaped the Ferguson pasture. Though they were outside the fence, they stayed close knowing that mineral, water, and other cattle were just on the other side of the wire.

Chris makes a catch!

This week roping was a popular activity during the evenings for both wranglers and guests. Kevin led roping lessons with guests Chris, Joe, and Phil. Often people don’t realize how many steps are involved in roping besides simply swinging a loop. Between handling your coils and building a loop there’s a lot to learn before you’re even ready to try catching a cow. Luckily all of this week’s ropers were quick studies and were up and swinging in no time. It’s always a delight to see the look of shock and excitement on someone’s face the first time they catch with their rope.

Joe and Brownie at the lookout.

On Thursday, I took Joe and Jeanette on a horsemanship trail ride up to the lookout. During our ride we practiced hills, soft feels, and leg yields. Often we find that riders are not taught the proper way to ascend and descend hills often being told to go down at an angle or to lean far forward or back. Knowing how to correctly go up and down hills is vital to keeping you and your horse safe and comfortable, which is especially important given how much of the terrain when riding out is not flat. By sitting straight up in the saddle, directing the horse straight down hill, and asking for a soft feel we can keep our horses balanced and reduce the potential for falling.

Jeanette and Omar

Jeanette had the pleasure of riding Omar for most of the week and often remarked that she was impressed with his athleticism and responsiveness. As such a large horse one might think that he would crash through the woods mowing down anything in his way. Quite the contrary, Omar has the ability to creep through the foliage as stealthily as any of the other horses on the ranch. This ability is a testament to what balance, feeling, and timing can offer a horse no matter their breed and size.

Roby and Benny demonstrating the best way to bridle.

On Friday, interns, wranglers, and guests got a lesson on how perspective can make a huge difference in handling your horse. In the daily hustle and bustle of getting horses ready for the day sometimes one forgets to truly take into account the horse’s feelings. Its easy to approach the horse like you’re just there to do a job and you may get it done but if your horse doesn’t like it you may be making it harder for the next time. When one changes their perspective and works to become their horse’s friend something unpleasant like applying smelly sunscreen to their noses can be made into something they crave. It’s not always about what can be done with a horse as much as how they feel about it. It’s important to take time to make interactions with your horse positive because, as Shayne says, “if you don’t have the time to do it right the first time how the heck do you think you’ll have time to do it the second time?” Often changing your perspective can lead to better outcomes and happier horses.

This week we had to say goodbye to Manfred and Jessica who have been guests with us for the last two weeks. They rode Twizzle and Benny during most of their stay and it was obvious that both horses were quite happy with their riders. From horsemanship to checking mineral tubs to hunting for and driving cattle they were up for anything we threw at them and were always eager to help. We look forward to seeing them again in the future.

Manfred, Jessica, and Trouble

As I bring this week’s Highline to a close I just wanted to share how excited I am to be back at the ranch working and riding with everyone. We have an awesome crew this year and there’s nowhere I’d rather spend this summer than with all of you, near and far.

Until next week,

Jessie