June 30, 2018 – Volume 13 – Issue 26
As one of the more long-standing staff members at the ranch, I have seen quite a few faces come through the McGinnis Meadows archway. I remember in my first couple of years how shy, green and timid I was of those around me! I’m not sure how big of an impression I could have made!
Jane and Terry driving cattle on Twizzle and Amigo
Regardless though, many individuals made quite the impression on me. A few of those guests were with us this week. Jane and Terry were a big deal when I first met them! After all, they had been coming to the ranch since 2002 and (as of this week) had 24 ranch trips under their belts! Shayne and I were thrilled to find out they had booked for this week because the ranch has made so many changes since their last visit. The coolest part of this week for us? Jane and Terry expressed how impressed they were with how soft and responsive the horses were this trip, the “best ever” they said! As longtime guests and friends, it meant a lot to us to hear how much they enjoyed the new-ness of the internship program, the new horses in the guest string, the grazing allotment and how well the crew worked with one another. Oh and of course, the FOOD. EVERY GUEST could not stop raving about the food!
Deb and Emmett
Deb is another guest who was here my first year. Deb has been riding with Buck and with Shayne for many years. The first time I met her, I thought she was such a study and worked so hard at her horsemanship that she was a lot like Shayne—just a female version! I knew she coached volleyball in Washington and was known to be a pretty strong woman. Over the years, I have been fortunate to get to know her more and can call her a friend. What a treat to get to ride with her and her handsome horse Emmett this week!
Joy visiting the ponies
We were graced by several members of Carolyn’s group, who have joined us now for the second year in a row (Carolyn herself joins us for multiple visits each year!) The group consisted of Carolyn, Kara and Carol. This year she was joined by two other friends, Cookie and her husband Steve! This is such a fun group to teach. The women all bring their own horses to work with and they are super sporty—working on as much horsemanship in as many varied environments as possible! Some of the things worked on this week included gathering cattle, working on the cutting ball, advanced groundwork, flying changes in the arena and SOOOO much more.
Joy joined us for her first week of 5 this summer. Joy can lovingly be referred to as a “fart in a skillet.” She never stops! Somehow between running her businesses back home, she manages to be out early with her horses, stay late to work them, and ride her butt off every second in-between. She has three personal horses at the ranch to work with—Hidalgo, Cisco and Angel, who has been in training with us for awhile.
Penny and Joy’s mare, Angel
Three new guests joined us this week and quickly became part of the family. Art and Heidi who have been visiting guest ranches for 20 years and decided to see what we were about, and Penny, who came here to join us all the way from Australia! They were all so wonderful to work with. Art with his silly sense of humor, Heidi with her kind way and big smiles and Penny who became enthralled with the horse/human relationship taught here. (She even decided to stay a second week!)
Art and Bob
I truly enjoyed all of the time I was able to spend with each individual, whether in the arena or at the dinner table. We are so blessed to be able to have so many unique and engaging individuals each week to work with and learn from.
This week we gave a warm farewell to our two-month intern Becca. Becca made some big strides in her horsemanship and got a lot of experience horseback with cattle in the mountains. The internship program is so dynamic though, that even as Becca headed home, we were joined by a new intern named Mollie! And today, we have another new intern named Abbey joining us! We have had so many compliments this year on the quality of the teaching and it seems like everyone enjoys the part that the interns play at the ranch. We absolutely love having them here with us.
Becca and Quick
That’s last week in a nutshell for ya!
Next week we have a whole lot of neat stuff going on—it is an “internship-style” guest week for one. For another, we’ll be working on a brand-new ranch video for the website! We are pretty excited about it!
Till next time,
Des
Kara and Carol at the lookout
L-R: Carolyn on Harley and Cookie on Gus
The horses grazing peacefully in the Elk Pasture