Western Horseman February 2022 Preview by Cowboy Publishing Group

FEBRUARY

SLIDER COWBOYS OF

Hells Canyon PA G E 4 4

2022

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VOLUME 87/NUMBER 2 Western Horseman (ISSN 0043-3837) is published monthly by MCC Magazines, LLC, 735 Broad St.,Augusta, GA 30901. Subscription rate is $24 for one year, $46 for two years. Canadian subscriptions add $20 per year (U.S. funds only). All other foreign subscriptions add $40 per year (U.S. funds only). Editorial and Advertising Main Offices: 2112 Montgomery St., Fort Worth, TX 76107. Periodicals Postage paid at Augusta, GA, and additional offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Western Horseman, P.O. Box 433237, Palm Coast, FL 32143-9616. Submission of freelance articles and photographs is welcomed. For complete editorial guidelines go to westernhorseman.com or email edit@westernhorseman.com. No faxed materials accepted. Articles that appear in Western Horseman do not necessarily reflect the position or opinion of Western Horseman or MCC Magazines, LLC. Western Horseman does not endorse and is not responsible for the contents of any advertisement in this publication. No material from Western Horseman can be copied, faxed, electronically transmitted, or otherwise used without express written permission.

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FEATURES 44

SLID E R COWBO Y S Hells Canyon, America’s deepest river gorge, is home to hardy ranchers who graze their cattle on the canyon’s steep slopes, where an errant step could be fatal.

COW HORSE C O W B OY Through a series of serendipitous events, Zane Davis went from rodeoing and starting ranch colts to successfully showing reined cow horses to nearly $2 million in winnings.

A D V EN T U R ES W I T H B OB A bucket-list horsepacking trip ventures deep into the Bob Marshall Wilderness, offering a group of friends answers to why we humans are drawn to remote mountain escapes.

C EL EB R AT I NG THE EM ER G EN CE O F B L A C K C OWBO Y S The idea that the Old West or the rodeo world ever lacked color is a travesty. From the 1800s until 2021, black cowboys have made their mark.

BY RYAN T. BELL

BY JENNIFER DENISON

BY MELISSA HEMKEN

BY KEITH RYAN CARTWRIGHT

72 photo g ra p h by L I ZZI E I W ER S EN

THE LAND LEFT BEHIND Operating under regenerative agriculture practices, the Birdwell and Clark Ranch runs an impressive herd of yearling cattle that is helping to leave a legacy of improved land. BY LIZZIE IWERSEN

A B O V E : N a th a n C a r ter h el p s m o ve a l a r g e h er d of y ea r l i n g s o n th e B i r d w el l a n d C l a r k R a n c h i n Texa s.

02.22 WESTERN HORSEM AN 3

22 RIDE WEST

IN EVERY ISSUE 6

ONLINE

H OW - T O Ty Evans takes a progressive approach to preparing a young mule to safely pack into the backcountry.

C R A F T SM E N Nevada leather craftsman Ty Skiver carves unique cowboy stories into custom boots and chaps.

8 OPENING SHOT

W O M EN OF T H E W E ST Kate Matheson connects people with horses, the land and progressive ranching practices at the Nature Conservancy’s Medano-Zapata Ranch.

D E ST I N AT I ON S The historic Gage Hotel has seen the small West Texas town of Marathon evolve from a rail stop to a chic travel spot.

LEADING OFF

BA C K C O U N T RY Wyoming horseman Bill Smith makes annual horsepacking trips a priority, appreciating the lessons for both horses and humans.

REAL LIFE RANCH WIFE When hiring help to gather feral cattle, best of luck finding qualified cowpunchers.

EVENTS

14 CONTRIBUTORS

95 SNAP & RERIDE

96 BAXTER BLACK 4 W E S T E R N H OR S EM AN 0 2 . 2 2

W E ST E R N ST OP S Explore Michigan’s horse-powered island that delights visitors with stunning views, grand Victorian homes, and the world’s largest herd of working draft horses.

42 P R OD U C T S Prepare for a safe, enjoyable trail ride with these essential trail products and tips from horseman Ken McNabb.

RODEO World champion steer roper Cole Patterson sets new regular season marks en route to a record-setting National Finals Steer Roping.

ON THE COVER

Tate (left) and Ray Stowers of Idaho ride out of Hells Canyon, where they run their cattle on grassy, but steep slopes. Photo by Ryan T. Bell pho to gra ph by J ENNI F ER D ENISO N

ONLINE

WESTERNHORSEMAN.COM

SOCIAL

In Cow Horse Company Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for highlights from the National Reined Cow Horse Association Celebration of Champions and World’s Greatest Horseman competition, February 10–21, in Forth Worth, Texas.

WEB

Pearl Snap Fever This month, WH debuts new cartoon series “Snap & Reride” by humorist Shawn Williams, on page 95. Be sure to check out our “highly trained cowboy fashion reporter’s” snappy style guidelines and advice on becoming a savvy cowpuncher in his regular videos. A Winning Hand Iconic WH covers now grace customized playing cards. Order your deck today for $15 at shop.westernhorseman.com.

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A B O V E : L I Z Z I E I W E R S E N ; L E F T: R O S S H E C O X

Sharing the Load Birdwell Ranch relies on a crew of skilled cowboys and their handy horses to efficiently ship a large bunch of cattle in the fall. Learn more about their unique process from the perspective of a cowboy who has helped for several years.

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OPENING SHOT

DEEP AND WIDE Rodeo cowboys and hard-working ranchers have won the admiration of New York photographer Anouk Krantz, who was raised in France but moved to the United States more than 20 years ago. In her newest book, American Cowboys, her black-and-white photographs capture the lifestyle and character of cowboys and cowgirls throughout the West. Last year, she photographed Native American cowboy and professional roper Derrick Begay gathering cattle on his Arizona ranch, and that involved riding along with him and his dogs all day through the desert and across a wide river. “By the time we were done and crossing that deep river again under the darkness of night, it occurred to me that this was one of the only ways we could begin to understand one another,” Krantz says. “And now we share a mutual respect—two seemingly opposite people. But when you strap on your chaps, roll up your sleeves and get to work side by side, well you most likely will [understand each other]. And we are both better for it.”

8 W E S T E R N H OR S EM AN 0 2 . 2 2

02.22 WESTERN HORSEM AN 9

LEADING OFF

Backward Glance

We rode across wide-open country, winding through sagebrush, following sandy washes and crossing rocky, low-lying ridges. The saddle a cowboy so graciously loaned me wasn’t all that comfortable, rubbing the insides of my calves. The lanky black ranch mare trotted like a jackhammer. But I wasn’t about to say anything; it’s not the cowboy way to bellyache about discomfort, especially if you’re a visiting photographer trying to stay out of the crew’s way during spring works. The cowboys studied every shadow and crease in the country for cow-calf pairs, while I eyed each rock or hidden ditch my horse might decide to leap across. The herd began to come together as the morning sunrays began adding color to the landscape. 1 0 W E S T E R N H OR S EM AN 0 2 . 2 2

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

A B O V E L : The solitude and expanse of the landscape on ranches in the West are always spellbinding.

ROSS HE C OX E D I TO R IN CH IE F

While waiting for another bunch of cattle to fall in from the east, I sat on a high point and looked back to the south. The small mesa we passed when we started this morning now looked like a dot on the horizon. No matter how many times I’ve ridden on large ranches in the West, I’m always amazed by the solitude and expanse of the landscape. It has been said millions of times that we should enjoy the journey, not the destination. I know as a writer, it’s the route that makes a story so fascinating. This issue includes quite a few articles with winding roads worth exploring. On page 22, Kate Matheson explains how she ventured from working as a British magazine photo editor to managing a guest ranch in Colorado. On 32, Ty Skiver discusses how he became a sought-after boot- and chapmaker. On 56, Zane Davis details the unexpected path he took to becoming a million-dollar reined cow horse trainer. And on 64, a group of horsepackers journey, literally, into the famous Bob Marshall Wilderness. It has also been said many times that we shouldn’t look back. But I beg to differ. Once in awhile, it’s helpful to stop and study all the ground you’ve covered, marvel at the beauty, but then be sure to return to your trail and keep moving forward. pho to gra ph by ROS S HECOX

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EVENTS

WESTERNHORSEMAN.COM

National Finals of Fun December 2021

SURE, THE WRANGLER NATIONAL FINALS RODEO

A. Cheyanne Guillory (right) and Jackie Crawford (center) share laughs with the National Finals of Breakaway Roping world champion and average winner, Sawyer Gilbert. B. Western Horseman staff members (left to right) Dani Licklider, Lizzie Iwersen and Kailey Sullins, along with Blanche Schaefer of Barrel Horse News, set up a WH merch booth at Cowboy Christmas. C. Canyon, Texas, cowgirl Jade Kenney was the aggregate champion at the Western Horseman Resorts World Breakaway Championship, presented by Cinch, roping five calves in 11.45 seconds. D. HatCo President Ricky Bolin and Pro Equine CEO Dustin Noblitt stand on either side of Robert Lever, who celebrated his retirement from Wrangler after 45 years. E. Brooke Wilson of Wilson Cattle Co. sold a Metallic Cat gelding, Cat Xcellent, for $150,000 at the Premier Horse Sales Diamonds in the Desert Sale, held in the Plaza Hotel and Casino. F. Five-time NFR heeler Joseph Harrison (left) and Miles Baker pose in front of 26-time world champion Trevor Brazile’s likeness in the Ariat booth.

1 2 W E S T E R N H OR S EM AN 0 2 . 2 2

B C

A . L I Z Z I E I W E R S E N , B . L I Z Z I E I W E R S E N , C . K A I L E Y S U L L I N S , D . J A S M I N E PA N K R AT Z , E . N ATA L I E M C FA R L A N D , F. S A N D Y B R A Z I L E

is the main reason folks flock to Las Vegas, Nevada, in the beginning of every December. But each day before the rodeo, contestants, fans and fun-havers can attend several events happening all over the city that adopts the moniker “Cowboy Town.” Breakaway roping, shopping, autograph signings and parties—Vegas has it all!

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CONTRIBUTORS

WESTERNHORSEMAN.COM

Melissa Hemken Writer/ Photographer Horsepacking into the mountains is nothing new to Melissa Hemken of Lander, Wyoming. On page 64 she writes about venturing into a wilderness area she’s always dreamed of seeing. “Packing into Montana’s Bob Marshall Wilderness to see the Chinese Wall has been on my bucket list for some years,” she says.

R y a n T. B e l l Wr i t e r / P h o t o g r a p h e r Winthrop, Washington, writer and photographer Ryan T. Bell has visited horse cultures in Argentina, Canada, Mongolia, Russia and across the western United States. His feature on page 44 spotlights a unique group of ranchers known as “slider” cowboys. “I’ll admit, on my way to Hells Canyon I was filled with a sense of trepidation. Exactly how steep was it going to be? I learned that riding on the steep ridges is anything but a hell-bent-for-leather affair.” 1 4 W E S T E R N H OR S EM AN 0 2 . 2 2

Jolyn Young Writer

A B O V E : Ryan T. Bell writes about ranchers who run cattle in Hells Canyon on page 44.

Each month, Jolyn Young of Montello, Nevada, writes the "Real Life Ranch Wife" column. In this issue on page 32, she also interviewed leather craftsman Ty Skiver. “I was amazed at Ty’s artistic ability,” she says. “His work is finally reaching a wider audience. He gave my middle son an old cowboy hat, so we’re basically family now.”

Keith Ryan Cartwright Author Keith Ryan Cartwright, author of the new book Black Cowboys of Rodeo, is the director of Rider Development and Scouting for Team Nashville, a new bull riding team owned and operated by the Morris Communications Company. pho to gra ph by RYA N T. BE LL

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HOW-TO

RIDE WEST

PACK MULE PREP Ty Evans takes a progressive approach to preparing a young mule to safely pack into the backcountry. STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY JENNIFER DENISON

y Evans, his wife, Skye, and their daughters Ellie and Swayzee don’t miss an opportunity to ride into the mountains and canyons near their home in Fountain Green, Utah. Horse camping is a fun way for the Evanses, as well as other riders, to connect with nature, family and friends, and their mules or horses. However, Ty notices that recreational riders at his clinics are sometimes daunted by the idea of packing gear and supplies on a pack animal. Here, Evans explains the steps he takes to gradually prepare a young mule (or horse) to safely carry a loaded packsaddle up the trail. His methods aren’t designed to be a quick start; instead, he dedicates a few years to preparing a young mule to accept and carry a loaded packsaddle.

ABOVE: Through his clinics, Ty Evans helps riders bring out the best in their mules, whether they want to compete, work cattle or pack into the backcountry.

“The more prep work you do when a mule is young, the easier it is for them to accept the packsaddle. “If you’re just learning pack, don’t start with a young, green mule colt,” he advises. “Go to a packing clinic and practice first on an experienced pack animal that will stand while you learn to put on a packsaddle, heave loaded panniers and secure them with ropes.”

1. SIMPLIFY SADDLING “I like to start my mules under saddle and put a few rides on them before packing on them,” says Evans, holding his 2-year-old mare mule, Hannah, who he has ridden three times but hasn’t yet put on a pack02.22 WESTERN HORSE M AN 1 7

HOW-TO

"I LIKE TO START MY MULES UNDER SADDLE BEFORE PACKING ON THEM. MY THOUGHT IS IF THEY CAN BE RIDDEN THEY SHOULDN’T HAVE ANY TROUBLE PACKING." — T Y E VA N S

saddle. “My thought is if they can be ridden they shouldn’t have any trouble packing. My mules are primarily saddle mules, but they will also pack.” Evans leads Hannah into a round pen where she has room to move yet can’t escape if she gets away from him. He holds her on a 10-foot soft cotton lead rope, rather than tying her. “When I first teach a mule to saddle or accept the packsaddle, I like to hold on to the lead rope,” he explains. “If the mule moves its feet or is resistant, I can direct the movement and the mule won’t get in the habit of pulling back. I want my mule to move on a slack rope and understand pressure and release. I don’t want to drag a pack mule. Through groundwork I teach a mule to follow [my body language] and the slack in the rope and respond to the rope’s pressure. When I put slack in the rope, the mule should go, and when I stop and apply pressure to the rope, it should stop.” Standing on Hannah’s left side with the lead rope in his left hand, he rubs the saddle blanket all over the mule’s body. Since 1 8 W E S T E R N H OR S EM AN 0 2 . 2 2

RIDE WEST

this is familiar to the mule, she remains calm so he places a sawbuck packsaddle on her back and takes it off a few times, without dropping the cinches. Seeing that Hannah is comfortable, he releases the cinches and allows her to stand and investigate them if inclined. A Utah native

and lifelong horse- and muleman, Evans says that sawbucks are more common than Decker packsaddles in the Great Basin, so it’s what he’s always used, but he has an appreciation for both styles. A second-generation colt and mule starter and practitioner of traditional bri-

direction and move off on a loose rope. “A pack mule must know how to follow the lead so I’m not dragging it down the trail,” he says as she circles around him. “If a mule has leading problems, I go back to basic groundwork and pressure and release.”

2 . TA C K L E T H E TA R P

1. TOP LEFT: Evans

incorporates familiar groundwork into his pack horse preparation. 3. ABOVE: Hannah is hesitant to pass between the panniers, but Evans allows her to work at her own pace. 4. BELOW RIGHT: Hannah inspects the pannier hung on her side.

dle horse training traditions, Evans typically has 10 to 12 mules in different stages of training, from snaffle bit and hackamore to in the bridle. From the time his mules are weanlings, Evans accustoms them to having ropes hanging on their bodies and around their legs. He also tightens a rope around their girths and bellies in preparation for cinching on a saddle or packsaddle. “I don’t like to cinch up a packsaddle super tight,” he says. “I want it to be about as tight as I’d cinch a saddle horse. It’s also important that the cinches are adjusted evenly on both sides to ensure the load is balanced.” After securing a sawbuck on Hannah, he drives her around the pen on the lead rope at a walk and then trot. After a few revolutions in one direction, he asks her to change

A packhorse must be comfortable with having a mantie, or canvas covering, draped over the packsaddle. To prepare Hannah, Evans folds the tarp as small as he can and, standing at her shoulder, rubs it all over her body and over the packsaddle. He also unfolds it and rustles it in front of her, behind her and drapes it over her back. All the while, he monitors her reactions for signs of fear, such as wide eyes, arched neck, pinned ears and tense muscles. Those are signs to back off and work more gradually. “If the horse is unsure about the tarp and tries to move away, I let it,” he says. “It’s amazing how quick a mule will relax if it knows it can move its feet. If a mule thinks it’s trapped and can’t see a way out you can get into trouble. There’s fight, flight and freeze responses in mules and horses, but mules have strong freeze instincts; they’ll just stop and freeze up and it takes driving them forward again to release them.”

3 . PA S S B E T W E E N T H E PA N I E R S To expose the mule to the panniers, Evans places them a few feet apart on the ground. He leads the mule up to them, allowing her to inspect them. “I like to bring a mule up to the panniers, because when we are camped out somewhere we usually have the mules on a high line away from camp and lead them to the packs when we’re ready to saddle,” Evans explains. “I can tell Hannah is bothered by them a little bit,” he adds, “so I let her stand on the edge of the bubble and reset.” Soon the mule softens her eyes, works her mouth, takes a deep breath and relaxes. Then he asks her to walk between the panniers on a circle until she isn’t concerned about them, repeating in both directions. 02.22 WESTERN HORSE M AN 1 9

HOW-TO

4 . H A N G T H E PA N I E R S

5. ADD WEIGHT

When introducing panniers to a young mule, Evans prefers to use Utah panniers, which are large canvas bags. Box panniers are hard and if they bump against the mule or a gate, it could scare the mule. He places an empty pannier on the packsaddle and flaps it against her side so she can get used to the sound and sensation. Then he asks her to walk and trot a circle in both directions. “[Canvas] panniers don’t weigh much and are soft so she can’t hurt herself,” says Evans. “If she gets bothered I’ll redirect her feet, try to roll her hindquarters away from me and stop her. You have to be careful because her attention is on the paniers and you’re secondary, so sometimes a mule will flee trying to get away from the paniers and you don’t want to be in the way.” Once the mule is relaxed with the single pannier, Evans adds the second on the other side of the saddle and repeats the process.

Once Hannah has walked and trotted circles in each direction with the empty panniers, Evans stops her and grabs two 40-pound bags of hay cubes, letting her listen to the rustle of the bag and check it out. He holds a bag up near each pannier so she can get used to it being there. When she’s confident on both sides, he removes the panniers and places a bag of hay cubes in each one, hangs the panniers on the packsaddle and then cinches them down with a box hitch. Then he asks Hannah to move with the loaded panniers.

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5. ABOVE: Canvas panniers filled with bags of hay cubes are forgiving if an green pack animal brushes against a bush or fence. 6. RIGHT: When ponying a pack animal, Evans doubles the rope slack and carries it. He can place the loop over his saddle horn without dallying if he needs a little leverage.

RIDE WEST

READY TO USE RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX!

6 . P O N Y T H E PA C K M U L E When Hannah can trot circles and be led afoot with the loaded packs, Evans gets on a gentle saddle mule who has experience ponying a pack mule and leads Hannah around the arena. “I like to double the lead rope slack and hold my hand around it, rather than dallying,” he says. “If your pack animal leads well you shouldn’t need to dally— save that for the branding pen. If you do need more control over the pack animal, you can simply slip the loop in the rope over the saddle horn without dallying. “I want the pack mule positioned on the inside of the circle, with her nose at the saddle mule’s hip,” he says. After a few times practicing in an arena, Evans will take Hannah on a short pack trip, about 5 miles. “I want to get to where I can put a 50-pound block of salt in each pannier and pack salt out to friends’ cattle,” he says. “I try to set up short trips for a young mule. I don’t want to wear it out or it’ll get sour; I just want to get something done.”

MEET THE EXPERT

Ty Evans and his wife, Skye, operate TS Mules in Fountain Green, Utah. They spend nine to 10 months a year traveling with their homeschooled daughters to conduct mulemanship clinics across the United States and in Australia and Canada. They also compete in major events such as Bishop Mule Days in California and Hells Canyon Mule Days in Oregon. For more information, visit tsmules.com.

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02.22 WESTERN HORSE M AN 2 1

WOMEN OF THE WEST

KATE MATHESON This British-born horsewoman connects people with horses and progressive ranching practices as general manager of the Nature Conservancy's Medano-Zapata Ranch.

INTERVIEW AND PHOTOGRAPH BY JENNIFER DENISON

ate Matheson jokes that sometimes she suffers from “imposter syndrome.” Raised in the countryside of southern England, she was riding horses by the time she was 2 years old. She and her siblings spent their weekends and holidays riding crossbred Welsh ponies in Pony Club camps and rallies. | She briefly attended college for photography, but spent nearly a decade working in London as a magazine photo editor. However, the romance of the Western lifestyle lured her to a working cattle and guest ranch in Montana in the mid-2000s, when she was 27 years old. | Overcome by the vast open space, cowboy lifestyle, well-trained ranch horses and strong communities, she spent the next five years traveling between Montana and England, gaining experience in ranching and a Western saddle, and developing an appreciation for the West and its working landscapes. She also helped Jody Dahl research and launch the Top 50 Guest Ranches website, which now belongs to Gene Kilgore. For the project, she visited guest ranches throughout the West, including Chico Basin and the Nature Conservancy's Medano-Zapata ranches. Duke Phillips of Ranchlands, along with his daughter, Tess Leach, and son, Duke Phillips IV, manages both Colorado ranches. | In 2011, Phillips hired Matheson to manage the Medano-Zapata Ranch in Mosca, Colorado, where she currently lives with her husband, hunting guide and saddlemaker Justin Hawks, and their daughter, Georgina. Nestled against the Great Sand Dunes National Park and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the ecologically diverse historic guest ranch is home to a herd of wild bison, cattle and other wildlife.

My father was an avid foxhunter and owned racehorses. He was the kind of guy who might not have paid the electric bill, but he made sure our Pony Club fees were current. It was an incredible gift to have been taught to ride. From age 13 to 18 I exercised horses at a foxhunting yard. I would ride one and lead two around the village. I was completely fearless at that time. My siblings and I were fortunate to grow up riding ponies and learned so many lessons from them. We got to go exploring, to the truest sense of the word. We’d set off in the morning with cheese and pickle sandwiches and packages of salt-and-vinegar crisps in our pockets and ride until nighttime.

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We’d come back muddy, soaking wet and usually one of us had gotten bucked off and the pony had run back to the barn. I was totally inspired when I came to the West for the first time: the gear and its practicalities, the cowboy subcultures, the landscape and space, the community, and the people and their passion for the conservation of the land and legacy of ranching. I’d never experienced anything like it and was completely bowled over by it. On a trip back to England, I remember sitting in the airport crying my eyes out because I didn’t want to leave. After riding English, the Western saddle felt strange, even lazy, to me, but it’s not at all. It’s a hard-working piece of gear. After

six or seven hours in the saddle, you’re grateful for how it’s built and what you can achieve with it. Now, more than ever, people need to feel connected to nature, and [Ranchlands] offers people that connection. It also bridges the growing gap between urban and rural communities, and sheds light on the realities of ranching.

“THE LEARNING CURVE IN RANCHING IS STEEP AND CONSTANT, AND YOU CAN’T BE AFRAID. I LEARN NEW THINGS ABOUT THIS RANCH EVERY SINGLE DAY.”

I’m extremely fortunate to have traveled all over the world and learn about different cultures. It’s one of the things that have enabled me to relate to our guests and develop ideas. Prior to the pandemic, nearly half of our visitors were Europeans. I don’t think I could write my job description because it’s so diverse and every day is different. I might go from digging a hole for a pipe to having breakfast with a reporter from the New York Times, training employees or shipping bison and cattle. Horses have been constant in my life, and I’m so excited to share them with my [10-month-old] daughter. If she decides she likes football or something different so be it, but I’m still going to try to get her into horses. She’s already riding with me, makes neighing sounds and calls in the horses. I have two Hancock mares that I trained on this ranch. One hides every mistake I ever made in her training. She’s brilliant and my best friend. The other mare shows me up on every single mistake I made and brings me back down to Earth. Horses are our heroes. The ranch would be nothing without them. It’s so rewarding to see the guests’ love and respect for them grow during their stays here. Their lives are forever changed.

RIDE WEST

01.22 WESTERN HORSE M AN 2 3

BACKCOUNTRY

RIDE WEST

UPWARD TRAILS

Wyoming horseman Bill Smith makes annual horsepacking trips a priority, appreciating the lessons for both horses and humans. S T O R Y B Y R O S S H E C O X • I L L U S T R A T I O N B Y TA D D G A L U S H A

acking into the mountains has remained a sacred tradition for Bill Smith since he was a little boy. During his adult life, his horseback pursuits have taken him down a wide range of paths, from rodeo to ranching, horsemanship clinics and horse sales. But every year the Thermopolis, Wyoming, horseman makes time to escape into the nearby Beartooth Mountains with a string of packhorses. He says the experience and break from routine is good for both him and his horses. “I love it up there,” he says. “It’s a whole different world. You don’t have telephones. You don’t have the troubles that you have down here. And you just ‘drain out’ and freshen up. Even when I was rodeoing and I was trying to win the world, I still took time and went up there. I’d do it all the time if there was any way to justify it.” Smith won three Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association world championships in saddle bronc riding (1969, 1971 and 1973). In 1982, inspired by legendary horseman Ray Hunt, he began conducting horsemanship clinics. The following year he organized his first WYO Quarter Horse Sale, which has continued for 40 years and attracts buyers from all over the United States and from foreign countries. He has also bred horses, raised cattle and trained horses of all ages, bloodlines and backgrounds. Whatever occupation he’s held in the horse industry at the time, mountain meadows and switchback trails never fail to lead him away from his day-to-

day life during the late summer or early autumn months. “I’ve been going through those mountains for all my life,” he says. “My mom told me that they packed me on top of a horse when I was 4 years old. I think I’ve missed two years since then.” For a period of time, he would spend two to three weeks in the backcountry, hunting, fishing and exploring rugged landscapes. These days he makes one or two weeklong trips. As a lifelong horseman, Smith is quick to point out how the experience benefits the horses as much as the riders. “It’s really good for a horse,” he says. “He watches where he’s going. He gets in that timber and [the pack load] gets knocked around a little bit, and pretty soon he learns to watch what’s back there and take care of it. And it’s his idea. He has to do it or he gets in trouble. And he learns how to get out of trouble. He learns not to panic, to climb a hill and go down a hill, to go through rocks and through the creeks.” When Smith began organizing WYO Quarter Horse Sales, the backcountry became more than a break from the daily grind. It turned into an ideal training ground for sale prospects. He filled his popular sale in Thermopolis with geldings of all backgrounds that he purchased throughout the United States. He made sure they received a significant amount of riding—sometimes more than a year’s worth—before hitting the auction block. A key to their development was wilderness excursions. “We used to have a string of mountain horses back 40, 50 years ago,” he says. “But then we started these sales, and we got all these green horses from everywhere in the

country, with any kind of a background. We found out that they were just horses. “The thing is, we [as humans] like to label horses. You might call one a reining horse or a trail horse. But they can do other things. When they get up in the mountains, they’re not cutting horses or racehorses. They’re just horses, and there’s some stuff to pack out of there. That carries through to everything you do with them afterward.” Smith adds that packing teaches horses a work ethic and common sense. “It gives them a chance to work slow, to watch where their feet are,” he says. “They learn to go when they’re tired and don’t think they ought to go. It’s a little bit like boot camp in the military. It doesn’t hurt horses to put a pack on them. They do what they can do, and then they get to rest up there. We give them days off [in the mountains].” The beauty of introducing horses to the backcountry, Smith says, is they don’t have to learn from a bit and spurs, but from situations on the trail. “The country takes care of them,” he says. “The country will tell them whether to slow down or pick up speed and try a little harder. One year I took Ray Hunt in there, and he was just like the packhorses. He’d never packed a horse in his life. He told me, ‘I never believed horses could do what these horses do up here.’ I said, ‘They’re just horses. They figure it out.’ ” Clearly, Smith appreciates the mountains for the lessons they teach, the strength they build, the tranquility they deliver, and the labels they ignore— whether those labels be trail horse, reiner, legendary horseman or world champion bronc rider. 02.22 WESTERN HORSEM AN 2 5

WESTERN STOPS

MACKINAC ISLAND

Explore Michigan’s horse-powered island that delights visitors with stunning views, grand Victorian homes and the world’s largest herd of working draft horses. S T O R Y A N D P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y A N D R I A H A U TA M A K I

n a bright summer morning, Mackinac Island’s historic downtown bustles with activity. Pedestrians stroll past fudge shops, bicyclists stream steadily by, and the jingle of horse carriages rings through these car-free streets. Since 1898, motorized vehicles have been prohibited on Mackinac Island. Measuring 3.8 square miles, this isle in the Great Lakes is situated in the aquamarine waters of Lake Huron between Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas. Mackinac Island is a horse lover’s paradise. While sitting outside at one of the many restaurant patios or parks,

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the clip-clop of riding and driving horses is ever-present. Teams of muscular Percherons or Belgians pull carriages of camera-carrying visitors, as well as flatbed dray wagons that deliver everything from building materials and hay bales to restaurant supplies. Radio-dispatched horse-drawn taxis—harnessed to Standardbred or Standardbred-draft crosses—are available 24 hours a day. And if you’re lucky, you may see a matched pair of the Grand Hotel’s high-stepping Hackney horses whiz by pulling a light and elegant carriage.

RIDE WEST

“I LEARNED TO DRIVE [A TEAM] WHEN I WAS ABOUT 6 YEARS OLD. ... WHEN I FOUND THIS JOB [I THOUGHT], 'THAT SOUNDS LIKE PARADISE!' ” —MAGGIE ELLIS

Mackinac Island’s iconic Grand Hotel was opened in 1887 after having been built in just 93 days. A B O V E : Located in Lake Huron, the 3.8-squaremile Mackinac Island has operated without motorized vehicles since 1898. L E F T: The island features more than 60 miles of equestrian trails. FA C I N G :

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WESTERN STOPS

During the summer months, this quaint island is home to more than 500 horses. Most of these horses belong to Mackinac Island Carriage Tours, the largest and oldest continually operating working horse and buggy livery in the world. With a herd of more than 400 draft horses, and approximately 100 passenger and freight carriages, these gentle giants are the force that powers this island. “I grew up with Percherons,” says Maggie Ellis, a 23-year-old teamster from Connecticut. “My grandfather founded the Northwest Connecticut Draft Horse Association, so I learned to drive when I was about 6 years old. He is the reason I love driving horses, and I feel connected to him when I do so. When I found this job [I thought], ‘That sounds like my paradise!’ I’m planning on coming back as long as I can.” B E L O W : Horse power is used for everything on the island, including delivering building materials, hay bales and restaurant supplies.

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This is Ellis’ third season driving for Mackinac Island Carriage Tours. During the hour-and-45-minute sightseeing tour, she deftly guides two Percheron geldings, Rodney and Duncan, as she shares historical context for iconic sites, including the Grand Hotel, a National Historic Landmark which opened in 1887, after having been built in just 93 days; Arch Rock, one of the many intriguing limestone formations of geologic interest; and Fort Mackinac, an 18th-century fort built by the British. It is also possible to explore Mackinac Island without a guide. Saddle horses— and even “drive your own buggies”—can be rented by the hour. Mackinac Island State Park makes up 82 percent of the island. With more than 60 miles of equestrian trails, renting a horse is one of the best ways to explore the interior of the island. A visit to Mackinac Island is a chance to step back in time to a horse-powered era. From horse rentals to carriage rides to horse taxis, an equine experience awaits every visitor who steps foot on these picturesque shores.

THE RUNDOWN LOCATION: Mackinac Island, Michigan DON’T MISS: Grand Hotel Horse Carriage

Museum and Horse Stable, which is home to a dozen Hackney horses. Surrey Hills Carriage Museum features a wide collection of carriages, some more than a century old. FUN FACTS: Horse teams are selected primarily to match the pair’s strength and speed, then by size, and lastly, by color. The average age of draft horses on the island is early to mid-teens. Approximately 5,000 horseshoes are used each season. PLAN AHEAD: Mackinac Island is serviced by two ferry companies: Shepler’s Ferry and Star Line Ferry. Ferry boats depart from Mackinaw City in Lower Michigan and St. Ignace in Upper Michigan; the navigation takes between 16 and 18 minutes. RENT A HORSE OR BUGGY: Rent a saddle horse and explore on your own—or join a guided trail ride—at Cindy’s Riding Stable, cindysridingstable.com. Take the reins of a two-, four- or six-passenger carriage at Jack’s Livery Stable, which offers “drive your own buggies,” available for hourly rental, jacksliverystable.com. BRING YOUR OWN HORSE: Visiting horses

are welcome on Mackinac Island. To arrange overnight boarding on the island, contact Mackinac Horsemen’s Association, 906-847-8034, mackinachorses.org/ boarding. Ferry reservations for horses are required at least one week in advance (departures from St. Ignace only); a negative Coggins test and current health certificate are required. Contact Star Line Ferry, 800638-9892, or Arnold Freight Company, 906-430-0095. FOR MORE INFORMATION: Horse-drawn carriage tours of the island are provided by Mackinac Island Carriage Tours, 906847-3307, mict.com. For a private or customized tour, contact Gough Livery Carriages, 906-847-1053, goughcarriages. com. Additional visitor information is available from the Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau, mackinacisland.org.

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RODEO

RIDE WEST

RECORDS TUMBLE

World champion steer roper Cole Patterson sets new regular season marks en route to a record-setting National Finals Steer Roping. S T O R Y B Y K Y L E PA R TA I N

ole Patterson still remembers that day when he was promoted—ever so briefly—from chute help to steer roper by his world champion father, Rocky. “Out of the blue, he said I should tie down a few,” Patterson recalls. “I was 14 or 15 at the time and I’d roped all my life, but I had never tied anything down. I think it went pretty well, and then he never let me do it again. But I always knew I wanted to rope steers. I just had to finish college first.” Patterson’s second chance to follow in the footsteps of his four-time world champion father came in 2018 when he moved back to Pratt, Kansas, after earning an agricultural business degree from Northwestern Oklahoma State University. “We started practicing as soon as I got home, and that was my first year [in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association],” he says.

PRCA Ph o t o by C L I C K T H O MP S O N

Since that time, Patterson has quickly vaulted into the event’s elite ranks. He finished 109th in the PRCA steer roping world standings in 2018 rodeoing on his permit and followed it up with Resistol Rookie of the Year honors in 2019 as he qualified for his first trip to the Clem McSpadden National Finals Steer Roping in Mulvane, Kansas. He finished 15th in the world that year before shooting up to fourth in 2020. Last year, he dominated in both the 2021 regular season and at the NFSR, claiming his first world title. That added a fifth world title to the family’s combined résumé. The PRCA had its hands full updating steer roping records in the 2022 Media Guide after Patterson’s run last season. A B O V E : Last year, Cole Patterson won a world title in steer roping and set the record for most money won in a season in the event with $190,242. He broke the record established by his dad in 2016.

02.22 WESTERN HORSE M AN 2 9

RODEO

Here’s how dominating it was: • He set the mark for most money won in a season in the event with $190,242 (nearly $50,000 more than the previous record set by his dad in 2016). • He broke the regular-season (preNFSR) earnings record in the event with $104,516 (previously set by Tuf Cooper in 2018). • He set the record for most money won at the NFSR with $85,726 (breaking Cody Lee’s record from 2016 by more than $15,000). • He and his dad became the third father-son duo to win world titles in the event ( joining John and Clark McEntire and Charles and Gary Good). If that wasn’t enough, Patterson made a serious run at Trevor Brazile’s NFSR average record of 111.3 seconds on 10 head. He needed a run of just 13.5 seconds—which would have easily been his slowest run

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of the NFSR—to beat the mark. But a notime in the round left him settling for first in the average with a time of 97.7 seconds on nine head and the $27,347 check that went along with it. “It should have been a layup, but I swung too early and caught the neck,” Patterson recalls of his final-round run at the NFSR last November. “It was hard to be disappointed after the finals that I had, but I was thinking about that one for a while.” Nevertheless, the nearly $200,000 he won in 2021 certainly helped him sleep well in the nights that followed. After all, this is an event where Patterson’s dad became the first cowboy to top $100,000 in event earnings, and that was as recent as 2010. It didn’t happen again until 2014, when Brazile topped the six-figure mark. Thanks to increased prize money and opportunities, multiple steer ropers have topped $100,000 every year since. I watched Guy Allen flirt with that mark twice (1999 and 2001) during his run of

11 consecutive championships from 1991 to 2001, and back then it was a feat that seemed completely unachievable for anyone other than “The Legend.” “I just have to stay in the practice pen and keep shooting at that mark,” Patterson says of his record-setting run. “I’m too young [at 26 years old] to retire. So, I just want to keep going out there and winning as much as possible.” Rocky Patterson has roped against some of the best ropers in the history of the event, and he knew his son was ready to make a name for himself in 2021. “He was here at the house for four or five days before the finals, and he looked really sharp,” the elder Patterson says. “We like to talk a lot of smack in the practice pen, but the best thing I can do for him now is try to stay out of his way.” That wasn’t always the case, of course. “Dad has coached on both of us,” Patterson says of himself and his 16-year-old horse, RBS Badger Tigger, aka “Tigger.”

RIDE WEST The horse took home AQHA-PRCA Horse of the Year honors in 2021 based strictly on his regular-season performance, and then carried Patterson in all 10 rounds of his record-setting NFSR run. “We were both learning at the same time,” Patterson continues. “I got him from a friend who had used him around the ranch. He told me to take him and make him a tripping horse. I hauled him as my backup in 2019 when I won Rookie of the Year. We’ve had our ups and downs for sure, but coming out of the COVID break, it all just worked.” With the importance horsepower plays in the sport, Rocky Patterson was proud to watch the pair develop together throughout the season. “That horse really came into himself during the year,” he says. “It was fun to watch how dominating they were all season and at the finals.” Big wins at the National Circuit Finals Steer Roping and Cheyenne Frontier Days certainly led Patterson to believe he was in the midst of a special season, but nothing could have prepared him (or his dad) for an NFSR in which he would win two rounds and place in the money in six others en route to the average and world titles. It might also be the final time father and son rope against one another at the NFSR. “I’ve been threatening to quit for a few years now,” admits Rocky Patterson, who spends much of his fall and spring seasons coaching the Pratt Community College rodeo team. “But I just have so much fun being out there and watching him rope. I’ve been rodeoing mostly in the summer. I go to a few places that I enjoy roping at, but I don’t go much other than that.” Hitting the rodeo trail is also another opportunity for him to see his son, who got married after the 2020 NFSR and moved to Pawnee, Oklahoma. He’s since started a cattle trucking business with his brotherin-law to supplement his rodeo earnings. A few more years like 2021, and his income won’t need any supplements. KYLE PARTAIN is a Colorado-based freelance writer who has covered rodeo for more than two decades.

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CRAFTSMEN

TY SKIVER This Nevada leather craftsman carves unique cowboy stories into custom boots and chaps. STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOLYN YOUNG

oot- and chapmaker Ty Skiver is a natural born storyteller. He recounts tales from his childhood growing up on a Wyoming ranch and, more recently, describes training barely halter-broke Haflingers to pull a homemade wagon. Skiver knows everyone else has a story as well. As a leather craftsman, he strives to convey his customers’ individual stories every time he builds a pair of custom cowboy boots or rodeo chaps. The hidden artwork Skiver expertly weaves into traditional scrollwork is a signature mark of his leatherwork. When you look at a pair of his boots, the finely carved oak leaves or flowers are immediately impressive. Upon closer inspection, a bronc rider fans a horse nestled among the carved flowers, or a team roper turns a steer between the intricate oak leaves. The scene and background flow so seamlessly that the cowboy is a natural part of the design. Skiver draws all the designs for his boots before tooling them onto leather. He assembles the tops at his home shop in Fallon, Nevada, then sends the pieces to be assembled into a complete pair of boots at a shop in Leon, Mexico. He takes orders for custom pairs, plus keeps a supply of ready-made boots on hand to stock his booth at rodeos and Western events across the United States. His clients range from Western lifestyle aficionados to professional rodeo cowboys. Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifiers in the saddle bronc and bareback riding events, such Mason Clements, Kaycee Feild, Tilden Hooper and his stepson, RC Landingham, often place standing orders so they have a brand-new pair of chaps to debut each December. Skiver builds all the rodeo chaps himself from start to finish.

MAKER’S MARKS SPECIALTY: boots and chaps MOST ORDERED DESIGN: Customers often

want their brand or initials on a pair of boots. NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENT: Ty sculpted a statue of bronc Lunatic Fringe for Burch Rodeo Company when the famous horse retired. COWBOY SKILLS: Ty cooks complete meals in Dutch ovens in his outdoor kitchen. CONTACT INFO: 775-741-9780; @skiverboots on Facebook and Instagram

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RIDE WEST When did you become interested in art? I’ve been drawing from the time I was born. I used to make sculptures out of the wax from the top of the jelly jars my mom canned on the ranch. I made my first bronc riding sculpture when I was in kindergarten. I had the most awesome art teacher in junior high and high school, Mrs. Ruth Rawhouser.

That lady really helped me. When I was a freshman, she suggested to my mom that I enter the Wyoming State Art Symposium, a huge art show. I won it with a clay sculpture of a bronc rider coming out of the chute. I went to college to be an artist, and that was horrible. I had to draw what they told me to draw, instead of broncs and bulls.

Based in Fallon, Nevada, Ty Skiver builds chaps and boots. T H I S PA G E : Skiver's custom boots and chaps feature artistic leather carving that depicts leaves, flowers, cowboys and bucking horses. His work often includes bright colors and bold designs.

How did you get into the boot-making business? I’ve made boots since 1996. I used to make one pair at a time. Then I took a job at Hamley’s in Pendleton, Oregon, carving leather.

L E F T:

When did you become interested in art? I’ve been drawing from the time I was born. I used to make sculptures out of the wax from the top of the jelly jars my mom canned on the ranch. I made my first bronc riding sculpture when I was in kindergarten. I had the most awesome art teacher in junior high and high school, Mrs. Ruth Rawhouser. That lady really helped me. She suggested to my mom that I enter the Wyoming State Art Symposium, a huge art show, when I was a freshman. I won it with a clay sculpture of a bronc rider coming out of the chute. I went to college to be an artist, and that was horrible. I had to draw what they told me to draw, instead of broncs and bulls.

After that, I started carving on my own. I also tooled designs for Lucchese, M.L. Leddy’s and other big boot brands. Then I went a different direction for a while and leased a ranch in Wyoming. In 2017, I felt a strong drive to make boots again. It was just a passion I had to do. At the time, I carved belts and smaller leather items in a spare bedroom. A guy I had worked for at Lucchese, Fred Gibbon, put me in touch with a boot shop in Mexico. Fred’s been a huge help to me. So, I told [my girlfriend] Darcie [Spero] one day, “I’m going to Mexico.” She asked me, “When?” and I said, “Tuesday.” 02.22 WESTERN HORSE M AN 3 3

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CRAFTSMEN

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A B O V E : Skiver says a key to his success has been the forward thinking and marketing acumen of his girlfriend, Darcie Spero. R I G H T: He builds a large number of colorful chaps because many of his customers are saddle bronc and bareback riders, including Mason Clements, Kaycee Field, Tilden Hooper and his stepson, RC Landingham.

I went to Mexico for a week in February of 2018 with $50 in my bank account. Luckily, I had a free meal every day with my room. We designed a boot, and they built it while I was there. I ordered 12 pair of boots and flew home. I had no idea how I was going to pay for them, but Darcie helped me with that. We stocked our first trade show with those original 12 pairs of boots. Darcie ships new orders, does Facebook posts, schedules our year’s work and gets ready for shows. She drives down the road while I buckstitch chaps. Darcie works at this deal way harder than I do. I do the fun stuff. I couldn’t do it if I didn’t have Darcie. How do you keep your creations unique and innovative? I don’t use a pattern for the designs I put on the chaps. I freehand draw the tooling and each design for the overlays before cutting them out. So, the tooling is slightly different on each leg. I don’t want Kaycee and Tilden both to have the same leg pattern. I reuse the leg body pattern, though. We’ve been 30 years working on that fit, so we don’t change any of that. I try to stay ahead of all the other chapmakers in my design. I try to change a little something in every pair, so guys look at my stuff and say, “Holy cow, look what he did there.” I also don’t use a maker’s mark. I put a small design

on the underside of each pair of chaps, but I don’t put my name on them. I make my boots a little different than most guys, too. Most cowboy boot heels stop at the side seam, but I run my heel up farther. It’s wider with more base to it. We use handmade lemonwood pegs in the shank of the boot. When you walk around and your foot sweats a little, the peg absorbs some of that moisture and makes the boot fit better. I also use a stacked leather heel instead of a plastic composite. I use my experience from cowboying and rodeoing to design boots that fit stirrups and working cowboys. I started doing amateur rodeos when I was 12 years old and my dad entered me in the bull riding, bareback and team roping events at a rodeo in Idaho. Two of my grandpas are in the Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame. Those old cowboy guys were my heroes, and I noticed the boots that they wore. The reason the heel and toe were designed the way they were is to grab the stirrup. Every time I build a pair of boots, I try to capture that style and durability.

DESTINATIONS

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GAGE HOTEL

Sitting at the Gateway to Big Bend, the historic Gage Hotel has seen the small West Texas town of Marathon evolve from a rail stop to a chic travel spot. S T O R Y A N D P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y K AT E B R A D L E Y B YA R S

oday, travelers along the Texas Mountain Trail near Big

Bend National Park drive their Teslas and souped-up SUVs up to the front of the brick storefronts in Marathon, Texas, along Texas Highway 90. But when the town was founded in 1881, it was a stop on the Southern Pacific Railway. It catered more toward cattlemen and U.S. Army soldiers than to the abundance of travelers in the 21st century. Marathon (pronounced MARE-a-thin) earned its name because it reminded Captain Albion Shepard of the plains of Marathon, Greece. Shepard purchased the town site in 1881, and it soon became a rail stop that resupplied the area and Fort Peña Colorado.

TOP LEFT: Built in 1927,

the brick mission-style hotel boasts 14 rooms for visitors to stay while enjoying the Big Bend region of Texas. BOTTOM LEFT: Architect Henry Trost blended the feel of the region— ornate wood work with adobe—and the hotel is decorated with local wildlife and art.

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DESTINATIONS

TOP: The White Buffalo Cantina has several mounts

of the species and is a draw for locals and travelers seeking to quench their thirst with a traditional prickly pear margarita or the Gage’s own wine. LEFT: Between the brick hotel and the Los Portales addition is a pool that welcomes weary hikers to take a dip in the warm months or sit for a siesta in the winter months.

“IT IS LIKE COMING HOME. THERE IS NOTHING I ENJOY MORE THAN THE SLOW PACE. ... THIS PLACE BRINGS OUT THE WONDERFUL IN PEOPLE.” —ELOISE HAYNES 3 6 W E S T E R N H OR S EM AN 0 2 . 2 2

While much has come and gone in the years since it was founded, the uniquely rugged land that is a gateway to the Mexican border continues to draw visitors. While there, many stay at the Gage Hotel. A National Historic Register site, the hotel was founded by Alfred Gage, who had left his Virginia home in 1878 at age 18, bound for Texas. He built the mission-style hotel, which was designed by El Paso architect Henry Trost, in 1927, and also amassed ranchlands of nearly 500,000 acres, solidifying his presence in the region. Today, Marathon is known as the Gateway to Big Bend. The small community gives respite to travelers voyaging through a dry, desert climate. Sitting at a latitude (30.2 degrees North) comparable to that of New Orleans, Louisiana, but resting above 4,000 feet in elevation, the town features a climate that is ideal for both summer and winter activities. “This place is in the middle of nowhere and it forces you to get outside,” said Eloise Haynes, 27, of Alpine, Texas. “We don’t

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have TVs in our rooms, except for some of our suites, and it gets people out in nature. Altogether, there are 47 rooms.” From the 14 remodeled rooms in the historic brick building to the pet-friendly option of the Los Portales suites, added in the 1990s, designed to reflect the adobe style houses in the area and each adorned with handmade Mexican doors and unique furnishings, visitors can choose what kind of stay they would like to have at the Gage Hotel. There is even the 1890-built Captain Shepard House with five bedrooms and private stone baths, available for rental. Haynes is the granddaughter of J.P. Bryan, an oilman who purchased the hotel in 1978. She has enjoyed the hotel her entire life. Although a new Wellness Center and Spa offers hotel guests and any visitors a modern, upscale experience, Haynes

says a small-town charm and historic atmosphere remain. “I grew up in Alpine,” she says. “This is my family’s establishment and it is like coming home. There is nothing I enjoy more than the slow pace and the wonderful people I work with. This place in general brings out the wonderful in people. “Getting to take part in something my grandpa spent his whole life building and to be part of his legacy is a big honor. All that he does for historical conservation and restoration, so other people can enjoy items from the past, is another piece I appreciate about being here.” The small town of Marathon boasts the V6 Coffee Bar adjacent to the hotel, which is a great place to pick up lunch or goods to take south to either Big Bend National Park or Big Bend State Park. Those staying in nearby

towns can make a reservation at the 12 Gage Restaurant for a culinary experience where the chef focuses on high-quality ingredients and West Texas cuisine. One draw to visitors is the White Buffalo Bar, where the Gage serves its traditional prickly pear margarita or offers a bottle of its 12 Gage labeled wine. It’s rather startling to stop at the Gage Hotel if one isn’t prepared to experience the classic Texan hospitality, unique appeal to traveler’s stomachs, or amenities located in a remote, nearly desolate region. However, the Gage Hotel and its accompanying eateries continue to draw visitors from near and far, maintaining the hotel’s presence as a beacon on the long road through far West Texas. To learn more, visit gagehotel.com or call 800-884-4243 (GAGE).

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02.22 WESTERN HORSE M AN 3 7

REAL LIFE RANCH WIFE

WILD COWS AND A PUNCHY CREW

When hiring help to gather feral cattle, best of luck finding qualified cowpunchers. S T O R Y B Y J O L Y N Y O U N G • I L L U S T R AT I O N B Y T Y L E R C R O W

atching wild cows requires plenty of guts, and it hands out very little glory. So when the feral livestock gathering business my husband, Jim, and I own received a contract for maverick cattle in Arizona, we knew putting a crew together wouldn’t be easy. We decided to hire help even though Jim has caught plenty of wild cattle armed with only a pack of catch dogs and a refusal to quit. If nothing else, his wife would rest easier knowing that someone would be around to describe the wreck if things went south. We had a few general guidelines we laid forth when cowboys called for the job. “Everybody wants to catch wild cattle. Only come if you want to lead them,” I heard Jim say more than once. Tracking and roping cattle is the fun part, apparently. The hard part is leading a mature bull with sharpened baseball bats on either side of his head and a disgruntled disposition through 7 miles of rough country and a river crossing. It’s what separates the weekend warriors from the lifelong saddle tramps, the cowboys from the wild cowmen, the sane from the clinically diagnosable. Jim also asked potential employees about their pain tolerance. “It needs to be at least 9.5 on a scale of 1 to 10,” he said. “An 11 would be preferred. Also, do you require positive feedback on a daily basis? Are gentle horses a must-have? Does electricity and hot water mean a lot to you? I guarantee we’ll never run out of coffee, but I don’t cook breakfast.” Wow. You just reached for your phone to call my husband for a job, right? No? That makes sense. I mean, not many people want to camp out in a teepee all win-

3 8 W E S T E R N H OR S EM AN 0 2 . 2 2

ter, hunt for the hardest to locate cattle in North America, and bathe once a week at a natural hot spring—because at some point they’re going to move camp, and there might not be another hot spring. Jim wound up hiring a couple of Arizona cowpunchers. While they were out on the job, I tried to add a few comforts to Jim’s wild cow camp by sending a care package via the nearest UPS office, which was located two hours away. I baked cookies and our three kids colored homemade cards. Then I raided my extra kitchen supplies and added a pair of tongs, a matched set of Tupperware, two ceramic knives, and a colander. Before I mailed the box, I ran the list of extra supplies past Jim and asked if they would be useful to him and the crew. “We don’t store or mix any food, so probably don’t send the Tupperware. We pretty

much only eat things we can cut with a pocketknife. And what the heck is a colander?” Point taken. I removed everything except the cookies and cards, threw in a couple of paperback books, and shipped the box. The guys didn’t need me to try and feminize their cow camp from a distance. Even if someone set a bouquet of fresh cut wildflowers on the folding table every morning, the place would still be dominated by testosterone and a near-palpable drive to pit themselves against the biggest, baddest cattle in the western United States. They are gladiators without a coliseum, professional ropers without a cheering crowd, old-school trackers working in silence. Which works out pretty well, because silence is the ideal way to catch wild cattle. That’s probably why the kids and I weren’t invited on this trip. We have many

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good qualities, but stealth is not one of them. It’s hard to sneak up on anything with a 3-year-old who yells, “I’m right here!” and giggles uncontrollably when playing hide-and-seek. Jim’s two crew members seemed to be the right fit. They have been leading cattle since they were 5 years old and think it’s fun when their horses buck. They’re not quite old enough to drink, and each one owns a teepee, a string of horses, and not much else. They would have made outstanding Pony Express riders. But it was our good luck they were born 160 years too late. They can rope in thick brush, ride anything with hair on it, neither one needs a lunch break, and they’d rather stay and work than go to town for a day off.

At least, we’re pretty sure they don’t want a day off. I don’t think Jim has offered them one yet, so that’s still kind of a gray area. The only things we know for certain are that they like to lead cattle and their pain tolerance is above average. And I know they’ll get a town day once in a while. Jim will eventually run out of coffee and want to check the mail. I just know he’s going to change his mind about that colander. JOLYN YOUNG lives in Nevada with her husband, Jim, and their three children. She helps operate the family’s feral livestock business for a vocation and cares for the kids as an unpaid hobby with no discernible finish line in sight.

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02.22 WESTERN HORSE M AN 3 9

PRODUCTS

HAPPY TRAILS

Prepare for a safe, enjoyable trail ride with these essential trail products and tips from horseman Ken McNabb. C O M P I L E D B Y A B I G A I L B O AT W R I G H T

On long or short trail rides, a Weaver Leather Synergy Flex Contoured Performance Saddle Pad will keep your horse comfortable. Available in two sizes, the pad is made with 100 percent New Zealand wool and has shock-absorbing, ventilated EVA Sport Foam inserts, a flexible contoured spine and durable top-grain leathers. $189.99; ridethebrand.com

Keep a Cashel Company collapsible water pail with you to water your horses and dogs on the go. The portable pail fits in a medium size saddlebag, under the seat of your truck or anywhere in your trailer. The tough, waterproof material easily collapses for handy storage without taking up a lot of room. $25.99; cashelcompany.com

To carry everything you want on the trails, these five TrailMax 500 Series saddlebags from Outfitters Supply work together to keep you organized. They are made with double-stitched, water-resistant, 1680-denier fabric with weather-resistant zippers. Available in three colors, the collection includes a back pocket, cantle pocket, front pocket, water pocket and pommel pocket. $199.95; outfitterssupply.com.

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Tie your horse in the safest way possible using the Blocker Tie Ring 2 with Mag Loc. This product includes a magnet and bottom stays to keep the tongue of the tie ring in place. The tie ring’s compact size makes it ideal for use in a trailer, while the quick snap with a tapered back allows you to clip the tie ring to existing tie hooks and move it easily from one spot to another. Available in chrome-plated and stainless steel, the tie ring comes with a quick snap, eyebolt and instructions. $27.95; blockerranch.com

TROUBLESHOOTING TRAIL TIPS Before you set out on a trail ride, follow these tips from Wyoming horseman Ken McNabb to ensure a safe, enjoyable trip. HAVE AN EMERGENCY PLAN. Don’t ride in fear and anticipation of the worst, but McNabb recommends thinking through how you’ll handle an encounter with situations like bees, a deer or a bear on the trail. “Practice your response at home until it becomes second or first nature, until when something happens, you are a proactive rider instead of a reactive rider,” he says. “Ride down the trail enjoying the scenery and having a good time, but also last all the way home.” BRING ESSENTIALS. No

matter the length of the ride, McNabb says to always bring water for yourself. Pack a halter and lead rope, or hobbles if your horse is used to them, to restrain your horse. Bring a coat—even in summer—and waterproof matches. Also carry a phone as a means of communication. “I always carry a diaper and a small roll of duct tape so I can bandage anything—[on a] horse or human,” he says. Even though McNabb advises bringing your phone, leave your headphones, and don’t text and ride. “It really isn’t any better than texting and driving, because you’re not paying attention to what’s going on,” he warns. “I see people riding, wearing earbuds. There are dangerous things in the equine world—let’s not make it any worse.”

L E AV E D I S T R A C T I O N S B E H I N D .

Respect and protect nature with the Tough1 No Knot Picket Line Kit. In areas without hitching posts, the kit allows you to safely secure your horse on trail rides or while camping with less damage to the trees than tying alone. The kit includes either two or four tree-saver straps, no-knot picket line ties and a nylon rope. Both kits come with easy-to-follow set-up instructions and a durable nylon storage bag. $39.95 (two-horse kit); calranch.com

P R E - R I D E R U B . Groom your horse every day, and particularly before a trail ride, run your hands all over your horse. “If your horse has a sore spot, you’ll be able to notice him responding to your hands,” McNabb says. “If he’s got a cut that could go under tack, I’m not going to miss it. I am just giving myself the best opportunity for a great day.”

02.22 WESTERN HORSE M AN 4 3

S L I D E R

Cowboys H E L L S C A N Y O N I S A M E R I C A’ S DEEPEST

RIVER

GORGE

AND

STRADDLES THE BORDERS OF IDAHO, O R E G O N A N D WA S H I N G T O N . IT’S ALSO HOME TO HARDY RANCHERS W H O G R A Z E T H E I R C AT T L E O N T H E CANYON’S STEEP SLOPES WHERE A N E R R A N T S T E P C O U L D B E FATA L . I H A D T O S E E I T F O R M Y S E L F. S T O R Y A N D P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y R YA N T. B E L L

4 4 W E S T E R N H OR S EM AN 0 2 . 2 2

Nicholas (left) and Kevin Botts of Anatone, Washington, gather cattle in Hells Canyon.

02.22 WESTERN HORSEM AN 4 5

here’s a lonesome streetlight nicknamed “Clint” at the Botts Ranch headquarters, located on the Washington side of Hells Canyon. The running joke is that the light works only sporadically, like the electrician named Clint who installed it. On a May morning, at dawn, Clint the Streetlight shone down on Kevin Botts and son, Nicholas, as they loaded three horses and a pack of cow dogs into a stock trailer. In late spring, ranchers move their cattle from grazing pastures on the canyon’s breaks to summer ranges on the somewhat flatter rim. But daytime temperatures can exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit, so it’s important to get an early start during the cool of the morning. The trailer door ka-thunked shut, then Kevin turned to me and said, “Sorry, but I gotta ask. You can ride, right?” It was a reasonable question considering we would soon be gathering cattle on the slopes of America’s deepest river gorge. Hells Canyon measures 10 miles wide and 7,993 feet deep (2,000 feet deeper than Arizona's Grand Canyon). The steep hillsides are carpeted in grass and fed by ground springs, making the area surprisingly productive cattle country. It’s home to a community of cattlemen known as “slider” cowboys because of the deadly consequences that can befall a human, horse or bovine with just a stumble.

"I COULDN'T SEE WHAT WAS UNDER THE SNOW. WE RODE ONTO A SHEET OF SNOW-COVERED ICE AND MY HORSE'S FEET SLIPPED OUT FROM UNDERNEATH HIM. IN THE FALL, HE ENDED UP BRUSHING A PATCH OF SNOW OFF THE ICE SO THAT WHEN HE JUMPED BACK UP, THE SHARP SHOES GRIPPED REALLY WELL. SOMEHOW, I STAYED ON THE HORSE." —KEVIN BOTTS

4 6 W E S T E R N H OR S EM AN 0 2 . 2 2

I’d heard about slider cowboys from local veterinarian David Rustebakke, DVM, of Clarkston, Washington. We’d met a few years earlier on the annual Chief Joseph Trail Ride, hosted by the Appaloosa Horse Club. The trail ride was one of my many adventures on a lifelong quest to ride with the great “cowboy” cultures of the world. I’ve ridden with gauchos in Argentina, with nomads in Mongolia, even with the descendants of Cossacks in Russia. The slider cowboys of Hells Canyon was a subculture I’d long wanted to visit. Last spring, Rustabakke arranged for me to ride with two ranch families on either side of the gorge: with the Botts in Anatone, Washington, and the Stowers in White Bird, Idaho. “Yeah, I can ride,” I told Kevin. I looked up at the rimrock breaks looming high above us. How steep could it really be?

HELLS’ MIDDLE FINGER Steep. Really, truly, gosh-darn steep. We trailered up the canyon, gaining 2,000 feet of elevation in 6 miles. My ears popped from the sudden change in pressure. Then we unloaded our horses and rode farther up the canyon by following a tight ravine that topped out on a grassy butte. There, we found our first group of cattle lazing in the shade of some ponderosa pines near an old homestead house built by Kevin

Botts’ grandparents. The location had proven too exposed for year-round living and the Bottses had since moved headquarters to the more temperate canyon bottom. Riding through the herd, we came upon a limping calf, which Kevin and Nicholas roped and doctored as a warmup for the day. Then we rode through a gate and sat our horses at the top of a ridgeline, or “finger” as Kevin called it. From the high vantage, I could see south into Oregon and east into Idaho. The gorge was a geometric pattern of ridgelines and ravines, interspersed with rimrock cliffs. Hells Canyon started forming when a rivulet of water that would become the Snake River started winding its way across an ancient lava field. Over millennia, ice ages came and went, and glacial runoff further eroded the river canyon. Then, many centuries ago, there was a massive geologic event that gave Hells Canyon the magnitude we see today. Six hundred miles south, in Utah, glacial ice had dammed Lake Bonneville, covering much of that state with water. As the climate warmed, the dam suddenly broke and a tsunami scoured the Snake River drainage at a force equivalent to 60 Mississippi Rivers running at once. Kevin and Nicholas made a plan for who would ride where. Gathering cattle out of such corrugated terrain means that riders are often beyond sound or sight of each other. At times, they need to navigate by dead reckoning.

ABOVE LEFT: Nicholas moves cattle with the help of two Border Collie dogs, who prove invaluable when working in canyon country. BELOW: Nicholas (left) and Kevin move cattle up a steep incline rising from above the Snake River.

02.22 WESTERN HORSEM AN 4 7

“Usually, it’s easiest to gather cattle by riding down the ravines and then up the fingers,” Kevin explained. “But, today, we need to gather everything so I’ll take the ravine and, Nicholas, you sweep down this finger. At the bottom, we’ll wheel around and bring them up the next finger over.” The cowboys set off on their assigned routes, their cow dogs jogging at their heels. I dismounted and waited for the scene to develop so I could take some pictures. It occurred to me that “steepness” is hard to convey in the two-dimensional plane of a photograph. I needed a frame of reference, like something standing at a 90-degree angle to the horizon. But everywhere I pointed my camera was like looking through a child’s toy kaleidoscope. I turned this way and that, searching for a scene that made visual sense. That’s when a dizzying sense of vertigo came over me. My boot caught on a rock and I stumbled against my horse, grabbing the saddle horn to regain my balance. I realized how quickly a person (or horse or cow) could get into danger.

SLIP ’N SLIDE The term “slider” refers to what happens when an animal loses its footing and gravity takes over. In the warm seasons of spring and summer, there is good traction on the breaks of Hells Canyon. Come fall and winter, the hillsides become treacherous. A recipe for disaster is when temperatures hover around freezing and the ground thaws just a bit. Add a dash of snow and the hills become slick as grease on a ball bearing. Cattle raised in the area learn from a young age to tread carefully. If they lose their footing, they learn to adopt a controlled slide, pointing their front hooves downhill and squatting on their haunches. They slide until they gain footing on a patch of flatter ground, crash into a bush or, on a rare occasion, slide to their doom. “That’s why we don’t bother them when the ground is that slick,” Kevin said. Cowboys face the same risk, although they at least can decide whether or not to ride out in bad conditions. They also improve their odds by putting sharp shoes on their horses. Kevin recalled

"IF YOU WORK THE AIR OUT OF YOUR DOGS, AND DON'T GET THEM TO WATER, IT TAKES A LONG TIME FOR THEM TO REBOUND. THEN YOU'LL HAVE TO USE YOUR HORSES EVEN HARDER." —KEVIN BOTTS 4 8 W E S T E R N H OR S EM AN 0 2 . 2 2

Kevin and Nicholas rope and doctor a calf near the homestead house built by Kevin’s grandparents. BOTTOM LEFT: Kevin shows the type of sharp shoes needed for horses to handle the steep, slick hillsides. BOTTOM RIGHT: Kevin's family has run cattle in Hells Canyon for four generations. TOP:

the time when, in his 20s, he learned the value of a sharp-shod horse. On a winter day, he was gathering 80 pair on a steep hillside. A storm had dumped a foot of fresh snow on the ground. “I couldn’t see what was under the snow,” Kevin recalled. “We rode onto a sheet of snow-covered ice and my horse’s feet slipped out from underneath him. In the fall, he ended up brushing a patch of snow off the ice so that when he jumped back up, the sharp shoes gripped really well. “Somehow, I stayed on the horse. But then, like a dummy, I jumped off on the uphill side. I was confused about what had just happened and thought it was safest to get down. I lost my footing right away and I slid under my horse’s belly. Thank goodness he just stood there. I grabbed his leg when I came out the other side and I was able to get back up. Now I know the safest place to be when conditions are that bad is in the saddle.” 02.22 WESTERN HORSEM AN 4 9

HELLS’ HOUNDS By the time Kevin and Nicholas gathered the pasture and had the herd pointed uphill, the temperature was nearing 100 degrees. Despite our best intentions, the heat of the day had caught up with us just as we were starting the most grueling part of the job. Kevin said there will sometimes be days when they have no choice but to quit. “The heat and the hills can take their toll on a horse,” he said. We made slow but steady progress by switch-backing our way up the final ridgeline. I had expected riding in Hells Canyon to be a yee-haw affair. But slider cowboys work by the principle that the fastest way to move cattle is slow and steady. Every 100 feet of incline, Kevin and Nicholas sat their horses to breathe. At this stage of the gather, the cow dogs proved their worth. A few cattle were tempted by a lush spring that flowed deep in the ravine and made a break downhill. Going after them would’ve spent our horses, but so too would having to return to gather remnants from the pasture. Kevin and Nicholas gave commands to their dogs, which chased down the renegades and deftly turned them back into the herd. “You’ve got to be selective about when you use the dogs,” Kevin said. “If you work the air out of your dogs, and don’t get them to water, it takes a long time for them to rebound. Then you’ll have to use your horses even harder.” At the top of the butte, we came to a stock tank. The dogs jumped into the tank for a well-deserved cool off, barely leaving space for the horses to poke their muzzles through for a drink of water. We kicked the cattle through a gate leading to the upland pasture, then made the long, hot ride back to the trailer.

CONTESTED LAND As a raven flies, the Botts Ranch wasn’t that far from Ray and Molly Stowers’s ranch on the Idaho side of Hells Canyon. To ride a horse from one side of the gorge to the other entails a 20mile journey and a combined 18,000 feet of elevation change. I chose to drive. The 135-mile journey skirted the mouth of the canyon, passed through the sister cities of Clarkston and Lewiston on the Washington-Oregon border (named for the Lewis and Clark Expedition that came through here in 1804 and 1805), crossed the Nez Percé Indian Reservation, and then turned south toward White Bird, Idaho. The place names echoed the region’s complicated history. People first visited Hells Canyon near the end of the last ice age. The charcoal remains of a prehistoric campfire once lit on the banks of the Salmon River (another major river system inside Hells Canyon) were radiocarbon dated to around 13,000 B.C.— one of the oldest-known human encampments in the U.S., outside of Alaska. A rare Clovis point arrowhead found near Hells Canyon Reservoir dated to 10,000 B.C. These paleolithic people were hunters and gatherers, likely drawn by salmon runs that filled the Snake and Salmon rivers. Today, 18 hydroelectric dams impede spawning salmon. 5 0 W E S T E R N H OR S EM AN 0 2 . 2 2

"WE REALLY LISTEN TO OUR HORSES. WHEN WE MOVE COWS ON THE HILLSIDE, THEY CAN GET ABOVE YOU AND SEND SOME PRETTY BIG ROCKS TUMBLING DOWN. A HORSE SHOULD THINK FAST AND GET OUT OF THE WAY, NOT STAND THERE WAITING FOR ME TO TELL HIM WHAT TO DO." —MOLLY STOWERS

Ray Stowers gathers cattle near White Bird, Idaho. OPPOSITE: Nicholas gazes across the up-anddown country where he and his father run cattle. THIS PAGE:

02.22 WESTERN HORSEM AN 5 1

Eventually, the greater Hells Canyon region became the home range for several tribes, including the Nez Percé, Shoshone and Paiute. The Nez Percé, especially, took up residence in Hells Canyon, building rock shelters and pit houses. Recently, a hiker found a cache of Nez Percé textiles made of cedar bark that were hidden under a rock and date to around 1400 A.D. And thousands of pictographs decorate boulders and rock walls along the canyon floor, some of which include artistic representations of horses, which historians estimate arrived in the region around 1720 A.D. According to Nez Percé mythology, a coyote dug the canyon to protect them from the Seven Devils, a band of evil spirits living in the mountain range to the east. A coyote’s warning might’ve been nice when the Lewis and Clark Expedition arrived because it marked the beginning of the end for the Nez Percé’s centuries’ old way of life. Instead, the Nez Percé helped the explorers by advising them on a route that would avoid a punishing journey through the canyon. During their encounter, Meriwether Lewis made note of the Nez Percé’s spotted Appaloosa horses. “Their horses appear to be of an excellent race,” Lewis wrote in his journal, “elegantly formed, active and durable; in short many of them look like fine English coarsers [sic] and would make a figure in any country.” A “Courser” was a spotted breed of horse used for battle in Europe. Through the next 50 years, Europeans poured into the region to trap for furs, mine for gold and copper, and to build sheep and cattle ranches. In 1855, the United States negotiated a treaty with the Nez Percé that would cede 7 million acres to the government

Tate Stowers helps his daughter, Kira, into the saddle before a long day of gathering cattle from a 2,000-acre pasture. BELOW: Cattle outfits in Hells Canyon are commonly family operated, including the Stowers Ranch, run by (from left) Tate, Ray, Harrison, Kira, Milly and NaTosha. RIGHT:

"I DON'T WANT A 'BOMBPROOF' HORSE. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT A HORSE NEEDS TO HAVE A LITTLE 'SPOOK' IN HIM SO THAT YOU KNOW HE'S AWARE ENOUGH TO SURVIVE AROUND HERE." —RAY STOWERS 5 2 W E S T E R N H OR S EM AN 0 2 . 2 2

in exchange for cash payments to tribal members, the building of schools and industrial centers to grow a native economy, and indefinite rights to hunt, fish and gather food in Hells Canyon. The terms of the deal were never fully met. In 1860, gold was discovered on Nez Percé land and the U.S. government sought to renegotiate with the Nez Percé. The controversial Treaty of 1863, which was not signed by all tribal leaders including Chief Joseph, reduced Nez Percé landholdings by 90 percent and required them to move from their ancestral lands on the Washington-Oregon side of the canyon, to a reservation in Idaho. When the U.S. Army arrived to force their evacuation,

in 1877, Chief Joseph’s band attempted a 1,700-mile march to freedom in Canada that proved unsuccessful. On the final leg of my drive, I passed through White Bird Battlefield where the first shots were fired in what became known as the Nez Percé War of 1877. The U.S. Army and its 106 well-armed cavalrymen fought 70 Nez Percé warriors armed with antique weapons, scant ammunition, as well as bows and arrows. Outmanned and outgunned, the Nez Percé still had a secret weapon, their Appaloosa horses, which were superior to the cavalry’s horses for battling on rough terrain. When the dust settled, the Nez Percé had killed 34 soldiers without losing a man. They also 02.22 WESTERN HORSEM AN 5 3

Three generations of the Stowers family rides in the pickup to a morning gather in Hells Canyon in Idaho. They include Harrison (left), Tate and Ray (right and opposite page).

captured Army rifles, pistols and ammunition that would prove valuable in future battles. “The troops learned that the warriors were better riders than themselves and expertly adept marksmen capable of inflicting severe casualties in the ranks,” wrote Jerome A. Green in Nez Percé Summer 1877, a definitive history of the war campaign. “They employed their ammunition economically and did not foolishly attempt to fire from horseback, as had the soldiers. Their welltrained ponies stood calmly during the tumult while the army mounts panicked and pulled their holders about.” After the battle, the Nez Percé marched on toward Montana, where they were eventually captured and forced onto the reservation in Idaho. With the Nez Percé vacated, Hells Canyon was opened for homesteading ranchers.

BOMBPROOF HORSES N E E D N O T A P P LY When I pulled up to the Stowers Ranch, Molly Stowers stood in the front lawn holding a pair of pruning shears. Her green thumb had the ranch grounds looking like a picture in Better Homes & Gardens. She beckoned Ray from the horse barn and 5 4 W E S T E R N H OR S EM AN 0 2 . 2 2

soon the three of us were gathered around a patio table, drinking ice water in the shade of some cottonwood trees. Naturally, the conversation turned to horses and the qualities it takes for them to make it in Hells Canyon. “I don’t want a ‘bombproof ’ horse,” Ray said. “It seems to me that a horse needs to have a little ‘spook’ in him so that you know he’s aware enough to survive around here. I want something that’s big and stout and athletic, who I can give his head to pick his way through rocks and downed trees. You should see him looking around and thinking about the best way to go.” Molly agreed: “We really listen to our horses. When we move cows on the hillside, they can get above you and send some pretty big rocks tumbling down. A horse should think fast and get out of the way, not stand there waiting for me to tell him what to do.” Ray confessed that there was one bombproof horse on the ranch—their granddaughter’s mare, Cookie. “It takes a special kind of horse to pack a kid in this steep country,” he says. Because Hells Canyon ranches are so remote, most are family run operations, relying on occasional help from far-flung neighbors. The Stowers have the good fortune that the neighbors are also members of the family. Their son and daughter-in-law, Tate

"HE TAUGHT ME SO MUCH. [JACK] WOULDN'T LET ME DO ANYTHING WRONG. I COULDN'T OVERRIDE HIM BECAUSE HE KNEW THE RIGHT THING TO DO. WHEN I RODE HIM ON THE HILLSIDE, IF I REINED HIM IN THE WRONG DIRECTION, HE'D JUST BITE THE BIT AND TAKE ME WHERE I WAS SUPPOSED TO GO." —TATE STOWERS

and NaTosha Stowers, recently bought the next ranch over and the two outfits combine their efforts on a near-daily basis. The next morning, the younger Stowers generation met us at the saddling barn, accompanied by their two young children, Kira and Harrison. The kids bubbled over with excitement at the prospect of gathering cattle with grandma and grandpa. “Kira hardly slept at all last night,” NaTosha said. “She was already dressed when we woke up.” It was close quarters inside the saddling barn and the four adults deftly navigated around each other as they moved horses in and out of stalls, lugged saddles and led horses to the trailer. At one point, Tate led two horses, carried two thermoses of coffee (one for him and one for his wife), and herded his young son across the gravel lot towards the trailer. All seven of us crammed into Ray’s truck and drove up a winding logging road that was notched into the hillside. For young Harrison, the truck ride was interminable. He was antsy and kept trying to climb from the backseat into the front. At one point he’d taken off his hat and shirt. The boots might’ve come off, too. Preschoolers; I have one, too. The plan was to gather pairs out of a 2,000-acre pasture. Not that it’s easy to measure acreage in Hells Canyon.

“If you could grab the edges of Idaho County and pull the wrinkles out of it, I bet it’d be as big as Texas,” Ray said. We parked at a set of holding corrals and saddled up. Tate lifted Kira onto Cookie, then Harrison onto NaTosha’s lap. We split into two groups. Ray and Tate would gather cattle out of a creek bottom, while Molly and NaTosha took the kids to sweep the backside of a somewhat less steep slope. In theory, we would converge on top. The forest opened onto a scenic view of the Salmon River valley. It was a rare location with cell service. Tate’s phone chimed with a few messages. A friend was helping track down a part for a broken-down tractor. Another had a lead on what sounded like a pretty good horse for sale just up the road in Grangeville. As we rode, the two reminisced about horses, good and bad. There was the one that was perfect, except for the rare occasion when it would buck straight downhill. It was now gone. There was the one who was perfect, except when it would “lose heart,” aka run out of energy, and refuse to go further. Also gone. They agreed the measuring stick for a good horse was Jack, a gelding Ray started as a colt while managing a ranch on the Oregon side of Hells Canyon (where they were neighbors with Kevin Botts). “He was my go-to horse on that ranch,” Ray said. “When I left, I asked the ranch owner if I could buy Jack. He looked at me and said, ‘Is that a good horse?’ I told him the truth. ‘You’re too honest,’ he said. ‘I’m just gonna give him to you.’ I always tell my kids those are the terms you want to be on when you leave a job.” When Tate came of age to start doing real cowboy work, Ray gave him Jake to ride. “He taught me so much,” Tate said. “He wouldn’t let me do anything wrong. I couldn’t override him because he knew the right thing to do. At brandings, I’d throw a loop and he’d just turn around and head out. He expected me to catch every time. And when I rode him on the hillside, if I reined him in the wrong direction, he’d just bite the bit and take me where I was supposed to go.” At a hairpin turn in the road, Tate got down to open a gate hidden in a dense thicket of trees. I pulled my hat low and pushed through the branches. A group of cattle that were wallowing in the creek bottom suddenly bolted downhill. Tate went after them, while Ray and I continued up the ravine. About halfway up the hill, we rode through a stand of old growth Ponderosa pines whose trunks were nearly as wide as our horses. We split up, Ray riding to the top of the draw, while I traversed the hillside. The forest gave way to a grassy slope that was terraced with a web of cow trails. I gave my horse his head, trusting him to find his way across a slope that was the steepest I’d ridden yet. Above me, green pasture climbed up to the heavens. And a steep hillside plummeted to the depths of Hells Canyon below. Astride a horse somewhere in between, I guess that meant I’d found Purgatory. RYAN T. BELL is a writer and photographer based in Washington State. See more of his work at ryantbell.com and on Instagram @ryantbell. Send comments on this story to edit@westernhorseman.com. 02.22 WESTERN HORSEM AN 5 5

CREDIT TK

National Reined Cow Horse Association Million Dollar Rider Zane Davis has become a force in reined cow horse competition. But the Idaho cowboy never intended to become a horse trainer.

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pho to gra ph by J ENNI F ER D ENISO N

COW H O R SE COWBOY STORY BY JENNIFER DENISON

THROUGH A SERIES OF SERENDIPITOUS E V E N T S , Z A N E D AV I S W E N T F R O M R O D E O I N G A N D S TA RT I N G R A N C H C O LT S T O S U C C E S S F U L LY T R A I N I N G AND SHOWING REINED COW HORSES.

CREDIT TK

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T H I S PA G E : Zane started Rubys Radar, owned by longtime client, the late Billie Filippini, as a 2-year-old and showed the stallion to top placings in several big events, including the World’s Greatest Horseman competition. Last August, he rode the red roan to the $150,000 Fence Work Challenge championship at the Run for a Million event. R I G H T: Zane starts his 2-year-old horses tracking and turning bison.

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pho to gra ph by ROS S HECOX

SUNRAYS PIERCE THROUGH THE WINDOWS of an indoor arena, casting a spotlight on champion reined cow horse trainer Zane Davis and his son, Dawson, as they put a second ride on a 2-year-old colt. A student at Cochise College in Arizona, and a member of the school’s rodeo team, 19-yearold Dawson is home during spring break helping his father ride a barn full of horses ranging from 2-year-old prospects to futurity contenders and seasoned campaigners. Zane dallies the lead rope attached to the colt’s halter around his saddle horn and sets the horse up for Dawson to get on. The colt also packs a snaffle bit with reins so Dawson has some control once Zane unsnaps the lead rope. Wide-eyed and fidgety, the colt is unsure of Dawson’s weight in the stirrup and pulls back. Zane’s stout, sorrel saddle horse, the 2009 National Reined Cow Horse Association Snaffle Bit Futurity Champion, Reymanator, stands firm yet offers security to the skittish colt. “He’s a multipurpose horse around here now,” says Zane of the gritty 15-year-old gelding by Dual Rey and out of Savannah Hickory by Docs Hickory. “My daughter, Zayle, ran poles and barrels on him and competed in cutting and cow horse and won the Idaho state high school rodeo allaround title on him a few years ago. Dawson has calf roped on him, and now my 9-year-old daughter, Presley, is riding him in poles, barrels and 4-H [events]. “And, we use him to start colts,” he adds. “He’s the only one we have around here that is tough enough to handle these colts. photo g ra p h by J E N N I FE R DEN I S O N

He doesn’t put up with their [nonsense], and they can’t pull him over because he’s built like Hercules.” Turning his attention to his son as he smoothly swings his leg over the horse’s back and settles into the saddle, Zane ponies the pair around the arena a few laps. “If he sulls up or tries to come up in the front end, be sure to pitch him some rein,” Zane advises before removing the lead rope. “Slap your feet one time, and if he doesn’t move don’t do it multiple times or you won’t be set up if he starts to buck.” As Zane anticipated, the colt takes off hopping, snorting and scurrying aimlessly.

On a normal day, Zane rides between 20 and 22 horses, with the help of an assistant and sometimes his children and wife, Holly. He typically starts with his 3-year-old futurity horses, practicing reining maneuvers, going down the fence and/or cutting with cattle or the flag. Then he works the 4- and 5-year-old horses and the 2-year-olds. He ends his day after dark, tuning up his seasoned bridle horses. On this blustery April morning at his training facility in Blackfoot, Idaho, Zane chose to start with the youngsters, using the methods he learned from years of watching training videos and starting hundreds of ranch colts.

“Hang on!” Zane instructs Dawson, adding that the colt behaved a lot better today than when he saddled him the day before. “Let him go around like that for a while and then, when you get a chance, stop him, try to back him, and pick up on that right rein to turn him. If he doesn’t turn, press with your inside leg.” The colt stops and licks its lips, then Dawson backs him a step and sends him in the other direction and trots a few figure eights. When he stops, Zane directs Dawson to grab the cheek piece of the halter, not the bridle, as he steps off the horse. “The old-timers did it that way,” he explains. “It’s okay if the horse moves its feet a little, but you don’t want him to get away from you.”

Unlike most reined cow horse trainers, Zane is self-taught and got his start in his 30s. He grew up immersed in cowboying, riding racehorses and rodeoing. However, fortuitous opportunities took him down a different path and catapulted him into reined cow horse competition. Since then, he has validated his place in the performance horse industry, winning such prestigious events as the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity, Reno Snaffle Bit Futurity and the $150,000 Fence Work Challenge held during the Run For A Million event last August in Las Vegas, Nevada. With career earnings of $1,922,672, he’s set to surpass $2 million in NRCHA earnings this year, a feat only four other riders have accomplished. 02.22 WESTERN HORSEM AN 5 9

LEFT: Zane gets plenty of help from his wife, Holly, and their three children Presley, Dawson and Zayle (not shown). RIGHT: A self-proclaimed introvert, Zane is most content at home training horses. “If a client wants someone to call all the time, I’m not that guy,” he says. “I’ll call to check in, but usually I’m out with a horse.”

Despite his show-pen success, the 50-year-old horseman admits that he never aspired to become a horse trainer. It happened “purely by accident.”

RODEOING TO RIDING COLTS

Looking through photo albums and a dining-room wall adorned with trophy buckles, it’s apparent the cowboy way of life shaped Zane. The son of Shawn Davis and his wife, Jeanna, their only child naturally gravitated to rodeo. Shawn is a three-time Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association world champion saddle bronc rider and a longtime general manager of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Zane spent his early childhood horseback, working cattle with his parents on a ranch in Texas. 6 0 W E S T E R N H OR S EM AN 0 2 . 2 2

“Zane learned to count when he and Jeanna would ride out and bring in cattle,” Shawn remembers. “He was horseback by the time he was 2.” Most of his formative years, however, were spent either on his grandparents’ sheep and cattle ranch in Montana or in Twin Falls, Idaho, where Shawn coached the College of Southern Idaho’s rodeo team for nearly 30 years while also raising Thoroughbred racehorses. “We had a bucking chute and a racetrack,” Zane recalls. “From the time I was little, all I ever wanted to be was a roughstock rider because that’s what my dad did. He started putting me on calves when I was 3.” In the early mornings before school, a young Zane galloped racehorses. To pre-

pare for junior rodeos, he practiced roping and riding roughstock at the college with members of the rodeo team. His mother rode jumping horses and even entered him in English classes when he was a child. “He was always dedicated and had a good work ethic, and he was always kind of a perfectionist,” Shawn says. “He could ride anything we had in the barn and broke ponies to sell. We had a pony we used as a teaser stallion and Zane started riding it. He took it to a show and at the end of the trail course he had to jump a bale [of hay], and the pony was so small he got high-centered on the bale. He sold that pony for $400, and I think I gave $15 for it.” Zane enjoyed competing in all three roughstock events and won a National High pho to gra ph by J ENNI F ER D ENISO N

School Rodeo Association bareback riding championship. Later, he claimed bareback and all-around titles in the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association. “My sophomore year of college I was getting off my last bronc at the College National Finals and broke my neck, but it didn’t sever my spinal cord,” he recalls. “I had just won a college national championship in bareback riding, second in bronc riding and the all-around. The next weekend, with a broken neck, I went to a pro rodeo and filled my [PRCA] permit [in bareback riding].” After completing two years at CSI, Davis transferred to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He took six months off of rodeoing to heal, but when he started riding again he broke the radial head in his riding arm. He kept competing and ended up getting kicked in the head by a bucking horse after a dismount that caused his brain to hemorrhage. “I was starting to realize I wasn’t cut out to be a rodeo guy,” he says. “I didn’t like the

“FROM THE TIME I WAS LITTLE, ALL I EVER WANTED TO BE WAS A ROUGHSTOCK RIDER BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT MY DAD DID.” —ZANE DAVIS

rodeo lifestyle and being on the road, and I didn’t think I was mentally or physically tough enough for it. It was a hard pill to swallow, because that’s all I’d ever planned on doing and had never made a contingency plan.” After graduating from UNLV, Zane married Holly in 1995. The couple met through college rodeo. He worked for his dad’s rodeo production company for several years before moving to a ranch in Montana. “I had a college degree, but I didn’t want to get a real job,” he says. “Holly and I moved to the Hirschy Ranch in Big Hole Valley, Montana, and she got a job [as a registered nurse] in Dillon. I was in my mid20s and needed to find something to do, so Holly suggested I start some colts.” photo g ra p h by J E N N I FE R DEN I S O N

He advertised his colt-starting services in a local newspaper for $300 per month. Then he started watching videos and reading books by Ray Hunt and other notable horsemen, and built a round pen and small arena out of reclaimed materials . “I had three or four horses at a time and rode them all over the ranch,” he says. “After 30 days the colts were dang sure tired and the owners were happy. The ranch also hired me to prepare their horses for their annual production sale. I became consumed by colt starting; I couldn’t believe people were paying me to do it.” One of the books he read was by clinician Monty Roberts. “Inscribed on the title page was a note to my dad from Monty asking him to help him get some good help,” Zane recalls. “I asked my dad who this guy was and what he was looking for. Dad said he wanted some cowboys who could start racehorses and ride bucking horses in a flat saddle.” With Shawn’s recommendation, Roberts hired Zane in 1999 and he went on tour with the clinician for more than a year and became his road manager. “I learned a lot about problem horses. We traveled all over the world and were in a new town every night, starting colts and retraining problem horses,” he says. “Monty exposed me to the horse world and showed me how big it was.” At the same time he negotiated a deal with the Bureau of Land Management in Montana to start Mustangs. “I would ride anything,” he says. “I never thought of it as paying my dues; I was having a heck of a good time riding all day long.” While in Ocala, Florida, Zane accepted an offer to ride a problem stallion for Florida land developer John “Sandy” Semanik once the tour ended. Then, a call from Semanik’s secretary notified him that there were an additional 70 colts for him to ride. For the next few years, Zane spent four months a year in Florida training Semanik’s horses. “He had a potpourri of horses,” Zane recalls. “The first year I rode 23 horses a day, and I was as happy as I could be.”

AN ACCIDENTAL TRAINER

Wanting to improve the quality of his horses, Semanik purchased an unstarted 2-year-old stallion, Bobby Starlight, by Grays Starlight and out of Cats Bobby Sox by High Brow Cat, at Triangle Horse Sales

in Shawnee, Oklahoma, in January of 2004. “I remember thinking he was the most remarkable horse I’d ever seen,” Zane recalls. “As we were making arrangements to get the horse back to Florida, Sandy asked me what we were going to do with it. I told him I guess we better show him. He then wanted to know what we would show him in. I’d seen a reined cow horse show once, and I was pretty sure I could do that with the horse because it was cowboy.” Zane set out to train Bobby Starlight and a couple of other horses Semanik had acquired that year for cow horse. He watched training videos and read Ride with Bob Avila, a publication produced by renowned all-around horseman Bob Avila. Holly, who was raised on a ranch and rodeoed, supported her husband by exercising horses and turning back for him. She also videoed cow horse shows in Montana and Idaho so Zane could assess the competition. “I didn’t have an adequate place to teach sliding stops in Florida or Montana,” he says. “In Florida, there was a dirt road with a clay base that ran through the ranch. I put two panels, about 300 feet apart, on the road and would practice my stops. “In Montana I had a very small indoor arena. I would open the big doors on each arena end. I placed my panels about 100 feet outside each door. I would practice my rundowns, running through the indoor arena and then out the opposite arena door. If the horse was running well and I wanted to practice my stop, I would repeat the exercise but say ‘whoa’ somewhere in the arena as I was passing through.” While he was training Bobby Starlight, Zane also taught himself to ride cutting 02.22 WESTERN HORSEM AN 6 1

Reymanator, the 2009 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity champion, has a permanent place in the Davis barn as a youth rodeo and 4-H horse and saddle horse to start colts.

horses and showed some of Semanik’s horses in the National Cutting Horse Association. He qualified for the NCHA limited open futurity finals on two horses, and the open semifinals on one horse in 2007. The same year he also qualified for his first NRCHA open futurity finals and placed fourth. “He knew how to participate and how to compete under pressure, and I think rodeo prepared him for that,” Shawn says. Bobby Starlight made his show-pen debut in 2005. The pair won the Magic Valley Reined Cow Horse Association Futurity and placed second at the Idaho Reined Cow Horse Futurity. “I was a self-taught, 33-year-old trainer when I showed my first horse,” Zane says. “Most of the guys I was competing against had been doing it since they were 18 and apprenticed with other trainers. “Not working for someone ended up being one of my biggest blessings, because I 6 2 W E S T E R N H OR S EM AN 0 2 . 2 2

learned things I would not have learned otherwise. I don’t encourage anyone else to do that, because you can get into patterns and not know how to get out of them, but it worked out for me. I had Sandy kicking me in the butt and asking when we were going to win the big one.” Zane and Bobbys Starlight won more than $124,000 in six years, and placed third at the 2010 World’s Greatest Horseman event. “Bobby Starlight is the best horse I ever had,” Zane says. “He made up for my shortcomings.” Feeling the pressure of open competition, Zane started asking trainers such as Idaho reiner Dee Craig and world champion cow horse trainer Don Murphy for advice. “I went and rode with Don Murphy in Oklahoma and he told me I didn’t know how to go down the fence,” Zane recalls with a laugh. “I ‘cowboyed’ down the fence, and it served me pretty well at the time. He

still helps me and sees things I don’t pick up on my own.” In 2007, Semanik purchased a yearling son of Dual Rey at the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Sale without even looking at the colt. Trained exclusively by Zane, the colt would become a fan favorite, give the horseman his biggest win and establish his credibility as a cow horse trainer. From the start, Zane was confident the quirky colt could win the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity. “ ‘The Reymanator’ was incredibly intelligent and relatively easy to start,” Zane recalls. “As his training progressed, however, he developed his own opinions about how things should go. If I didn’t agree with his opinions, he would become very frustrated with me. This made training somewhat of a challenge. He was probably the most athletic and cow-smart horse I ever trained. He knew what the cow was going to do before the cow did.” pho to gra ph by J ENNI F ER D ENISO N

“IT’S TOUGH TO KEEP ME EXCITED ABOUT SHOWING. I JUST LOVE TRAINING. I’D STAY HERE AND DO IT ALL DAY FOR NOTHING IF I COULD.” —ZANE DAVIS

The horse has career earnings of $206,798, according to EquiStat, and is ranked in the top 15 of EquiStat’s all-time leading reined cow horses. During his seven-year career with Zane, the horse won reined cow horse’s most prestigious event— the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity—in 2009. “That year I had only one horse at the futurity, and I knew he was going to win it,” Zane says. “There was a lot of buzz about him.” Winning his first major title solidified Zane as a cow horse trainer and horseman, and he soon started training for the public. The past decade he’s piloted dozens of horses to top placings and several NRCHA championships, including the 2014 Hackamore Classic, the 2014 Stakes open reserve title and reserve at the 2019 World’s Greatest Horseman aboard Rubys Radar, a 2010 red roan stallion by One Time Pepto and out of Ruby Bagonia by Peppy San Badger.

In 2020, he and Snapdragons, a 2017 stallion by Gunnatrashya and out of Catnaps by High Brow Cat, were co-champions of the Snaffle Bit Futurity. In August of 2021, he rode Rubys Radar to the $150,000 Fence Work Challenge championship held during the Run for a Million. He considers becoming a member of NRCHA’s Million Dollar Rider club his greatest achievement so far. “At the time there weren’t a lot of NRCHA riders who had achieved the Million Dollar Rider status," he says. "I was proud to have reached it in a relatively short amount of time and on a small number of horses.” However, it’s not the money and wins that drive him to the barn and into the show pen. “It’s tough to keep me excited about showing,” he says, humbly. “I just love training horses. I’d stay here and do it all day for nothing if I could. I’ve never liked competing, but it’s a necessary part of my business.”

COWBOY COMPETITOR

Disciplined and dedicated, Zane works six days a week year-round, taking off only on Sundays, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. He also exercises daily to keep himself fit. A high-strung, highly organized horseman and businessman, he strives to be straightforward with clients and wakes up in the night trying to figure out how to fix a problem he’s having with a horse or how to do something better. “He develops relationships not only with the owners, but also with the horses he rides, because he’s with them all the time and gets to know them,” Holly says. “He cares about them and worries about them.”

Holly says the horses Zane trains have a particular balance and collection that sets them apart. “His horses have a lift and collection that he instills in them from the beginning and that stays with them into the hackamore and bridle,” she explains. “You can pinpoint a horse Zane has trained as it trots or lopes into the pen.” In a high-pressure industry that starts horses young, Zane feels a responsibility to prepare a horse not only for the futurity, but also a life beyond aged events. “The thing I’m most proud of is that my horses go on and last a long time,” he says. “I’m not sure what I do to give those horses that longevity, but one thing we do is ride them every day and not overdue it. I try to do a little bit every day and watch their mental and physical happiness. If they like their job, they’ll be more willing to do it.” Shawn adds, “One of the challenges of training racehorses is not pushing them too hard, and I think Zane is pretty good at that [with his cow horses]. I’ve seen him back off a horse that isn’t ready. I think one of the secrets to his success is he lets the horse tell him when its ready. You see so many people riding horses he’s trained in in the bridle like at the World’s Greatest Horseman, and I think it’s because he put a good foundation on them and didn’t blow their minds.” Confident yet reserved, Zane has gone from being a rodeo cowboy to being a force in the cow horse arena with his self-taught style of training. This month he will let the skills of his horses shine in the arena at the NRCHA Celebration of Champions and World’s Greatest Horseman competition in Fort Worth, Texas. “In the hunter-jumper arena, George Morris had a philosophy that the highlight in the pen should be the horse, not the rider,” Holly explains. “If I could explain Zane’s style, he puts the horse out there for people to notice rather than himself. When he’s running down the fence, he’s tight in the saddle and his horse is moving and doing the work. In the reining he’s very reserved, but he scores high. His equipment and clothing are not flashy. He looks more like a cowboy.” Jennifer Denison is senior editor of Western Horseman. Send comments on this story to edit@westernhorseman.com. 02.22 WESTERN HORSEM AN 6 3

ADVENTURES -

WITH BOB A bucket-list horsepacking trip ventures deep into the Bob Marshall Wilderness, offering a group of friends captivating scenerey, taxing trails, curious wildlife and answers to why we humans are drawn to remote mountain escapes. STORY BY MELISSA HEMKEN

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pho to gra ph by MELI S SA HEMKE N

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Yesterday was an 11-hour drive to the trailhead. It had been a busy day with getting on the trail and riding 12 miles. Now, in camp, came the cool evening air and the slower pace of the mountains. I led my horses down to water at the river. Hikers from a neighboring camp sat on the river’s boulders to soak their feet in the cool water while they ate supper. 6 6 W E S T E R N H OR S EM AN 0 2 . 2 2

We greeted each other, and they asked, “Do horses like to be in the mountains?” I glanced at my bays. “Yes,” I said, “they do, because they get bored standing in a pasture. You have to take care of them, though. They must have food, water and adequate rest.” My horses finished drinking. I led them back up to the electric fence where they

L E F T: G A RY G A R N E R

THIS WAS OUR FIRST NIGHT IN.

would be hobbled overnight. The hikers' question left me pondering: Why do we humans go to the mountains with our horses? Packers and their stock are vital to carrying in gear and people for wildfire crews and research projects. Yet, my friends and I were out in the mountains solely to see the scenery. On this trip, we packed through Montana’s Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex to see the Chinese Wall. As an icon of the Continental Divide—the escarpment is 12 miles long and over 1,000 feet high—it’s easily viewable on the Internet. It isn’t so easy to stand atop it and beneath it, as we did.

T O P A N D B O T T O M R I G H T: M E L I S S A H E M K E N

LeeAnne led planning the pack trip for us. It takes logistics to prepare, and then bring together, eight people and 13 horses from Wyoming and Missouri at a Montana trailhead. And from there, embark on a nine-day pack trip into new country. LeeAnne’s research led us to carry supplemental feed due to the drought and high stock usage, lowering the amount of forage in the few meadows tucked into the heavily wooded mountainous terrain. It proved sound advice. It’s impressive how little grass grows in the Lewis and Clark Mountains.

Mountain Life For our trip’s route we circled the Chinese Wall. On our second day, we rode up and over the Continental Divide and dropped into the valley on the “backside” of the Wall. The day’s trail wound past bubbling waterfalls. We flushed two bears. As bears often do, one was utilizing the trail as an easy path. I rode in the lead and didn’t see the bear. My horse and I came around a sharp corner to spot trailside plants springing back upright after the

LeeAnne Bell rides past the Chinese Wall in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. O P P O S I T E PA G E : The Wyoming contigent for the Bob pack trip, lined up with the Chinese Wall in the background, included Gayle Barnett (left), Tammy Bowers, LeeAnne Bell, Melissa Hemken and Perry Cook. T O P : LeeAnne rides in the lead as the expedition rides up to a pass on top of the Continental Divide. A B O V E : Melissa's packhorse, Hondo, follows the trail high above White River. PREVIOUS SPREAD:

bear’s recent bailing off of the trail. A bear’s trail is distinguished by its width, because the bear’s paws and stance lay down vegetation in a swath broader than does an ungulate, like an elk or deer. 02.22 WESTERN HORSEM AN 6 7

The trail over the pass above was precariously exposed. We rested at the head of the valley to check horses’ tack. Were pannier loads riding balanced? Check. Breast collars adjusted for the steepness ahead? Check. Once on a skinny tread with terrain straight up and down on either side, there’s no room to pause and adjust anything. From the pass’ saddle, the smoke of distant wildfires shrouded the view. Down we rode into the valley below. It took several hours to locate a suitable camp for our second night. We needed a large meadow with enough feed for three consecutive nights. When we spotted a camp, miles off of our intended route, we were across a river and up a ridge away from it. First, we scouted how to ride down to the river. Blocked by downed timber from a longago wildfire and a steep grade, we backtracked a few miles to reach the river. It

We rested at the head of the valley to check horses’ tack. ... Once on a skinny tread with terrain straight up and down on either side, there’s no room to pause and adjust anything.

MELISSA HEMKEN

O P P O S I T E PA G E : Gayle and the group pause midriver to water horses. B E L O W : The pack trip members cross a swinging bridge, whose amount of swing caught people and horses alike by surprise, on the first day out.

was a bushwhack on the opposite river bank, so we elected to ride right down the riverbed, through the water. Finally reaching the meadow, we were a tired crew that dropped camp. The next day we rode out early for a day ride to view the Wall from above. From the summit, the river below showed us the origin of the Chinese Wall’s name. Its sinuous path gleamed white. From the mountain heights the clear water that flowed over the white rocks was indistinguishable. On the mountain, butterflies tussled above the alpine flowers. In their flight they tumbled off the Wall, soon to reappear on an uplift. I rode up the mountain in a wool vest, windbreaker and tightly wound wild rag. Due to the nippy chill, I almost pulled on my leather gloves. In contrast, on the return to camp, it felt like we passed an open convection oven the entire trek down the valley. To take a break from the saddle to hike, I hitched my packhorse—who trailed along tackless on this day ride—with my piggin’ string attached to my ride horse saddle’s crupper ring. The dust swirled so thickly on the trail from our passage that I struggled to see where to place my feet. The horses didn’t appear to have the same difficulty.

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Back in camp, once the horses were cared for, we repaired to the river. Bathing and laundry were a daily occurrence to cool off. In the kitchen that evening Perry swatted a hummingbird that zipped by her head, because she thought it a bee. It continued to hover in the kitchen, likely attracted by the fuchsia underwear that hung to dry in a tree.

Reasons for Wilderness In our next camp, up valley, the loitering wildlife included a whitetail doe. The resident deer have learned that stock tack offers delicious sweat salt. Ruth and Gary, members of the expedition, once had deer raid their tack pile and carry off bridles. To prevent this, we fully covered our tack pile with mantie tarps and tightly wrapped it with lash ropes. The deer skulked through camp, but were unsuccessful in gaining our sweaty tack. On our way back over the Divide to the “front” side of the Wall, one side of the pass was a recent, sooty wildfire burn. The other sported ribbons of vibrant wildflowers that cascaded over lush vegetation. There were conifer trees of the kind I had never seen, with branches studded by clumps of short needles. I realized the map denoted the -spot as Larch Hill. They were larch trees!

Perhaps that’s why we venture into the backcountry, to show ourselves that we can live without modern technology and to return to the simpler rhythm that nature still follows. 7 0 W E S T E R N H OR S EM AN 0 2 . 2 2

MELISSA HEMKEN

O P P O S I T E : In the cool morning hours, Gayle heads down the trail and through a tall stand of evergreens to summit Haystack Mountain. A B O V E : LeeAnne leads the group across the White River to camp.

About that time the trail narrowed and slotted itself into the slope. My ride mare, Bailey, peers over every precipice. Because of my attentiveness to Bailey and her distractions, I glanced at the lake below us when she did and spotted a brightly colored tent squatting a few feet from the water. Our plan was to camp by that lake. From above, we could see that the largest nearby meadow was on the opposite of the lake from the trail. When we reached the valley, we off-trailed directly to that meadow. We reined up by the lake to decide where to place the kitchen, night fences, high-line and tents. The hikers of the bright tent yelled at us, from across the small lake, “No horses within 500 feet of the lake!” Considering that the United States Forest Service rules regarding dispersed camping stipulates that all tents

must be 100 feet from water sources, we thought the hikers—who had their tent a mere yard from the lake—rude. We investigated. On the trail side of the lake, where most travelers approach it, there was a sign nailed to a tree regarding stock use and 500 feet. We arranged our camp accordingly. Horses up the rise. Tents in the middle, close enough to keep “ears” on horse movement overnight and at least 200 feet from cooking area for bear safety protocol. The kitchen sat closest to the lake, but still 100 feet back from the shoreline. That evening, we watched a family of Bufflehead ducks paddle the lake. The mama duck likely would not choose to hatch and raise her ducklings there if its shores were denuded by overuse. The trail that passes the lake is designated as the Continental Divide Trail, a popular route. There are often good reasons for rules. In designated Wilderness Areas, they are established to protect and preserve land in its natural conditions and leave its community of life untrammeled by man, as required by the Wilder-

ness Act of 1964. That decades-old legislation enables us to continue to enjoy landscapes as they were created. The following day was a layover for us, where we stayed in the same camp for two consecutive nights to rest the horses. Layover days are also choose-your-level-ofactivity days. I went on an exploratory day ride, baked brownies for the crew and set up my repair shop. I opened shop to patch my jacket. By the time I closed it, we had set new rivets to fix Perry’s horn bags, LeeAnne’s headstall and Gary’s breast collar. My rule of repair: If you want me to fix your gear, you must help. Completing those tasks took me back to the hiker’s question on that first evening. Why do we go to the mountains? Self-sufficiency feels good. Perhaps that’s why we venture into the backcountry, to show ourselves that we can live without modern technology and to return to the simpler rhythm that nature still follows. MELISSA HEMKEN is a writer based in Wyoming. Send comments on this story to edit@westernhorseman.com. 02.22 WESTERN HORSEM AN 7 1

THE LAND

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LEFT BEHIND OPERATING UNDER R E G E N E R AT I V E A G R I C U LT U R E PRACTICES, THE BI R DW E L L A ND CL A R K R A NCH RUNS A N I M PR E S S I V E HERD O F Y E A R L I NG CATTLE TH AT I S H E L PI NG TO L E AV E A L E GA CY OF I M PR O V E D L A ND . STORY BY LIZZIE IWERSEN

Alex Cabarrubia lines out the herd headed for pens on shipping day on the Birdwell and Clark Ranch near Henrietta, Texas.

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photo g ra p h by L I ZZI E I W ER S EN

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AS A COWB OY AND C AT T L E B U Y E R , Nathan Carter has probably observed millions of cattle in his lifetime and has ridden across countless sections of open grassland. It gives credibility to his assessment of the Birdwell and Clark Ranch. “There are plenty of guys who run a lot of cattle, have thousands of yearlings,” Carter says. “But you don’t see them on one place, under one fence. And you especially don’t see it on grass. So to come here and be able to see it in Texas, it’s something special. I tell people about this ranch, and sure they listen, but then I send them a picture or video when you top out over one of the rims and look down and see four or five thousand steers at the bottom … man, it’s a breathtaking experience. You can’t deny how cool it is.” Based in Santo, Texas, Carter has studied numerous operations throughout the Southwest, and he makes it clear that the Henrietta, Texas, ranch is different than most. “What stands out about Birdwell and Clark is the stewardship of the land. You go to so many places and see people pushing the limits of the land with more cattle, not considering the grass, to make more money. So, it’s neat to come out here and see this operation, where the land and the grass are as big a part of the equation as the cattle.” Carter is on hand each year for the ranch’s five days of shipping yearlings, and over the course of those days, he and the crew will load, weigh and ship 5,000 head. Shipping days at Birdwell and Clark go smooth and fast with the help of four additional cowboys who’ve come in to help the ranch’s two full-time hands and ranch owners, Emry Birdwell and Deborah Clark.

tive agriculture pioneer Allen Savory, Birdwell’s interest in holistic cattle management was the framework for his plan. Dividing the land properly to function within his rotational agenda was the first step. “We tried to put what we thought was the best land in one paddock,” Birdwell says. “And then the bottom country that had been overgrazed for 160 years, we put that in another, where we could graze and rest it differently to have more or less herd impact, depending on what we felt like it needed. We tried to section it all according to quality of land.” Dividing it with single-strand electric fence allowed the crew to keep the cattle herd moving from paddock to paddock and give the land and grass time to rest. Rest is a crucial component of the Birdwell and Clark Emry Birdwell sorts the cattle that will be moved the pens for shipping. B E L O W : Nathan Carter assists in the purchasing of cattle for the Birdwell and Clark and is on hand each year for shipping.

L E F T:

DOING IT DIFFERENT When husband-wife team Birdwell and Clark moved to their Clay County ranch in 2004, Birdwell studied the land before introducing cattle. As a student of regeneraphoto g ra p h s by L I ZZI E I W ER S EN

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Slick Robison, Birdwell and Clark’s son-inlaw, is a fixture at the ranch, helping to manage the herd throughout the year. R I G H T: Emry Birdwell and Deborah Clark established their ranch in 2004. ABOVE:

program, as it aids in actually improving the land, not simply maintaining it. Mimicking the grazing habits of bison, the theory and practice of the Birdwell and Clark Ranch has been given many names. “It’s been called mob grazing. Some call it regenerative grazing,” says Birdwell. “But I call it time-managed grazing because it’s based on how fast the grass is growing or not growing. Right now [June of 2021], we’re trying to move the cattle faster because the grass is growing very fast, and if you let that grass get out in front of you and 7 6 W E S T E R N H OR S EM AN 0 2 . 2 2

it starts maturing, the protein starts going down and the cattle’s gain goes down.” Moving the cattle from paddock to paddock, Birdwell can present the herd with the most nutrient-dense grasses. The animals might be moved (by horses or ATVs) four to six times a day, according to how the pasture responds to grazing. “The value of the grass peaks in the middle of the day when the sun is highest, so we’re trying to hit that grass when the sugar content is highest,” Birdwell says. “We want them to only eat the top third or half of the plant when that grass is at its maximum value. That’s the reason we’re moving them so fast in the middle of the day.” On the ranch’s 12,000 acres, there are 130 hot-wire fenced paddocks, approximately

100 acres each, with the larger ones being subdivided two or three more times. The result is 250 to 300 paddocks for the cattle to graze for a few hours before moving on to the next one. “The place these cattle are today won’t be grazed again until next winter,” Birdwell says. “We average two-and-a-half days of grazing per paddock, per year, during the growing season April 1 to October 1. And after 17 years, we figure we have grazed each paddock around 45 days total. “The method is based on how fast your grass is growing, and in those 17 years we’ve built a longer, deeper root system which has improved our soil quality, and we’re not taking as long to grow grass as we did before. We were going 60 to 70 days bepho to gra ph by LI ZZ I E I WER SE N

ground is probably what’s causing more climate change than anything else.” The couple’s regenerative agriculture practices improve the land, and understanding soil function is paramount. “The increasing diversity of grasses and forbs, understanding water infiltration to eliminate runoff, eliminating erosion, that all goes into the eliminating the loss of soil,” Clark says. “Water is filtered through the grasses, after all.” The cattle also impact the land with how they crush leftover grasses and forbs that they don’t eat. “That creates an armor or blanket or litter—it goes by several different names— and there again, you’ve got the water seeping through there,” says Clark. “These are things that get overlooked.” The win-win for the ranch is also a winwin for the globe, according to Clark. “What we’re doing through this regenerative grazing management is more than just about cattle and grasses,” she says. “It’s about soil, it’s about water, it’s about carbon sequestration, and it’s about the land we will leave behind.” Birdwell and Clark acknowledge that their methods are labor-intensive and could be viewed as perhaps too progressive. But both are encouraged that an interest in what they do exists. “The number of young people who are coming on board with regenerative ag, who are starting to practice this, is phe-

“THE PLACE THESE CATTLE ARE TODAY WON’T BE GRAZED AGAIN UNTIL NEXT WINTER. WE AVERAGE TWO-AND-AHALF DAYS OF GRAZING PER PADDOCK, PER YEAR DURING THE GROWING SEASON APRIL 1 TO OCTOBER 1. AND AFTER 17 YEARS, WE FIGURE WE HAVE GRAZED EACH PADDOCK AROUND 45 DAYS TOTAL.” -EMRY BIRDWELL

tween moves in cycles before, and now we’re 47 to 48 days.” Using an app called Pasturemap, the team can easily plan and track the movements of the herd. Because of the calculated and timed movements, the ranch can sustain two to three times the amount of cattle compared to places nearby.

THE END GAME Providing the best quality forage for cattle grazing is only half the equation on Birdwell and Clark. “Scientists say we have 60 years of soil left,” Birdwell says. “So, if we don’t turn it around, we’re going to start getting hungry. Plowing ground up and having bare photo g ra p h by D E E AN N L I TTL EF I EL D

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A B O V E : Waylon Creighton pushes cattle up to get loaded. Each truck has the capacity for 62 head and each day the crew loads 18 trucks. L E F T: Hadeleigh Jane, Birdwell’s granddaughter, stays in the saddle as much as the cowboys, helping her dad, Robison, and often trotting through the paddocks on her own horse.

nomenal. The growth is tremendous,” says Clark. “And even if their holdings might be smaller, people can still make a difference on any scale.”

LIFE CYCLE Birdwell begins buying and receiving new cattle around the 15th of September each year. The new cattle usually stay 7 8 W E S T E R N H OR S EM AN 0 2 . 2 2

in pens to be straightened out for two to three weeks—a fairly quick turnaround— but Birdwell knows the feed bill escalates quickly if they stay in the pens very long. He tries to have everything on the ranch, acclimated and turned out by October to avoid the sickness that can accompany weather changes in October and November. Cattle will be fed hay in the pens upon arrival, but after that, no hay is needed. The year progresses with the daily rotational routine in place, and by July cattle are ready to ship. “Shipping is always done horseback,” Birdwell says. “It’s five or six days in a row, 900 to 1,000 head a day. We don’t sort anything in the pens, it’s all done outside the day before. When we hit the pens, they’re going straight into the truck, there’s no hesitation, no sorting. I think if you stand around sorting cat-

tle, you’re losing money. You’re selling weight, after all.” The end of shipping begins a time of rest for the ranch. Without cattle, they can catch up on projects and let the land rest.

LABOR TO LEGACY The Birdwell and Clark Ranch runs like a well-oiled machine, and to an outsider, they make it look relatively easy. But is regenerative ag and this labor-intensive, roundthe-clock-system of time-managed grazing, attainable? Even if an operation has the proper setup and help in place, can any climate provide the forage necessary? Both Birdwell and Clark respond with an immediate, “yes.” “If you run your stock according to what your country will sustain, it’s possible,” Clark says. “We have friends outside of Big Timber, Montana, and they don’t feed hay, not even through the winter. The cattle dig through that snow and go after the grasses and forages that are left.” The practices of Birdwell and Clark are intensive, and the couple will admit it. Clark offers a more realistic approach. pho to gra phs by LI ZZ I E I WERSE N

“You don’t have to be as aggressive as we are, but you can move your cattle,” she says. “It certainly is labor intensive and it’s easier to turn cattle out and let them continuously graze. And there are some stereotypes about Savory and where this originated in the late ’80s and they didn’t make a lot of good friends. But the scientific community is coming on board now.” Birdwell and Clark are good at making their decisions and practices sound easy. But Clark also admits it has come with its challenges. “We’ve had plenty of rough times. We have lost money. We’ve had personal grief over some things. It’s not all roses,” she says. “But when it’s all said and done, and you look back over the course of how it’s changed since we’ve been here, it’s something we’re very proud of. And if we could influence people to move in this direction, that’s what we would like to see continue to happen.”

HEART OF THE MATTER As a long day of shipping ends at the Birdwell and Clark, the crew gathers on the patio of the ranch house, overlooking some draws and varied landscapes below. Clark circles back to talk again about the cattle, the role they play here, how they aid in achieving their goals, and how if the cattle don’t do well, the ranch won’t make money to proceed. “The cattle have always been a tool,” she says. “An integral tool to accomplish what we want to do out here in terms of improving the landscape, the forage and the rangeland conditions.” She pauses as some dust kicks up and whirls on the dirt road as a cattle truck enters the ranch. The driver will park here for the night and be first in line to load out for the final day of shipping in the morning. “But I do respect them, the cattle,” Clark continues. “And when that truck crosses

RANCH RECOGNITION 2017 TSCRA & TSSRM Outstanding Rangeland Stewardship Award 2018 NCBA Region IV Environmental Stewardship Award 2018 TPWD Outstanding Lone Star Land Steward Award

the scales and leaves, as it passes by me, I’ll thank those cattle for being here. I thank each of them and hope that they’ve enjoyed their time here on this abundant forage, and hope they think we’ve treated them well. I just thank them.” LIZZIE IWERSEN is associate editor of Western Horseman. Send comments on this story to edit@westernhorseman.com.

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CELEBRATING the EMERGE

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NCE of BLACK COWBOYS S T O R Y B Y K E I T H R YA N C A R T W R I G H T

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minorities, and most of them were Black. On the heels of the Civil War, freed slaves left the South and headed west, where ranchers from Texas to Montana put them to work—giving rise to the emergence of Black cowboys. Nat Love and John Ware were among the first to arrive. Love, who had been enslaved in Tennessee, and Ware, who is from South Carolina, made their way to South Texas. Here, they capitalized on their skills as horsemen and learned how to cowboy. They defied the dangers of a cattle drive and pushed herds of thousands up the Chisholm Trail to the railroad in Kansas. Ware made a name for himself and later became a Canadian folk hero when he drove 3,000 head of cattle from Kansas to the southern region of Alberta, ultimately giving birth to the cattle industry in Canada. Unlike many of the Black cowboys in America, whose accomplishments were obscured from historians, Canadians have always recognized Ware for his contribution. “[The] notion of the skills it takes—the horsemanship – to even plan moving cattle along the Chisholm Trail or [John Ware] going all the way up to Canada, is really important,” said Lonnie Bunch III, Secretary of the Smithsonian and founding director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. “You’re countering the no-

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tion that enslaved people had no skills.” Instead of being hailed as heroes, Black cowboys and cowgirls were left out of history books. When Hollywood popularized western films and television shows, studio and network executives did not have the courage to put a Black man on a horse and refer to him as a hero. They were cast out of storylines, despite their impact on the industry. For example, Bill Pickett had already established himself as the father of modern-day steer wrestling. Pickett’s story is where the acclaimed book Black Cowboys of Rodeo: Unsung Heroes from Harlem to Hollywood and the American West, published by Nebraska Press in November 2021, begins to challenge the narrative that the greatest victories by Black Americans were somehow accomplished with the stroke of a presidential pen, when, in fact, they stood up and proved themselves in their chosen field of rodeo. Much like Jackie Robinson and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Thurgood Marshall or the Little Rock Nine, these pioneers of rodeo—the likes of which include Willie Thomas, Bailey’s Prairie Kid, Bud Bramwell, Mike Latting and others— also endured hardships, and collectively broke through racial barriers. In celebration of Black History Month, the following is a pictorial capturing the robust, untold triumphs of America’s heroic Black cowboys of rodeo.

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ONE IN FOUR COWBOYS in the late 1800s were

Charles LeBlanc formed the Okmulgee Colored Round-Up Club in 1956. Pictured are 11 of the 22 original co-founders: Ernest Thigpen, D.P. Lilly, Larnell Williams, Willie Tate, John Grant, Frank Haygood, Roy LeBlanc, Ernest Bruner, Clarence Williams, Charles LeBlanc and Alfred Nonnett. The group’s sole purpose was to produce its own AllColored Rodeo. There were 22 co-founders made up of farmers, schoolteachers and Frank Haygood, a former professional baseball player, who played in the Negro Leagues. The annual rodeo has been held every year since it’s formation. Often referred to as the Cheyenne [Frontier Days] of Black Rodeo, it was rebranded the Roy LeBlanc Invitational Rodeo following his death in November of 2009.

OPENING SPREAD:

COURTESY KENNETH LeBLANC

In the nearly three decades Bill Pickett worked on the 101 Ranch in Ponca City, Oklahoma, Pickett established himself as “the greatest sweat and dirt cowboy that ever lived—bar none.” Pictured left to right in the top photo are Walter Schultz (Ty Murray’s great-grandfather), Jack Brown (Chief of Cowboys), unknown, D.H. Farrell, Joseph Miller (one of three brothers who owned the 100 Ranch), unknown, Bill Pickett, Guy Schultz (Walter’s brother).

T H I S PA G E :

COURTESY TY MURRAY

Myrtis Dightman Sr. was the first Black rodeo athlete to qualify for the NFR and is widely known as the “Jackie Robinson of Rodeo”. “Where talent meets tenacity is the unique quality that people like Myrtis and Jackie share,” says Dr. Yohuru Williams, former historian for the Jackie Robinson Foundation. Like a great theatrical stage actor, in the main photo, Dightman left no doubt his left free arm is up and out away from his body and above the bull to keep judges from disqualifying him for touching his bull. In 1967, Dightman finished third in the PRCA world standings. He has been inducted into every imaginable hall of fame open to cowboys and rodeo athletes, beginning with the Rodeo Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and, in 2016, the PRCA enshrined him into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, Colorado. CREDIT TK

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COURTESY FERRELL BUTLER

photo g ra p h by FI R ST L A STNA ME

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A , B , C : The idea of staging an all-Black rodeo in Harlem, New York began in 1969 when Bud Bramwell, Cleo Hearn, Charles Evans and Marvel Rogers formed the American Black Cowboy Association. A coin flip determined Bramwell would be president, while Hearn was vice president. The group quickly partnered with George Richardson, a former New Jersey state assemblyman and cofounder of the marketing firm Periscope Associates. Marvel Rogers (standing, left), George Richardson (sitting), Charles Evans (laying across bed) and Cleo Hearn (standing, right) were captured in this candid photo (A) during production meeting at a Harlem hotel room the day before the rodeo. Originally, they intended on holding the rodeo at Madison Square Garden and later settled on the cultural capital of Black America: Harlem. Held on Saturday, September 4, 1971, heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali led a 3-mile parade of Black cowboys on horseback from the famed Apollo Theater, across the Triborough Bridge, to Downing Stadium on Randall’s Island. Bud Bramwell (left) talks with Wayne Orme, who traveled from Los Angeles, California to compete, in Photo B, while Cleo Hearn (C) posed for a photo, while sitting on the back of the bucking chutes.

PHOTOS A, B, C COURTESY BUD BRAMWELL D , E : Charlie Reno (aka Jesse CR Hall) was born in Mississippi and moved to New York City with his mother and seven siblings as part of the second migration of African Americans from the South to the North. He was an all-around cowboy who, in 1967, turned pro in bareback and steer wrestling. Reno is seen (D) here bulldogging at a Sunday-afternoon ranch rodeo in Putnam Valley, New York, and riding bareback in the other photo (E). The late Barry Moore, who traveled with Reno to the Cimarron Dude Ranch, is hazing for him in the bulldogging photo. Reno was a member of the RCA, IRA and ARA (now formally known as the PRCA, IPRA and APRA), but he did not win a title until 1980, when he became the first Black cowboy to win the American Rodeo Association bareback title and all-around championship.

PHOTOS D, E COURTESY CHARLIE RENO

The LeBlanc family is pictured (G) left to right—Kenneth, Tim, Roy, Gary and Clarence LeBlanc—in this family portrait. Gary, the only one of the four brothers who did not rodeo, is wearing a buckle he borrowed from four-time world champion calf roper Kenneth “Dexter” Bailey Jr. Kenneth was photographed (H) at the practice pen working on his bulldogging skills. His brother, Clarence, is in the background, having pulled the gate open. In 1978, Clarence won the steer wrestling average at the IFR. In 1983, he became the first Black cowboy to win the IPRA steer wrestling title and, a year later, he won the IPRA national title. In ’85, he and Kenneth became the first brothers—regardless of color or ethnicity—to qualify for the IFR in the same event.

G, H:

PHOTOS COURTESY KENNETH LeBLANC I : From 1990 – 2019, Whitfield was a dominating force in the sport of tie-down roping. When Fred Whitfield officially retired from rodeo following his appearance at Rodeo Houston, that kind of longevity had been previously unheard of in other sports. He was named the PRCA Rookie of the Year and only the second first-year tie-down roper to qualify for the NFR. A year later, in 1991, he won his first PRCA tie-down title. He followed with six more in 1995, ’96, ’99, 2000, ’02 and ’05. He added an all-around PRCA buckle in 1999. He was the second Black cowboy to win a PRCA championship (third if you include Dwayne Hargo Sr.’s title in the Wrangler Bullfights), the first to do so in a timed event and the first to win multiple gold buckles — eight of them in a 16-year period — in what TheUndefeated.com coined the “National Football League of rodeos.”

PHOTO COURTESY FRED WHITFIELD

Charlie Sampson (left) traveled to Colorado Springs with Charlie Reno (right) when Myrtis Dightman Sr. (center) was inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in 2016. Sampson was first Black cowboy to win a PRCA gold buckle. Having already clinched the 1982 bull riding title, he invited his mentor, Myrtis Dightman Sr., to pull his rope for him in the 10th round of the NFR. Sampson and Dightman have both have been inducted into every significant cowboy hall of fame.

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COURTESY CHARLIE RENO

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R I G H T, C L O C K W I S E : In just three seasons with the PBR, Ezekiel Mitchell became one of the most marketable cowboys in Western sports. When it was announced Mitchell would make his PBR debut at the elite, televised level of competition in the media capital of the world, The New York Times agreed to profile the Houston-native before he ever nodded his head inside the world’s most famous arena. Mitchell has since been profiled by GQ, Garden & Gun, Good Morning America, FOX and Friends, the BBC and starred in the Snapchat docuseries “Life by the Horns”. COURTESY KEITH RYAN CARTWRIGHT (top right)

After becoming the 2018 National High School Rodeo Association Champion tie-down roper, Shad Mayfield qualified for the NFR as a rookie in 2019. A year later, in 2020, he became only the third Black cowboy to win a PRCA world title, when he claimed the gold buckle in the tie-down roping by a mere $230.66. In December of 2021, Mayfield made history, along with Cory Solomon and John Douch, as the first trio of Black cowboys to qualify or the NFR in same event. PHOTOS COURTESY ROSS HECOX (bottom right), PRCA (bottom left)

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CREDIT TK

02.22 WESTERN HORSEM AN 8 7

Get in the Saddle at a Dude Ranch! DudeRanch.org • 307-587-2339 • info@duderanch.org

Shoshone Lodge and Guest Ranch

Cody, WY • (307) 587-4044 • ShoshoneLodge.com Take in the splendor of the mountains bordering Yellowstone Park with scenic trail rides, cookouts and daily adventures. Dine on truly delicious western fare and relax in a cozy private cabin. Come enjoy the adventure of a lifetime!

Elkhorn Ranch

Tucson, AZ • (520) 822-1040 • ElkhornRanch.com Horseback riding and outdoor adventure for all ages and levels of experience! Individually tailored riding for solo travelers, families, and couples in sunny Arizona! Open from November through April.

Western Pleasure Guest Ranch

Sandpoint, ID • (208) 263-9066 • WesternPleasureRanch.com Saddle up for an adventure like no other! Experience the heritage, horsemanship, and heart of the true West in the mountains of beautiful North Idaho.

Geronimo Trail Guest Ranch

Winston, NM • (575) 772-5157 • GeronimoRanch.com Escape to the 3.3 million acre Gila National Forest! Explore 1,000-year-old archeological sites. Experience deep canyons with crystal clear streams. Ride well-cared-for horses, comfortable tack, delicious meals, small guest capacity and warm hospitality.

Rainbow Trout Ranch

Antonito, CO • (719) 376-2440 • RainbowTroutRanch.com Experience glorious riding, superb fishing, kids’ and teen programs, hiking, and fantastic evening activities. Our historic lodge, quaint cabins, and true western hospitality make Rainbow Trout Ranch truly special. Come live the West with us!

Colorado Trails Ranch

Durango, CO • (970) 247-5055 • ColoradoTrails.com A Rip-Roarin’ Dude Ranch adventure in the Colorado Rockies! Make lifetime family memories experiencing horseback riding, flyfishing, adventure activities, outstanding food, and relaxing cabins at Colorado Trails!

The Hideout Lodge & Guest Ranch

Shell, WY • (307) 765-2080 • TheHideout.com Upscale, all-inclusive guest ranch limited to 25 riders weekly. Located East of Cody and Yellowstone Park. Mostly focused on riding, horsemanship, and working cattle. We really care about your experience!

Rancho de los Caballeros

Wickenburg, AZ • (800) 684-5030 • RanchodelosCaballeros.com Old west meets new west at The Rancho de los Caballeros, where we combine the dude ranch’s 74-year-old legacy with 13,300 rideable acres, championship golf, a refreshing spa and fine dining. New ownership & enhancements.

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Western Adventures GET READY TO BOOK A HORSEY VACATION IN THE GREAT OUTDOORS— KEEPING A FEW TIPS IN MIND. Trail riding is one of the best ways to take in beautiful scenery. But you’d be smart to put a bit of thought into your trip to make it the most enjoyable vacation possible. Seasoned trail rider and former Western Horseman editor Pat Close shares her tips of things NOT to do on a trail ride.

Don’t put on a slicker while riding. If you have a rain slicker, Close cautions against putting it on while in the saddle. “If your horse is not accustomed to doing so, slickers can be noisy, and that can spook the horse,” Close said.

Don’t assume your horse will ground tie. Ground tying on a trail ride can get you into trouble, especially in so much wide open country. Close says a ground tied horse is a loose horse. “He’s apt to run off,” Close said. “In Western movies and TV shows, they show the riders bailing off their horses and dropping their reins and their horses ground tie. But that’s not what happens in real life. While your horse might stay put for a minute, it won’t be for that long.”

Don’t tie a horse to anything he can break. Avoid tying your horse to a tree limb that can snap off, says Close. And keep the length of the lead rope short. “Don’t tie with a lead rope that is so long that he can get a foot over the rope and get tangles up,” Close said. “And don’t tie with the bridle reins, which might break.”

Don’t leave anyone behind. If riders coming behind you get too far back, stop and let them catch up, says Close. “If it’s a hot day, and your horses are thirsty, when you cross a stream, hold up the horses at the front of the line after they drink, so the horses’ behind them can get a drink when they get to the stream,” Close said. 02.22 WESTERN HORSEM AN 8 9

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Dude ranches are a great destination to enjoy a nature-based and horse-oriented vacation. Discover more than 90 dude ranches located across nine Western states and a Canadian province through the Dude Ranchers’ Association. Whether you’re young or young at heart, experienced or green, looking for adventure or a quiet trail ride— the Dude Ranchers’ Association will help you plan your trip. Start planning today! duderanch.org

Ruby’s Horseback Adventures BRYCE, UTAH

7 Lazy P Outfitting CHOTEAU, MONTANA

Take a ride through Utah’s Bryce Canyon National Park on a Ruby’s Horseback Adventures’ four-day horseback ride, complete with nightly campfire cookouts and entertainment. Rent a horse or bring your own—horse boarding is available. Stay in deluxe lodging at Best Western Bryce Canyon Grand Hotel, or camp. Guided rides range from 1½ hours to all day.

Experience iconic destinations in Montana’s Bob Marshall Wilderness on a multi-day ride guided by 7 Lazy P Outfitting. Based out of the 7 Lazy P Guest Ranch, you’ll ride well-caredfor stock, stay in various campsites, partake of wholesome meals prepared on a wood stove, and follow personable, experienced staff on your backcountry adventure. Ride the high country, climb the mountains, flu fish the rivers and enjoy campfire camaraderie.

horserides.net

7lazyp.com

Anchor D Guiding & Outfitting TURNER VALLEY, ALBERTA, CANADA

Rowse’s 1+1 Ranch TURNER VALLEY, ALBERTA, CANADA

For 37 years, Anchor D Guiding & Outfitting has guided guests through the Alberta Rockies—1,200 square miles of mountainous terrain across seven different mountain ranges. Guests ride homegrown mountain horses and can stay in a guest cabin or lodge, or camp with gear hauled in a covered wagon. Trout fishing in the high mountain lakes is available. Anchor D is based an hour southwest of Calgary.

Rowse’s 1+1 Ranch invites guests to join Jerry and Tammy Rowse to work together, riding and participating in the everyday ranching lifestyle as a family. Aboard well-trained Quarter Horses, guests ride all day driving and sorting cattle, doctoring and searching for strays and roping lessons. Each small group of guests enjoys delicious home-cooked meals taken with the sixth-generation ranchers in their home.

anchord.com

1plus1ranch.com

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T O P L E F T: J . L E E P H O T O G R A P H Y & B L A C K TA I L R A N C H

Dude Ranchers’ Association

Geronimo Trail Guest Ranch WINSTON, NEW MEXICO Escape to the wilderness and explore New Mexico’s 3.3-million-acre Gila National Forest. Enjoy an off-the-grid vacation at Geronimo Trail Guest Ranch, where you’ll explore ancient ruins and experience some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world aboard a well-trained trail horse. Partake of delicious, chef-prepared meals, and cap off your evenings with a campfire under a starry sky before retiring to comfortable cabins each night.

FOR THE RIDE OF YOUR LIFE!

geronimoranch.com

A 6 NIGHT 7 DAY HORSEBACK & CAMPING ADVENTURE VACATION THROUGH THE LARGEST, MOST BEAUTIFUL NATIONAL PARKS IN THE WORLD

ZION • BRYCE CANYON GRAND STAIRCASE ESCALANTE NATIONAL MONUMENT GRAND CANYON RED ROCK RIDE LC DBA

Red Rock Ride TURNER VALLEY, ALBERTA, CANADA On the epic seven-day Red Rock Ride, you’ll start and end in Las Vegas, Nevada, and you will be guided through Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Thunder Mountain Trail, Butch Cassidy Trail and the Paria River in the Grand Staircase National Monument, concluding with the Grand Canyon. This all-inclusive vacation includes cabin lodging and roundtrip transportation to the trail heads.

P.O. BOX 128 / TROPIC, UTAH 84776 / 435-679-8665

CALL OR WRITE FOR A FREE Call or Write for AND a FREE RED ROCK RIDE VIDEO BROCHURE

Red Rock Ride

Each ride limited to the first 30 paid reservations Note: If offered ride dates fill, additional may be offered. DVD dates and Brochure

Web Site: www.redrockride.com Website: www.redrockride.com E-Mail: robert@redrockride.com

redrockride.com

02.22 WESTERN HORSEM AN 9 1

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

"THERE IS NO FEELING MORE LIBERATING THAN LEAVING A TRAILHEAD ON A GOOD HORSE, LEADING A STRING OF PACK ANIMALS AND HEADING INTO THE MOUNTAINS." —BEN MASTERS

- 4 - 7 day wilderness trips - Weekender Packages - Great Divide Ride - 2 and 3 hour rides - guest cabins at ranch

Ruby’s Grand Adventure Ride

www.anchord.com 403-933-2867

4 day trail ride adventure 2022 Ride Dates are Currently Sold Out

15 km West of Turner Valley 45 minutes SW of Calgary

2023 Dates April 23 - 28, 2023 May 7 - 12, 2023 May 14 - 19, 2023 August 27 - September 1, 2023 October 1 - 6, 2023 Rides are in areas surrounding Bryce Canyon National Park Day Trips and Wagon Rides Also Available

Experience MONTANA…

Ride the high country on a Bob Marshall Wilderness horseback adventure!

For ride details and information

1-866-782-0002 www.horserides.net

Located at Ruby’s Inn Lobby

WWW.7LAZYP.COM EMAIL: INFO @7LAZYP.COM

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PHONE: 406-466-2245

CLASSIFIED ADS ALL CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING PAYABLE IN ADVANCE. RATES: $5.50 per word for 1 to 5 insertions; $5.00 per word for 6 to 11 insertions; $4.50 per word for 12 insertions. 10 word minimum. MasterCard, VISA, AMEX and Discover accepted. DEADLINE for classified advertising is two months prior to publication date. For unspecified designation or doubtful cases, decision of publisher will prevail. Words in name and address must be included when figuring the number of words. Publisher reserves right to edit all copy. To place your order contact: Nancy Hughes, Classified Ad Manager; 817-569-7107, nancy.hughes@cowboypublishing.com BOOKS/MAGAZINES/VIDEO

EMPLOYMENT

WWW.COWBOYBOOKWORM.COM - Hank the Cowdog, children's, cookbooks, Old West History, Instructional, DVDs and more. 817344-7036.

$500 WEEKLY ASSEMBLING PRODUCTS from home. Free information available. Call 860357-1599.

"SECONDHAND COWBOYS" by Pete Hammert. A young German immigrant makes his way to Oklahoma and builds a successful business starting with one Jersey bull. Available at Amazon.com

E X P E R I E N C E D Riding Stable Manager needed. 2500-acre guest ranch. Salary negotiable. 760-920-3852.

WWW.WOLFERANCH.COM – Raising Percheron/AQHA crossbreds. Good minded ranch and trail horses. 580-993-0097.

E D U C AT I O N /S C HOOLS

L E AT H E R C R A F T

OKLAHOMA HORSESHOEING SCHOOL: Licensed by OBPVS and Approved by the SAA for VA Benefits. Scholarships, Tribal Funding and Voc Rehab Accepted. Grants and Student loans available for those who qualify. Call 405288-6085 or 800-538-1383. Write: Oklahoma Horseshoeing School, 16446 Horseshoe Circle, Purcell, OK 73080. Website: www. horseshoes.net; "Like" us on Facebook.

G e t t h e Wo r l d ' s P R E M I E R L E AT H E R W O R K I N G H o w - To P u b l i c a t i o n . w w w. l e a t h e r c r a f t e r s j o u r n a l . c o m , 1-715-362-5393.

EXCELLENCE IN FARRIER EDUCATION - Minnesota School of Horseshoeing; Comprehensive program covering balance, conformation, anatomy, lameness, diseases, and forge work. www.mnschoolofhorseshoeing.com; 1-800-257-5850.

GENE KILGORE’S RanchVacations.com: #1 for fantastic Guest Ranches USA and Canada. Real Nature – Wide Open Spaces – Real Fun.

H O R S E S / S TA L L I O N S

”ADVENTURES OF A RANCHER MY JOURNEY OF FAITH” – Available on Amazon.

OKLAHOMA STATE HORSESHOEING School AFA Certified Journeyman Farrier Instructor, 6-week fundamental Farrier Course, Training on live feet only. Housing Provided. Approved by the SAA for VA, Post 9/11, and Vocational Rehabilitation. Scholarships accepted. Grants and student loans available to those who qualify. Licensed by OBPVS. www.oklahomastatehorseshoeingschool.com; contact us at 1-800634-2811 or email at oshs@cableone.net, 4802 Dogwood Rd., Ardmore, OK 73401.

WINTER IN ARIZONA: Full RV hookup and stalls. 520-858-6738 or gotno@cgmailbox.com

MISCELLANEOUS

$109.95 - $129.95

WWW.HIGHWAYHOUNDSTX.ORG – Highway Hounds of TX to CO rescue and transport. Save a dog/cat’s life today; become a foster or donate to the cause. TAC K/E QUI PM E NT NATURAL HORSEMANSHIP EQUIPMENT: Marine rope halters, leads, reins. Order at www.horsefriendly.com or call 831-763-1609. FOR SALE: Two vintage Hamley saddles ('49, '50). Excellent condition. hnpthompson@ gmail.com VA C AT I O N S / T R A I L R I D E S ROCKCREEKPACKSTATION.COM: Yosemite and California Sierra. Observe wild mustang. Traveling Pack Trips, Trail Rides, Hiking with Pack Stock and Horse Drives. 760-872-8331.

IMPROVE YOUR FARRIER BUSINESS. Call Far Hills Forge. Extend your forging skills. 908-797-4432.

COMPARED TO US "City Slickers" is a pony ride. 130-year-old working Wyoming ranch. Check out our new venture for May. Double Rafter Cattle Drives 307-655-9463. We dare you to compare: www.doublerafter.com

P R O F E S S I O N A L PA C K I N G S C H O O L S : www.rockcreekpackstation.com, Craig London, DVM, 760-872-8331.

ARIZONA HORSE RIDE and Boarding. RV Parking. Miles of Riding Trails. Between Vegas and Zion Park. 928-347-1248, Tim Orrell.

Unforgiven 650

6 row stitch pattern, double ribbed steel shank, full double leather soles, 16" or 17" high, your choice of toes, heels, and spur ridge. Colors for foot in black, chocolate, or natural Heavy duty leather. Price $ 425 + $ 25 for postage and insurance. Send for free brochure and order blank.

Jose Sanchez Boots

“Handmade Boots for Real Cowboys” Ask about our in-stock sale boots! 503 S. Cotton, El Paso, Texas 79901 915 309 3855 chacho1940@sbcglobal.net

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SHOPPERS CORRAL

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Bryan Neubert String Cutter/Edger

Bryan designed small scaled string cutter/edger. Simple, easy to use with leather and/or rawhide. $450 + $15 ship. ALSO: Scraper-style rawhide splitter/leveler similar to Fred Dorrance’s 1933. Use in a vise easy & effective. $275 + $15 ship.

Bryan’s DVDs: Intro to Rawhide Braiding — $60 Advanced Rawhide Braiding — $47

Wild Horse Handling — $60 The First Week — $150 + $10 shipping per DVD

BryanNeubert.com

B & P Neubert Ent. Inc. PO Box 726 Alturas, CA 96101 530-233-3582 Email: bpneubert@yahoo.com CA residents add 7.25%

We Know Happy Feet!

Quatro-The World’s Most Comfortable Rubber Boots!

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The Ultimate Arena Conditioner

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WORKS

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Odin Lonning of Juneau nests the Tlingit Lovebirds, Raven and Eagle, in this Valentine appropriate design. Sterling Silver, shown full size. #N22080E Fishhook Earrings $93 P.P.

Shop online or request our catalog

800-324-4934 davidmorgan.com

Gibbs Manufacturing | Acampo, CA (209) 369-8291 | rotoharrow@aol.com Dealer Inquiries Welcome Watch Videos at

WWW.ROTOHARROW.COM

KETCH PEN

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ON THE EDGE OF COMMON SENSE

WESTERNHORSEMAN.COM

Cowboy Astrological Signs

Astrology is one of those wonderful pseudo-sciences like naturopathy or cattle futures that anybody with an imagination can rapidly become an expert in. I have taken it upon myself to devise my own astrological symbols. If there is some question which sign you were born under, just ask a friend. I present them to you now. OKRA—People born under the sign of Okra are slippery, smooth talkin’ and slick. Without self-restraint they can slide right over on their face. Okras make good molasses salesmen. HOLSTEIN CROSSES—These folks start out slow, never look like much, but, like the sure and steady tortoise, often finish first in the race to everyone’s surprise! Feed bosses and second sons fall under this sign. COYOTE—Never one to hide from responsibility, they run from it! You hear them, you find their tracks, but they’re seldom seen. They eat the crusty end piece off a loaf of bread, the fat off ham and fried shrimp tails. You can find Coyotes migrating every fall from Wyoming ranches to Arizona feedlots. FLASHING BEER SIGN—People found under this sign are steady, bright and occasionally incoherent. They gather wisdom and glow. Then they dispense it in a blinking neon blizzard. Often you will find nutritionists, veterinarians and economists in this category. ARCADE SPACE INVADERS—Space Invaders are born self-assured. This confidence comes from always knowing what color of socks they have on and their current bank balance. They have very little patience with Coyotes and Dice. A.S. Invaders make excellent bankers and wives. 9 6 W E S T E R N H OR S EM AN 0 2 . 2 2

C OWB OY HU MO R IST BAXTER B L AC K , D M V BA SE D IN B E NSO N, AR IZO NA

DICE—As you might guess these people have a tendency to leap without looking, buy beachfront property in Saskatchewan and flip for the tab. However, as long as they’re winning, we see them as glamorous. Most Dice feed cattle. MOUNT RUSHMORE—Individuals born under this sign spend much time accumulating knowledge. They can be very helpful but tend to be idealistic in solving problems. “Rushes” make good county agents, graduate students and columnists. CATTLE GUARDS—Usually strong, stubborn and level-headed, they get run over regularly by Space Invaders, Dice, Okra, Holstein Crosses, Coyotes, Rushes and Flashing Beer signs. A large number of Cattle Guards wind up ranching. Illus tra tio n by K EV I N CORDTZ

TALL

WALK

FA M I LY O W N E D & O P E R AT E D • M O R E T H A N 9 0 S T O R E S N AT I O N W I D E • C AV E N D E R S . C O M