A Dude Horse Perspective of Viewing Wildlife Near Yellowstone National Park

 Do you ever wonder what the horse is thinking when s/he encounters the wildlife out on a ride? It never ceases to amaze me. How come I get spooked but they just do the old “ho hum” deal and move on? I must admit, I’m grateful that this is the response I get!

Our guests love to see the animals when they go out on a ride. Sometimes we chuckle and tell them we’re going to ride where we “set the stage to see the animals” . It’s a real treat to see an elk, a moose, a deer, a wolf, and especially a bear when out on a ride. June is the best month to try and catch sight of one in the wild. As the weather gets warmer, the animals head for higher ground and can only be spotted in the very early morning or late at night. September is also “optimal wildlife viewing time” as well.

Catching a glimpse of Bullwinkle

Moose are really tough to spot and pretty much keep to themselves. They usually have their calves in June as well. We typically have a “resident moose” at the ranch and mom and her baby can be seen around the ranch if you’re lucky.

Mama Moose and Baby Taking In Lunch Viewed right from the Cabin at the Dude Ranch

Wolves are always a topic of conversation around the dude ranch, especially since we are so close to Yellowstone National Park. They have been spotted on the ranch, but on rides as well.

Wolf At The Trailhead

And last, but not least, everyone is always on the hunt for the Grizzly Bear! This past year we had guests who had never seen a bear on their rides, and have been coming to the dude ranch in Montana for years. Well, Boone took them out on a fantastic ride and they saw seven bears in one day!!

A Grizzly Bear Cub Near Yellowstone National Park

Every day is a different experience and so is every month. But I can tell you this-it’s always exciting for both guest as well as wrangler! And even though the horses are pretty much cool, calm and collected, I know they are always happy to head back to the dude ranch for a bite to eat!

A Happy Horse At The End Of The Day

The Covered Wagon Ranch is pleased to announce our Top Ten Dude Horses for this past season.  We are really proud of our entire herd, and each horse contributes in some way to the overall success of our operation; but these are the stars of the show.  The Top Ten are as follows:

10.    COLONEL – Colonel is a big, black gelding who handles many of our larger riders with confidence and ease.  This year he provided 38 guest rides, and two wrangler rides for a total of 40 out of the possible 96 riding days.

9.    BUSTER -  Buster is a smaller, sorrel gelding with a fair amount of age on him.       

       Very gently and friendly, he is pretty darn solid in the mountains, even with his very  

       crooked from leg.  Riders who can keep him from enjoying the green grass (at his

       convenience) really like his stable personality.  He had 39 guest rides, 1 wrangler

       ride, and 2 crew rides for a total of 42.

8.    EMERSON – Emerson is our Tennessee Walker who is very comfortable for our 

       guests riding pleasure.  He is noted for his high socks on each leg.  He came to

       us about 4 years ago from Kentucky, and has taken to mountain life quite well.

       We have never worried about Emerson missing a meal, he seems to always maintain

       a rather rotund figure.  Emerson provided 40 guest rides and 3 wrangler rides for a

       total of 43.

7.    TRIGGER – Trigger is a good sized, and handsome palomino gelding.  A favorite of

       many guests, he has always been a very dependable mountain horse with a very

       steady mind.  He and his good buddy Chisum are always reluctant to go to pasture

       on Saturdays, and are often seen being pursued (and probably cursed) by a couple

       of wranglers way behind the rest of the herd.  He gave 43 guest rides and 3 wrangler

       rides.

6.    RENO – Reno is a handsome sorrel ranch raised gelding.  He came to us from

       Georgia, and has become a really nice mountain horse.  A couple of years ago he

       quickly became a wrangler favorite, and the past two years has performed quite

       well as a guest horse.  Reno provided 44 guest rides and 2 wrangler rides for a

       total of 46.

5.    PROXIMO – Proximo is a very tall (well over 16 hands) palomino appaloosa

       gelding.  He had suffered a very serious leg wound two years ago, and was used

       sparingly in 2009.  This year one of our wranglers took him under his wing, and

       used him for leading guest rides as well as wrangling horses to and from pasture.

       He provided 48 wrangler rides out of 96 possible.

4.    SIXGUN -  Sixgun is a beautiful blood red bay gelding with a “zorro” star on his

       forehead.  A perennial favorite of the ranch, he has always performed at a high level

       for our guests.  He provided 49 guest rides, and one wrangler ride for a total of 50.

3.    TUGBOAT – Tug is probably one of the best “kids” horses on the ranch.  He is a

       tall (upper 15 hands) and handsome bay gelding.  Tug has a great mind, a very

       kind eye, and is truly a gentle giant.  He has been a Dude horse all of his life, and

       does his job extremely well.  Tug gave 49 guest rides, 1 wrangler ride, and a crew

       ride for a total of 51.

2.    PRIZM – Prizm is a tri-colored paint of medium size who had an exceptional year

       for the ranch.  He has always been unnoticed in the past, and seems to just do his

       job without fanfare.  He finally got recognized for the solid horse that he is, and

       quickly became a favorite of all of those who had the opportunity to ride him. 

       He provided 44 guest rides, 7 wrangler rides, and 1 crew ride for a total of 52.

And finally, drum roll please…………. The number 1 horse at the Covered Wagon Ranch, for the third straight year is…………

       DEUCE – Deuce is a very special horse on the ranch, and very quietly, confidently,

       and reliably performs his job at the highest level.  He is a ranch raised gelding who, 

       before coming to the ranch, had performed as a roping horse on a working cattle

       ranch.  Since coming to us, he has shown a great mind in the mountains, and can

       still “get after it” if called upon to do so.  He is an extraordinary Dude Horse, and we 

       are really proud of the excellent service that he provides our guests each summer.                                  

       Deuce provided 59 guest rides and 1 Wrangler ride for a total of 60 rides out of the 

       possible 96 days.

Congratulations to these great Montana Dude Horses for being the best of the best.  If you have the pleasure to join us at the ranch, tip your hat to the hardest working employees at the ranch, for they are the true essence of the Dude Ranch experience.

It was love at first sight. When Cordy visited us from Switzerland this year (and Erna too!!) we were really excited to have visitors from this country, although they will tell you I kept saying they were from Sweden. At least both countries started with “Sw…”! They took full advantage of all the ranch had to offer, including a Backcountry Pack Trip right from our Montana Dude Ranch, and tons of horseback riding. It was a perfect Montana Dude Ranch Vacation including trips into Yellowstone National Park.

Cordy did not ride Annie (the mare, not the mule) for most of her stay. Towards the end she wanted to try a horse that was better suited for a more advanced rider. She (Cordy) is quite a cowgirl. She even has her own Western Store in Switzerland called “Western Store” (www.westernstore.ch). So the last few days of her trip she decided to ride Annie and just loved her. And Annie loved her as well!

Cordy heads back home. The ranch finished out its season. Then next thing you know I get an email from Cordy that she wants to buy Annie and send her back to Switzerland! I have never done anything like this before and basically didn’t think it was possible. I (unintentionally) put just about every obstacle I could think of in front of Cordy, but she is quite a goal oriented, determined woman. Much like Annie! She worked on all the details that were necessary to have her transported overseas. This was quite an exciting process for me to observe (I have to say observe and not participate. She did all the incredible legwork).

The time was drawing near. Her first attempt failed because Switzerland has a quota on how many horses they can ship into the country during the period of a year. They were full for 2010, so she had to wait until 2011. Then there’s the quarantine period, health checks, vaccinations, transporters, etc. that have to be arranged. But she charged forward and pulled this all together.

Once I could see this was really going to happen, we had Boone haul Annie back to Bozeman to go through her health checks and vaccinations.

She was pretty furry this time of year, as Montana has had some pretty cold weather for extended periods of time. The next difficult step was coordinating all her health requirements and getting the vet out here. Sometimes he’s just pretty busy and hard to find. You never know where he is!

It was all coming together pretty quickly now. Brand inspections, health certificates, vaccinations, etc were all being put together (might I add that JT was in Eastern Montana goose hunting during this time period??) (did I also mention that it was sooo close to Christmas??).

So here is what Cordy had put together. First, there was a hauler from Twin Bridges, Montana that picked Annie up at my house. He actually had another horse in his trailer (an Arabian) that was going to Kuwait! He was driving them both to Utah.

From there, they were hauled to Oklahoma, to this amazing company called Nedpoint Quarter Horses (www.nedpoint.com). Here they quarantine the horses for thirty days, then transport them, via plane, to Amsterdam. From that point they are hauled to where-ever else they go. Nedpoint was really fun to work with. Watch their video!

So Annie was loaded up on the trailer and headed to Utah. Some pretty significant snow storms delayed the trip to Oklahoma, but in a few days she was on her way again. She is now stalled at Nedpoint, waiting for her trip to Amsterdam on January 21! Good luck Annie! What an adventure. And thank you, Cordy, for taking such good care of her. It’s a rare occasion that a Covered Wagon Ranch horse gets sold. But when you know it’s the best thing for both parties, you can’t stand in their way. I’ll keep you posted when we hear she made it safe and sound to Switzerland!

“Roxie” came to us as a surprise one very cold January morning, with temperatures hovering around 40 below zero. Yes-you heard me right! Her Mom was “Honey”-a draft cross horse. We purchased Honey the summer before. We thought she looked kind of fat but Honey was a big horse to begin with. Needless to say, after the season was through, the horses were put back up on winter pasture at Raspberry Butte Ranch in Big Timber. Kurt had been traveling up to Raspberry Butte on a routine basis to check on the horses, when one day in January he called to tell us there was a foal in our pasture. Well, those of us who know Kurt know he’s a prankster at heart, so I didn’t take much credence to his call. Besides, we did not breed any horses that year, and horses are usually bred to foal out from May on, due to the cold weather. Finally, I realized this was no joke, and he trailered the mare and foal back to our house in Bozeman.

She was a wreck.

She was covered in bite marks all over her body. When you ran your hand across her body it was covered with scabs everywhere. Her ear was bit off and suffered from frostbite. And all four hooves were separated from the coronet bands. The vet thought maybe it was from frostbite or infection.

The horses and mules didn’t take very well to having a foal around. As wonderful as these animals are, they get very competitive when there’s a new kid in town. The cool thing about this experience is that the mules actually circled Honey and Roxie and protected them from the rest of the herd. Too bad they didn’t start that a little earlier.

Roxie had a long course of treatments and TLC back at Love Lane, and we’re proud to say that she is now 3 years old and doing great. She’s had some minimal training and riding and passed her lessons with flying colors. She has an incredible disposition and is one of the friendliest, most respectful horses I know. If you walk down the driveway, she’ll run up to the fence and walk alongside you like a puppy dog!!

Roxie will be joining the string this summer and work her way into the herd as a Montana dude horse for the ranch. I know she’ll be one of our best in a short period of time!

A Happy Ending on Love Lane!

 The Covered Wagon Ranch is proud to announce that we had two horses tie for Horse of the Year in 2009, Joseph and Deuce.  These two stars of the Montana Dude Ranch industry both provided excellent and flawless service on 47 days of the possible 95 work days of their season.  Please come and visit the Covered Wagon Ranch this summer, and when you do, tip your hat to these great Montana dude horses.

JOSEPH

Joseph is the patriarch of the Covered Wagon Ranch.  A true gentleman of 25 years, he has lived on the ranch (according to our records) for over 20 years.  His specialty is the younger, less experienced rider; but this year (because of his good size and wonderful temperament) he helped several adult riders enjoy their stay as well.

DEUCE

Deuce has been a favorite on the ranch since JT and Debi purchased him 3 years ago as a ranch trained gelding.  Currently 13 years young,  he gave many of our intermediate (and higher) level riders a great experience through the course of the summer.  His gentle and steady personality leads us to take him for granted sometimes, but this is the second year in a row in which he has been the star of our herd at the end of the season.

Please give a round of applause for these very hard working employees and trusted steed!

There is nothing quite as spectacular as the wildflowers in Montana, especially when you get the chance to ride a Montana Dude Horse and get up into the back country of our beautiful state. The view you see here was taken by J.T. while taking a ride to Upper Tepee Basin-one of our campsites that we either ride to or take horse pack trips for our guests.  Montana has a rich flora which belongs to several different ecosystems. The wildflowers make up one of the largest groups of the species. The wide variety of wildflowers found here is because the state covers areas belonging to the Rocky Mountains, the Pacific Northwest humid areas and Intermountain areas in between. Western Montana, where our ranch is located, is mountainous and has many lakes, streams and meadows.  

There are so many varieties of wildflowers that we see on our rides and our hikes. Some of the plants you will see include Glacier Lillies, Dwarf Larkspur, Pretty Shootingstar, Moss Phlox, Fairyslippers, Arrow-leaved balsamroot, Indian Paintbrush and Sticky Purple Geranium to name a few. The list goes on forever.

Now you don’t have to be on the back of a horse to enjoy the flowers at our Montana Dude Ranch. Maybe you’re enjoying the Montana wildflowers while doing some incredible flyfishing in Montana in our pristine rivers, streams and lakes that surround our guest ranch.

Or maybe you just want to sit on the deck of your cozy historic Montana log cabin

 Or just enjoy the flowers as you walk around the barns and the rest of the ranch.

But whatever you do, or wherever you are, at our ranch, riding our horses or hiking and fishing in our spectacular country, make sure you always take time to smell the flowers!  (Many thanks to Ted L. for the photos)

First, we all wonder if horses, and animals, can really talk. Well here’s a little clip I watched the other from Saint and Alfie “chumming it” in the pasture:

Every time I watch this, all I can think is that they’re goofing around and then decide to tell each other it’s time to go run around the pasture for a while, and then they take off!

I also love to just watch the animal run. One of my favorite times is when the wranglers run the horses down the mountain Monday mornings and move them into the corrals-ready for work!

And then, of course, we get the pleasure of horsebacking riding in Montana once you’re at the dude ranch and get to see them at work in some spectacular country.

But best of all, we get to love them, and I know they love us too! There’s nothing better than hugging your horse

“ODE TO MAX”

“It was the best two hundred dollars I ever spent, Brett said-
On the day we found out that at the trail head Max lay dead.
This two hundred dollar horse had definitely earned his keep
We all prayed to God that he passed on while in blissful sleep.
No purebred Quarter Horse, thoroughbred, nor paint was he
He was of mixed blood with no fancy papers nor pedigree.
He had never dragged a calf to a branding fire nor ran on a track.
But many a precious load he had hauled into the wild and back.
He was honest and kind and never even shied that I ever saw.
The greenest rider or the smallest child would be Max’s draw.
He hauled guests for a living up and down the wilderness trail.
He never moved a muscle when a client fainted over his tail.
He endured being bridled and cinched by well-intentioned rookies
Who offered him a reward of carrots, apples, and Oreo cookies.
Hauling overweight off balanced clients could drive a horse insane.
But even if Max could have spoken, he would never complain.
He hauled dudes and dudettes of every shape and size.
and they all fell in love with his thick mane and brown eyes.
He crossed many hills, mountains, and streams,
Helped fufill lots of hunter’s elk shooting dreams.
It’s hard to find a horse as honest as Max.
All the rider did was sit up there and relax.
So here’s to Max and the great dude horses who have gone before…
The trusty steeds who went to pasture but live in our hearts evermore.”

Thank you.

Irresistable horse riding vacation

Those of us who spend part or all of each year working at a Guest Ranch know that there is nothing like it in the world; a bond forms among the crew; a unique relationship exists between the horses and those who work with them; a special rapport develops between the guests and staff.

Many of our guests return to our Guest Ranch year after year because they hunger for time in the wilderness – craving impossibly fresh air and dazzling skies. They need to stand thigh-deep in river waters with a fly rod in had. And they learn something about themselves and the world around them when they mount a horse day after day; I’ve heard it said that you may be able to hide from yourself, but you can’t hide the real you from a horse. I think it’s true.

A Horse Riding Vacation that leads you into Yellowstone National Park, the Lee Metcalf Wilderness, and the Gallatin and Madison Mountains leads you back in time. The pace is slower – travel takes time. It’s quieter. Your cell phone can’t find you here.

Finally, there is the land.  The incredibly beautiful land.

Isn’t that reason enough for Dude Ranch Vacations?