Fast Rides, Mountain Storms, Young Horses, and Shifty Cows

Okay.... so I haven't written a blog in over a month.... who is suprised?? I'm not...

The date is now July 3rd..... the date on this entry is the day I tried to write it......

I built up a list of all the things I wanted to mention in all those blogs I never actually wrote though... Each is its own seperate and awesome story, and now I know I'll never really be able to write them all here.... just out of pure lazyness... sorry! So.... here is a list.

-The week before last (during which I wrote my last blog) was the Anna Twinney clinic. She trained with Monty Roberts (THE Horse Whisperer)... and now has her own program called "Reach Out To Horses." It was a pretty cool clinic... a bit crunchy for my taste (I may be crunchy in most aspects of my life, but not as much when it comes to horses). For example... they spoke to "the higher self" of a few of the horses, and performed reiki healing... very cool to learn about and watch done... but not something I could really practice in real life.

-We had just two regular riding guests--very awesome! Both were extremely competent riders, so all the rides were fast and fun.

-One of the more exiting moments of that week was when Kate and I were haying in rain, and we drove the big blue monster of a truck into the duck pond. Its breaks are completely shot..... luckily we got it out before anyone saw. :)

-The last day of that week was also exciting. Mel, Richard, and I spent the entire morning walking yearlings down to the big field where they will spend the next 2 years of their lives just living and being horses. It was a difficult task because they are all just broke to halter. After a good 2 hours to move 4 yearlings (it was a long walk... with many frightening trees, rocks, and sagebrush along the way) we got them all in safely. Later on that day we were watching Anna work a young horse in the round pen as a HUGE thunderstorm rolled in... all of a sudden i hear a crash behind me, and its ALL the yearlings we had spent the morning moving. They had broken out and ran back to where they used to live.... and all looked too pleased about it. Kate and Kristen rushed to make sure all the colts (2 & 3 year olds haddn't gotten out).... unfortunately they all had, and were roaming free across the property. A bolt of lightening quickly spoiled our plans to herd them all back. A massive wyoming thunderstorm was upon us. We ran into the shed near the round pen (Anna, wranglers, guests and all) we thought we'd wait it out. Mel then stuck her head in and said something along the lines of "this thing is going to stick around..." and then took off like a shot across the sage towards the lodge (5 minute run?) We (being the wranglers) shared a look and made an instantaneous decision to follow. We took off across the field.... and ended our week in the way most probably should at the Bitterroot.... chasing Mel across an open field in the rain, hail, thunder and lightening of a full blown thunderstorm. We laughed and laughed, and were all completely soaked by the time we reached the river. We scampered over the bridge and to our cabins. Exhilarating.

-Sunday=day off as usual. Drove into Dubois. Picked up groceries for the ranch, and supplies we needed.

-I LEARNED HOW TO KNIT!! (I'm in the middle of knitting a simple black scarf... so far so good. Expect homemade Christmas gifts!!)

-The next week was the team (Linda Tellington Jones TTouch Method) clinic. We started 5 unbroken 4 year olds-- LuLu, Tsodillo, Witu, Lucy, and one unamed bay colt. It was unbelievably awesome! I learned so so much, and really feel like I could take a horse who has essentially never been worked with, start it... and start it well.

-The weather was absolutely beautiful... which we attribute to a dutch woman who drew a turtle in the sand every day (some old legend). I believe in turtle power.

-Over this period of time we also brought up 70 more horses and a bunch of cattle (the roads were finally dry enough).... which meant a lot more pony faces to recognize, and names to learn..... and also meant the wranglers got to go on a few mini cattle drives to get the cows from where the semi dropped them to the pasture they'd live in until the BIG cattle drive in July (which was this week... more on that later). The little drives were always during dinner... but worth it because we got to ride across the bench at sunset..... absolutely stunning.

-The next week was a centered riding clinic we had essentially no part in-- 19 guests kept us quite busy. It was run by a relatively famous horse woman named Donna Snyder Smith. She apparently trains the worlds top endurance riders. At the beginning of the week I got to help Mandy (former staff member, and TTeam trainer) continue work with all the young horses. We eventually backed all of them.... such a feeling of accomplishment. I love them all. They're all very good tempered, and will make excellent riding horses. The arabs they breed here are so unlike any I have ever experienced.... they are fantastic.

-Oh! I forgot to mention another horse in that clinic was a 3yo named Ganges. He is what we call a Quatro (they have 4 parts-- Arabian, Percheron, Andalusian, and Thoroughbred).... an interesting combo.... most are spectacular LOOKING, but incredibly nutty. Ganges is the opposite. He is.... awkward. Endearingly so. He is almost 17hh already, and STILL growing. His ears make him look like a mule. But he has SUCH a great personality... I love him. I'd come back next year just to see him through his REAL team clinic starting.

-I've ridden a lot of horses I haven't yet mentioned.... A quick overview:

Booker: roan paint, 4yo, new to the ranch, I've been the only one to ride him. He's fantastic. A month ago he was deathly afraid of water, hated being ridden in a line, and was not adjustable at all at the trot or canter....I rode him yesterday on a fast ride and he was an absolute ANGEL. He'll be a dude horse for sure. I'll put 1 or 2 more rides on him... and he'll be good to go.

Acacia: grey arabian (we've got lots), 7yo mare, bred here, learning to neckrein. I've ridden her a few times, including our huge cattle drive. She's fantastic. Very smooth, a bit quick, but lovely. I like her a lot, but I know she'll be duded soon too, so it's better to not get fully attached.

Mariah: 6yo grey Andalusian/Perch/Appy cross, bought last year, a ton of issues. I worked her with Donna (centered riding lady) in the round pen one time after work. I almost died a few times, but she made really nice progress. I'm hoping to lead more rides on her soon. (She had a head tossing problem, and a bit of a stopping problem before.... but with luck, my work has paid off a bit)

Singida: HOW COULD I FORGET! 6yo bay arabian gelding, also bred here. Tall, tall, tall... and handsome as HELL. I've never lead a ride on him, but I've followed 2 fast rides this week. They have me on him because he is actually a sale prospect. Some big endurance riders are coming up here in 2 weeks looking for new horses.... and he needs more rides before they try him. He is UNBELIEVABLE. HUGE floaty trot, and SO FAST at the canter. I just rode him this morning and am still realing from one of our canters through the sage. He needs more work because he is still quite spooky, and could potentially be a runaway (at the back of a ride.. he's just fine). Love him.

Shakka: chesnut arab gelding 4/5yo. still learning, but very good for a baby. I lead an intermediate ride on him this afternoon... apart from a few small spooks, and a refusal to cross the bridge (which we later corrected) he was great.

There are probably more.... but I know I've bored most of you by now.

-The BIG cattle drive was this week. We drove 200 head of cattle way up into the forrest. It was a LONG day... but quite the experience. One I wont soon forget.

-The past week has been quite the exciting one (and not just because of the drive). We've had a lot of "incidents" with guests falling, or wranglers falling, or just general insanity. Cows escaping. Elaina (cabin girl) and I spent a long evening chasing cows along the river with Kate and Kristen on the other side. They were Highland cows (that we don't drive because they are too smart and shifty) and they needed to be trailered up to the forest, but escaped. We felt like we were in army bootcamp... scaling stallion fencing (tall and hard), diving under buck and pole fencing, running through mud, scraping ourselves up on underbrush. We got them eventually, and now they are all in the forest.

-This has lost any sense of structure now...... to sum: I'm alive. I'm tired and sore... but I absolutely love my job and wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. I still find this place incredibly beautiful, and the people are some of the best I've met.

Which reminds me... we have frequented the local Dubois bar--Wiskey Creek Saloon, for 2 of the cabin girls 21st birthdays. Talk about local character. Fantastic. We also atteneded the Dubois rodeo..... which I have promised myself I am barrel racing in before the summer ends (lots of local cowboys ready to lead me a horse.... it'll be GREAT).

Oh... and I happily ate a Highland cow steak for dinner today.. with potatoes and gravy. After spending a week dealing with the tricky bastards... I happily chowed down.

Now I'm going to go play frisbee on the lawn, and then head off to bed.

GOODNIGHT.

This hopefully means I will update more because I wont be so extremely overwhelmed by the thought of writing all this.

OH.... and I lost my cell phone in the middle of the national forest on last weeks picnic ride..... soooo, if you have tried to call me.... its not that im dead, or that i hate you.... it's because a bear has probably eaten it.

Speaking of BEAR.... i saw LOTS last week!! A GRIZZLY and TWO CUBS. unreal. and perhaps too close.... but still, another thing I will never forget.

Ok... no more tangents.

love you all.


....okay so more tangents: I went hammock camping last weekend with Kristen. Beautiful. A bit too cold. worth it. spend my day off lounging in a hammock knitting and reading On The Road.

Converted

I floated across the sage today on an arabian mare named Lullabye. Literally floated. I'm not sure if her hooves even touch the ground when she canters. It's magical. Officially the best trail horses ever. I have no shame... Arabians are great. (well... not the creepy halter arabians.. but Mel's arabians) I may never own one myself... but if I ever needed to canter up a cliff face.... I would pick an Arabian....

Lullabye is also the dam of my favorite yearling colt. This might mean I need to come back next year and the year after to see that little guy through training. If he turns out anything like his mommy.... it will be a great experience.

So yeah... judge me if you will... but these horses rock.

Also, the sun came out today... and the clouds finally lifted to reveal the full view of the now even snowier Wind River Range and Absarokas... just beautiful.

Quick Update

The rest of last week went very well... despite some more not-so-perfect weather.

I went on the picnic ride on Saturday... absolutely BEAUTIFUL! We climbed 1500ft in elevation to a spot atop one of the Absarokas.... with stunning 360 views of both the Wind Rivers and the Absarokas.


SNOW (....in June) on Sunday meant I couldn't drive into Dubois for my day off... but I made the most of it. I baked cookies with Doc, the cook. Read a lot. Went on a nice snowy walk.


I woke up this morning at 5:45am to wrangle the horses (we've been getting up earlier and earlier... because the herd is getting more and more stubborn). I knew it was colder than usual in my unheated cabin... but I was shocked to open my door and find 2 inches of snow on the ground. Most of the snow melted by the morning ride however, and unlike last week... we got two rides in today WITHOUT getting rained (or snowed) on.


I lead the afternoon ride on a palomino gelding named Charlie. He is a complete ass on the ground, but a rockstar leading rides! I had a great time with our two guests (there is also a 7 person clinic going on, but they dont ride), and 2 other wranglers. I'm not sure this job and this place will ever get old. There is a spot on the ride we took today (called "Behind the Bench") where you canter up this massive hill, and as you reach the top the snowy peaks of the Absarokas appear. It is one of the best views I've seen so far... and the fact that it's the reward at the end of an already exhilarating canter makes it that much better!


Now I'm just hanging out in the staff kitchen, waiting for my laundry. Most people have already gone off to bed (9pm... we're really exciting). The air is getting colder by the second, and I wouldn't be shocked if I woke up to snow again tomorrow.


Anyway... that's all I've got for now. Here are some pictures of Sunday's snow (today's was FAR worse).

Never A Dull Moment

"Never a dull moment!" is the unofficial motto of the Bitterroot Ranch, and oh man is it the truth....


On Sunday the new guests arrived (8 of them), and so did the rain... By Monday morning the showers had lightened up enough to allow us to move forward with our morning ride. I was told I would be leading my first ride! (Poll Creek Trail to Upper Gorge which I had learned the day I rode Lightening) I was on Buster, and would be leading the walk/trot ride. After a little bit of drama at guest evaluations (I don't think it would be appropriate to write here, though amusing...), I set off with a guest named Bob. Bob is a retired Air Force pilot, about 5'4" wakes up at 4:30 every morning, and is at the Bitterroot because his wife loves horses and he loves his wife. The ride was going quite well, Bob made it easy to keep up conversation, and was genuinely interested in all I had to say about the local wildlife and geology. Heading into a grove of aspen, Buster tipped me off to the presence of a mule deer by spooking gloriously at it. (Two days prior, he spooked at a BUTTERFLY..... and continued to spook as said beautiful butterfly as it flew around ahead of us on the trail...... so, needless to say, I was expecting such antics) Bob blissfully ignored Busters mild meltdown, and was ecstatic to see a mule deer up close. Luckily enough for Bob... not so luckily for Buster... further down the trail was a massive yearling MOOSE. I spotted the moose before Buster this time, and pointed it out to Bob... who tried unsuccessfully to snap a few pictures of it. Once I told Buster to walk on, he finally saw the moose..... and decided it was one of those rare dun paint horse eating moose found only in Wind River Country. He spun around on his hind legs and tried to take off in the other direction. I am quite used to rollbacks like that from polo, so he didn't unseat me... I just turned him back around and tried to push him forward again. After a short battle of wills (and many more spins backwards), which Bob found quite hysterical/impressive... I won, and Buster walked forward.... eyes bulging, and snorting all the way. I felt a bit bad, because he was actually physically shaking he was so frightened of the moose.... and it was quite clear he was only walking forward because I absolutely insisted he should. This is one of the many reasons I love Buster.... while he might be one of the more irrational horses I've met, he's not completely irrational... and he is also quite honest and trusting. He gives little warnings before he'll pull a big spook or act up at the canter, and the minute I correct him he goes along with it. He's a good boy, and with more rides spent at the lead I'm hoping to break his fear of whimsical insects, herbivores, and every other animate or inanimate object he eyeballs.



Throughout our ride, stormclouds spotted the far horizon, and on our way back from Upper Gorge the clouds rolled in. Bob and I made it back just as the rain began to fall, but the other ride was not so lucky. They rolled in 20 minutes after us, completely and totally soaked in the middle of a true Wyoming thunderstorm. We untacked all the horses as fast as possible, and set off for a nice hot soup lunch.


The rain cleared again for our afternoon ride. I was told I was taking Kate's spot caboosing Mel's ride, because Kate had been on the ride that had gotten drenched in the morning. I was riding Wajir, a very hot little bay arab mare who had thrown Kate the week before. Mel said she wasn't usually like that, so off we went. Wajir was great to start. She has a fantastic floaty trot and an unbelievably smooth canter. Unfortunately, huge dark storm clouds at the south end of the valley followed us as we climbed higher into the Absarokas. Before we knew it we were in the middle of a thunderstorm--rain and hail coming down in buckets, wind whipping across the sage. Mel turned us right around, and we set off for home as fast as possible (...trotting when the footing was good). Wajir remained good natured throughout the ride home, taking the storm in stride. Then we reached the top of the Bench, and Mel suggested that we should trot the rest of the way back to get there faster.

We set off at a trot across the old dirt airplane runway at the top of the bench... pointed towards home, Apache acted up a bit ahead of me... and Wajir took that as a signal to take off. She galloped off for a few strides, and then I pulled on the right rein to turn her into the sagebrush and slow her down..... but unlike Lightening (with whom that had worked perfectly), she decided she wasn't having it. She took off bucking, and I sat two of the biggest bucks I've ever experienced (for a little mare... she gets some HIEGHT) and then she spun back to the right... and in a split second I was flying through the air and landed in the mud-- my head whiplashing into a rock, and Wajir took off at a mad gallop towards home.

Mel pulled up the rest of the horses. The guests on the ride were beyond freaked out. Thunder rumbled overhead, and I sat up... to see Wajir come to a stop at the fence on the other side of the bench. Mel walked over to me with a concerned look... "Well, nothing is broken..." I said, and I stood up. I was completely soaked, and the left side of me was covered in mud. I had scrapes all across my lower back from where I had slid. Once I had convinced Mel that I wasn't seriously injured, she set off to get Wajir. I then had to console the guests, and tell them I really was OK. My ankle was rolled, my lower back scraped, and my head hurt a bit... but I hopped back on Wajir and we continued home.

I took a nice hot shower... and that was when I realized I had a concussion. My head ached, I was dizzy, a bit nauseous, and there were multiple sparkly dots in both of my eyes. My bosses and fellow staff members told me they'd be more than willing to drive me to the hospital in Riverton (1 1/2 hours away), or to have me helevacted out..... comforting. I spent the evening in a daze, with people constantly talking to me or poking me to keep me from falling asleep in the staff kitchen. But in the end, I just had my cabinmate Emma wake me up twice that night... and I woke up! So that was good. and I'm completely fine now.... head, back, ankle... all is well.

The thunderstorms have continued in full force. I had the day off from riding on Tuesday, but hopped right back on today... riding Peanut out to Butch Cassidy's with Richard in the lead....

Thus is life at Bitterroot Ranch. Truely, never a dull moment.

Hard Sun

Today was my first day off (wranglers get sundays off). After waking up late (8:00am... oh my!), I drove myself, my roomate/fellow wrangler Emma, fellow wrangler Kristen, and irrigator Josh into Dubois to pick up a few things. Not much is open this early in the season on a sunday, but I was able to get a watch, knife, and some intense chapstick at the Wind River Outdoor Gear store... and I bought a $2 kite at the grocery store.

Driving back (20 minutes to the dirt East Fork Rd, 30 minutes on East Fork) we rolled all the windows down as "Hard Sun" by Eddie Vedder came up on the mix CD that was playing. We all got silent and just stared out the windows.... East Fork Rd cuts across a high plain as it winds towards the ranch... the entirety of the snowcapped Wind River Range stretched out behind us and the craggy Absarokas rose skyward out of the dense pine forrest ahead. We were all lost in the moment, driving back out to our little ranch, 17 miles from the nearest paved road. The song came to an end, and we all remained silent listening to the wind rush by the car windows, and breathing in deep the scent of sage wet from a rain shower. We agreed that this must be one of the most beautiful places on Earth, and in turn that we are some of the luckiest people on Earth for having the opportunity to work here.

Once back at the ranch, we made our way to the staff kitchen to show off what we'd bought. Everyone was a big fan of my $12 french camping knife. I flew my kite on the lawn infront of the main lodge, and scared the poo out of the peacocks and Mel's three scottish deerhounds. It worked quite well though.... flitting about on the wind brought on by an incoming storm. I spooned with Hyena the black lab on the lawn for a little while once the sun returned, and chatted with Emma and Caitlin (one of the cabin girls). Emma and I then took a walk out to visit some of the foals (pictures on facebook) to kill some time before Kate (another wrangler) came back from Riverton and we could go hiking.

Kate came back around 3pm, and her, Kristen, and I set off on a hike out meadow creek trail to find the fabled Butch Cassidy's hideout. After about an hour and a half of walking in the Wyoming high country, we made our way down into a gully, and there was Butch Cassidy's cabin (or what's left of it). Now, this isn't some kitschy dude ranch fable, historical and athropological evidence back it up. It isnt the infamous Hole In The Wall (which is west of Dubois), but is a hideout where the former owners of Bitterroot would leave food and fresh horses, in return for gold and Butch Cassidy's tired horses.

We took a different trail back, that involved 3 river crossings. Riding that trail on horseback, we rarely ever think about the river crossings... its just an extension of the trail.... but on foot, it is a completely different story. The first was just a stream, so we hopped across from rock to rock. The second was much wider, and the water was very high and moving very fast because of recent snowmelt. We decided it would be best to take off our hiking boots, roll up our pants, and wade across. Three sets of wet pants and frozen feet later, we were on the other side. The final crossing was the most ridiculous by far... it was too deep and fast for us to wade across, but there was a thin log that stretched across (diameter: 8 inches). Kate went first--shimmying her way over to the other side (nearly falling in halfway there). I followed, army crawling my way, and made it with just one soaked hiking boot. After seeing Kate and I's log adventures... Kristen walked upstream and crossed on an old tree and the remnants of a beaver dam. Every branch she grabbed on the old tree snapped off, but she made it across safely and stayed dry. We laughed about how ridiculous we all must have looked, and made our way back to the ranch... holding the kind of conversation that can only be had while walking in the wilderness.

Now I'm back in the staff kitchen/internet cafe, waiting for the dinner bell to ring. Its hailing outside, but the kitchen is warm because of the heat from the oven. Needless to say, I'm enjoying my time here. :) I hope this blog makes up for my overly horsey post yesterday.

Worst Blogger Ever

No time to write... and pictures wont upload. If you are friends with me on facebook... I uploaded some pictures there... it took a million years.

You only need to know one thing: LIFE IS GREAT.

I'll write more soon.

:)

.... A Whole lot about Horses.

I. LOVE. MY. LIFE.

I seriously get paid to ride and cuddle horses.

TUESDAY:

I wrangled in the morning, but with 4 people we didn't get to ride the Icelandic ponies. I went to the lower pasture with Richard and brought the horses in form there. It all went very smoothly, and apparently one of the (many) dogs--Whistle--the poodle showed some very non-poodly instincts up at the top gate and actually helped herd the horses! (she's not much of a hunting dog though...)

I didn't go out on the morning ride, but stayed back with 2 other wranglers and Richard and Hadley. Kate (one of the other wranglers) and I were assigned to canter out a few horses in the hay field. I rode Laredo (one of the owner Bayard's horses) first. He is a big chestnut quarter horse that really covers ground--huuuge stride. He was well behaved enough though. After him, I had my first Little Gray Arab experience. I rode a mare named Tequila who haddn't been ridden in two years because she had a foal last summer. I didn't know what to expect... especially because I'm not so fond of Arabians..... but she was AWESOME!! Like, incredibly awesome. I had a little bit of an identity crisis because I actually LIKED an Arabian. She was lovely and responsive and so so so smooth.... and completely well-behaved cantering after 2 years off! It seems all the little arabians here are like that. So... I still don't think they'd make the best sporthorse.... but as trail horses.... they ROCK (I know, it's almost blasphemous). Here it is the Quarter Horses, Mustangs, etc etc that are the problem horses.

Anywayyyy..... after cantering Tequila and Laredo out, Hadley Kristen and I worked with four 4/5 year old arabian mares who had been broken to saddle last summer. I rode a beautiful leopard gray (to be totally gray/white when she fully matures) named Lorean, and she was fantastic! No funny business, and she responded really well to voice commands.

That afternoon I went on a ride lead by Kristen (the one returning wrangler) and I rode Buster for the first time. He's a dun paint, and they told me he had a bucking problem-- but we didn't canter on that ride so I didn't get to experience bad Buster. I liked him a lot, but decided to wait to profess my love for him until we cantered.

WEDNESDAY:

I didn't go on a guest ride wednesday morning either, instead I worked with the 4 saddle broke mares again with Kristen and Hadley. They were so good in the corral the day before, that we took them on their first trail ride! I lead on one of Richard's (owner's son, Hadley's husband) horses named Lullabye-- a 6 year old arabian mare. She was more spooky than the babies!! It was hysterical... the babies walked calmly behind, and she proceeded to spook at a cabin, a fourwheeler, a tree, and the trout pond we were riding them around. She settled after a while though (and not to blame her.. she haddn't been ridden in a year and a half herseld), and it all went well.

In the afternoon I got to ride Buster again on a ride lead by Richard with the 3 most advanced guests we have this week (Steve and Miki from San Fran, and Linda from Texas). Not only was the ride beautiful, but I finally got to canter Buster.... and he was fantastic!! I can see why he isn't a guest horse, but he didn't buck at all (some attempts... that i successfully stopped)... and I loved him even more!

THURSDAY:

I went on the morning ride lead by Bayard. I rode a 5 year old Percheron/Andalusian cross mare named Peanut (who is not so "peanutty"). She is still learning, so I was essentially schooling her at the back of the ride. She doesn't neck rein yet, so we worked on that... and we worked on stopping from a neck rope instead of a bit because she's become really fussy about her mouth. Overall, she was good. Not my favorite horse, but comfortable and pretty well behaved for me. She is Kristen's favorite, so I don't think I'll be riding her all that much anyway. We got stuck in a BIG hail storm up in the Absarokas, and I was only in a t-shirt. That was interesting, but we moved our way back down the mountains and back out into the sunshine.

In the afternoon I went out on a "schooling ponies"/staff ride. I lead because they wanted me to learn the Poll Creek Trail, which is one we frequently use on Monday mornings after guest evaluations. I lead on Lightning, a tri-colored paint gelding who one of the guests fell off of on monday. He was fine overall, except for one canter that was faced in the general direction of the ranch. Kristen just finished explaining how at that part of the trail I should be carefull because the horses have a tendancy to run away because they are faced towards home... so i should watch my guests. We start off on a nice slow lope, and Lightning is being very well behaved.... after a while (at where the trail became more rocky) I raise my hand to signal that we would slow back down to a walk.... Lightning slowed down for about a half a stride, and then grabbed the bit and took off. The three staff that were behind me (now walking) were left wondering why I had signaled to slow down and then taken off again. He galloped off a bit, but I just grabbed the reins in both hands an circled him off the trail into the sagebrush. He calmed down pretty quickly after that... and the rest of the ride went smoothly. We continued onto Upper Gorge Trail... which is a dead end into a beautiful gorge cut out by the Wind River.

That night we had a bonfire with the guests (all 5 of them). Hadley had found out at dinner one night previously that the favorite part of Miki and Steve's other ranch vacations was taking tequilla shots with the staff... and she was determined to outdo that. We. After a little firewood fiasco, and a ride on the flatbet of a pickup at 60mph on a dirt road, we settled down with the guests and drank some wine near the river. The french couple (Michel and Michelle...yep.) played the guitar and sang... and I spoke with Steve who offered me a job in green construction or a place to stay if I am ever in the Bay area. The staff then all went off to bed WAY after our bedtime (I wasn't in bed until 10:45.... shocking!).

FRIDAY (today):
While Kristen and Emma were on the ride this morning with Bayard, Mel had me stay behind to help with teasing and breeding. We took 4 broodmares over to the stallions. Only one was in heat, so we bred her. After that the vet came to do cultures on two of the broods, and check out one of the Icelandics who is completely lame. I held the mares while she examined them... and while it's a totally different world than Ireland/Coolmore, it is cool to be able to handle mares/foals, etc again.

Once the teasing/breeding/vetting was done, myself, Mel, and Kate rounded up the yearlings to continue halter breaking and general groundwork that had been started last summer. They were the CUTEST ponies ever.... way cuter than thoroughbreds because they are FAR less awkward looking (though much smaller). The first 2 went very well--- allowed us to groom them, responded to the wand, could be haltered, and picked up their feet when we asked. Then came a little chestnut arabian filly with an attitude. Kate and I were in a little pen with her trying to groom her... she wasn't having any of it. She was spinning in circles and bashing into walls, and no matter how much we tried to calm her down... it didn't work. At one point she just wheeled around and kicked out..... unfortunately I was on the recieving end. I got two nice kicks to the thigh. Luckily, I was close enough that she wasn't able to fully extend into me.... but I'm gonna have a nice baby hoof shaped bruise. Mel just kept apologizing profusely, because she sore none of the babies really kicked. I told her I was fine, and we moved on to the rest of the yearlings after letting the chestnut biotch settle down.

I LOOOOOVED working with the yearlings. They are so cute, and groundwork is fun. I think Kate and I are going to be doing a lot more of it.... partially because Mel wants to be able to lead them down to a bigger pasture, and because we are going to be the two hear in late September/early October when they start doing that kind of work with this years set of foalies.

This afternoon I caboosed a trail ride Mel was leading. I was on my man Buster again, and Mel warned me before we set out that the ride would be really fast and Buster has one hell of a buck. We did some normal trail cantering, and Buster was great.... and then we ended up on a huuuuuge high altitude field bordered by the Wind River Range on one side, and the Absarokas on the other. We brough the horses side by side, and trotted for a bit first... then Mel gave the signal and we took off. She lead us on a long faaaast canter/gallop over the plain. IT. WAS. AWESOME. Buster... ROCKED IT. He definetly has a bad streak, but he warns you about it... and if you correct him, he is really good about it. We galloped along, jumped over ditches, and in general just tried to catch up with Mel's wicked fast arabian. It was BY FAR the most fun ride yet!!! I officially LOVE Buster! I think Mel took me on that ride as a form of apology for getting kicked this morning....... let's just say I wouldn'y mind getting kicked more often! SOOO much fun. I can't even describe. Buster is so great... he isn't a pushbutton horse, but he is honest, adjustable, and we click really well. Mel was glad to see I loved Buster, and that Buster seemed to like me.... so I think I'll be riding him more this summer.

Anway... it is time for dinner, and I have babbled about horses for WAYYYY TOO LONG now.

Nobody puts Butch Cassidy in a corner....

So it’s the end of my first day and I already feel like I have so much to talk about that it would never fit into a blog….. this is why I always stop writing. BUT, I will persevere! I’m just going to be short and sweet, and don’t expect anything eloquent, because it’s enough of a miracle that I’m going to try to keep writing.

Today I woke up at 6:15am to help wrangle the horses down from the bench…. or really, keep them from running back out of the corral once they got down. Then came breakfast… where I had THE BEST BACON OF ALL TIME EVER. EVER. I might have dreams about that bacon….

Then we went out to tack the horses for the morning ride. It is like a whole different world. I know in general how to tack western, but all their different pads,and combinations of pads for each horse is confusing (not to mention there are over 60 saddles… and I don’t even know any of the horses yet). They have a system in place that I’m sure will have us run like a well oiled machine once we are all used to it.

The morning ride was fantastic! It was all 5 of the guests, and I was in the back with another wrangler leading (essentially the new wranglers will be tagging along on rides to learn the trails, etc). I rode a stocky little sorrel mustang named Snoopy—he has the BLM tattoo and everything. He is new to the ranch, so he isn’t a guest horse yet.. and probably for good reason. He is clearly a really nice horse, but hadn’t been ridden all winter, and isn’t used to the whole “ranch horse” thing yet. But other than a few minor freakouts in the arena, and a little meltdown on the trail… he was awesome! I really liked him. It’s clear that with more time here and more miles on the trails, he’ll be an angel. Except… he isn’t all the surefooted. In fact, he’s probably the clumsiest mustang ever… but in time I think that could improve too.

The afternoon ride was cancelled because of bad weather (apparently its only the first weeks in late May and early June that its really rainy and gross). We tacked all the afternoon horses up just in time to see some ominous looking clouds rolling in over the Absarokas. Sure enough, down came the rain and hail. Once it cleared, the Absarokas were covered in a fresh layer of snow… and we were stuck with mud, mud, and more mud.

We had a wrangler meeting (where expectations and procedures were all clearly explained), and did chores around the barn and corral for the rest of the afternoon.

Now I’m sitting in the staff kitchen with all of us typing away on computers (main lodge is the only place where the internet works). This place is seriously the cutest/most beautiful place imaginable. It’s just a down home ranch… and it’s adorable. My cabin is rustic and adorable, the scenery is beautiful, the staff kitchen and all that goes on in it could be in a novel (or reality TV show... in a good way). Its just such a ranchy ranch… it’s perfect.

There is so much more I could type… about what we’ll have to do when we move the cattle into the Shoshone National Forest… long days in the saddle, herding 200 head of cattle, watching for wolves… I am seriously living in a movie. A combination of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and Dirty Dancing… (one of Butch Cassidy’s hideouts is actually on ranch property… but we don’t have an end of the summer talent show where nobody will put Baby in a corner).

Aaaaaand it’s time for dinner (sure to be delicious and FRESH). Love you all!

At the Bitteroot

I am here! I'm not dead. I have zero cell service. Internet is very slow, but works.

It is awesome!! Unbelievably beautiful! In a river valley surrounded by snowy peaks. We are literally the last ranch on a dirt road bordering the Shoshone National Forest. (Henry the Honda has never been so dirty....... the dirt road was MUD because it has been stormy up here the past few days. I should get a picture, he is two-toned bottom is brown, the top is still black)

My cabin is rustic, as promised (as is the whole ranch). Wood stove for heat, and I had to sweep all the mouse poop out myself upon arrival. haha.

Not all the staff is here yet. My cabinmate (another wrangler) arrives this evening... as do the 5 guests we have this week.

I ate lunch with the staff that is here. Everyone is very friendly. I can already tell this summer is going to be an adventure. I'm waking up at 6am tomorrow to help bring all the horses down from the bench. Woooo!!

Love you all!

WYOMING!

I AM IN WYOMING!!!! Lander, to be specific. I am too lazy to write anything real right now, so I'm just going to share some pictures.

Nebraska wins the award for flattest state EVER. Glad I'm done with that.

Here is Henry the Honda at a rest stop in Nebraska. At this point I thought my butt was going to fall off from sitting for so long.

Then I spent the night in a Super 8 in Cheyenne. I was too drained to really be excited about finally making it to Wyoming. There was an intense thunderstorm with a TON of hail--very cool!

I was much more cheerful about my drive this morning. Wyoming is beautiful! The land just outside Cheyenne is uncomprehensibly vast--just rangeland for miles and miles.

Once I hit the Medicine Bow National Forest, it started to get more mountainous... and I got progressively more excited. (There was also another HUGE wind farm, so my excitement level was rather high to begin with)

Here is Henry the Honda about an hour outside of Lander--that is the Wind River Range behind him (my ranch is on the other side of that).

I Brake for Wind Farms

Hello from Motel 6 in beautiful Council Bluffs, Iowa! The drive from Chicago was... long... and flat. Halfway through Iowa the repetative scenery drove me a little crazy....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZeqeZwlsRY (blogspot couldn't upload it here. I'd suggest not watching it. it is 10 minutes of me in the middle of Iowa talking to a camera about how much I hate Iowa.... woo!)

Buuuut once I talked it out to my flip camera (and subsequently-- you all) I no longer wanted to bomb all of Iowa! (Hooray!) The driving got very zen, and I actually ended up enjoying myself by the end. I think I owe the state of Iowa a formal apology... it isn't as bad as I say it is. As I drove west it got progressively more epic... kind of like an Ireland on steroids, and with more sun.

Plus, there were wind farms!!!! I am a sucker for a good wind turbine, and there are hundreds out here! They literally make me giddy.... it's the environmentalist nerd in me. I tried to snap a few pictures while driving by the first one I passed, but once I reached the crest of a hill and saw a hole sea of them out infront of me, I had to pull over. Turbines are just so cool!

Steve thought it was exciting too....

There's no CRYING in Baseball!!

I’m in the middle of day two, and so far so good. I decided to take a break from driving, and had the nice British lady in my GPS system find me a park to explore. So I’m writing this from the middle of a riverside park in South Bend, Indiana (Dad- the Verizon internet thing works GREAT!—clearly). Ever since I saw the first sign for South Bend, I can’t stop thinking about A League of Their Own (that and I spotted Racine on the map in too). I think I’ll be humming the All-American Girls Baseball League song all the way to Chicago. (You know it… “We’re the members of the all American League! We come from cities near and far. We’ve got Canadians…etc etc”)

Anyway, the weather has been fantastic so far! It was sunny all day yesterday and today (not a cloud in the sky), and a perfect 73 degrees. The drive from New Jersey to Ohio was not a problem. Pennsylvania was pretty, albeit kind of boring. The mix CDs my friends made me are saving me from boredom (seriously Sam and Megan—they are awesome). I stayed in a Travelodge Motel last night in Girard, Ohio—moderately sketchy. There was no remote for the TV, the toilet was clogged, and I’m preeeetty sure the sheets on the bed hadn’t actually been cleaned… but I guess that is what I get for $37/night. Other than that, the trip has been uneventful (Henry the Honda is doing an excellent job).

It wasn’t until the end of Ohio and into Indiana that I really felt like I was driving someplace different or far away. The entirety of Pennsylvania just seemed like an extension of the NY Thruway, but now there are more and more restaurant chains and brands of food I don’t recognize, and the scenery is just flat, flat, flat… with more and more farms a cropland.

Tonight I’m staying with the Edmondson contingent of the Sommi clan in Wilmette, IL (just north of Chicago), and tomorrow is the first of the longer drives (7 ½ hours from Chicago to Omaha). I’m looking for a pit stop someplace along the way, but the most exciting thing I can find is a smiley face water tower, or the “Worlds Smallest Jail.” We’ll see how that goes….

That’s it for now!

-Kathleen

P.S. To Sam, Megan, and Jenna (and whoever else knows and loves our dear Steven) Here he is enjoying the drive through Ohio this morning........

The Plan

Tomorrow I'm off on my trip! Five days from New Jersey to Wyoming. I'm hoping the Chicago to Omaha, and Omaha to Cheyenne drives aren't going to be too hellish.... and that I don't run into any "severe weather." (but thanks to weather.com I do know the proper procedure for when you're in a car during a tornado) Here's to hoping middle America stays sunny for the next 5 days, and that Henry the Honda can handle a few thousand more miles...

Setting This Up

So, I'm graduating from college in little over a month... and I have absolutely no intention of getting an office job like the majority of recent college grads. Instead, three days after I get my diploma, I'll be driving out to Wyoming to work on a ranch. I'll be at the ranch until mid October, after which I'm hoping to spend some time working on an organic farm on the California coast. After that--who knows. Conservation Corps? Internship? Something else entirely? I'm open to whatever opportunity arises.

I'll be using this blog to keep my friends and family updated on where I am and how I'm doing. I tried blogging once before when I spent the summer in Ireland, and I gave up about a month in. I'm hoping this one works out better...

I'm setting the blog up now because... well... I'm procrastinating. Behind this webpage is a Microsoft Word document containing a draft of my senior capstone paper... whoops. Perhaps I should get back to that so I can actually graduate and start this little adventure...