A Fall Ride on the Moose Mountain Trail

by with No Comment iPlayiRanchiRide
Blacktail Lake
On the trail to Blacktail Lake
The Moose Mountain Loop Trail is an approximately 9 mile, round trip trail that takes you past two great mountain lakes.  This is a great horseback ride or hike. I rode this trail with my parents; Roley and Janice, my brother and sister-in-law; Isaac and Libby, and my two kids; Emily (4) and Gabe (2) on August 27, 2014.  Gabe rode in front of me and Emily rode behind Libby as neither of them are ready to ride their own horse on this sort of trail.
We drove to the trail head and unloaded our crew of 5 horses and 7 people. The trail head has a large parking lot with enough room for our 4 horse, goose-neck trailer and several other cars.  We headed out and followed the trail markers to Blacktail lake. This first part of the trail is a moderate climb with several long stretches of boardwalk.  Blacktail is a smaller lake but still beautiful.  We took our lunch break here and the kids had fun catching tadpoles and baby frogs until Gabe fell in.  We started a fire to dry off his clothes and keep the half naked toddler warm.  There are a couple primitive campsites here and plenty of grazing space that would make for an excellent spot for the horses to stay overnight.
Gabe, just after going for an
unplanned swim
Our lunch spot and campfire
To continue on our loop, we followed Trail 213 to Moose Mountain.  The trail levels out after the first short climb and is a very pretty ride through the high mountain trees.  As you approach the summit of Moose Mountain the trail get steeper and rockier. With Gabe riding in front of me, it was still not too difficult. Riding the ridge up to the summit offers some great view of both Blacktail Lake and Moose Lake.  The ridge narrows as you reach the top and I have to admit that last switchback made me thank God I was riding a great horse (I have a good healthy fear of steep drop-offs).  As you come down off the summit, the ridge begins to widen and offer some beautiful eastern views. At this point in our ride, Gabe and I dismounted and mom led my horse.  First of all, riding down hill with a two year old in front of you is not so easy and second of all that awesome horse I was thanking God for, is a bit mutton-withered and I would be riding on her ears by the time I got to the bottom.
Views coming off Moose Mountain
 As you continue on the ridge begins to narrow again and you come to what looks like (from the back of the line and on foot) a dead end, but no! The trail drops off sharply to the left.  This is where it gets a little western.  Everyone dismounted here and Isaac led the way on foot leading his horse.  Here the trail is a very steep, narrow side hill with a single switchback. We all turned our horses loose to follow Isaac down the trail while we scrambled down after on foot.  After this interesting descent everyone re-mounted, except Gabe and I (remember my mutton-withered horse) and the trail continues with a moderate descent through the trees into Moose Lake. I was able to start riding again about a quarter mile from the lake.  Moose Lake is about three times bigger that Blacktail Lake and has more primitive camping and fishing opportunities.  The trail wraps around the lake and heads back out the nearly two miles to the trail head.
Little Horse looking at
Moose Lake
Dad and Pepsi on one of
the many boardwalks
About a mile out from Moose Lake, on the way back to the trail head, one of the bridges crossing a creek was broken in the middle and lay in the creek bed. It looked as if it had happened recently and my bet is that the Forest Service will have it repaired soon as this is a high traffic trail.  We were able to get around the fallen bridge easily enough.  Dad and Isaac rode and us ladies (plus Gabe) led our horses across.
The broken bridge
Almost back to the trailhead
This was a really great family ride with beautiful views, great horses, not so great fishing.  This would also make a great day hike or overnight trip.  I would not suggest taking small children on this ride unless they ride frequently and a hardy in the saddle.  I was so proud of my little ones as they never got scared or tired.  As we were leaving Moose Lake we told Gabe that we were headed back to the trailer and he started crying and said he wanted to keep riding.  Oh and he wanted me to get off his horse!
Wylie and Blacktail Lake
*As a side note, this is not a ride that we take our guests on as we do not have permits to outfit in this area.  This was just a fun ride that we went on as a family and I though you might like to hear about our adventures in North Idaho.

For more information on trail riding at Western Pleasure Guest Ranch, visit:  www.westernpleasureranch.com

The Bigger the Horse the Bigger the Heart

by with No Comment iRanchiRide

Amos and Andy were the best team of Percheron draft horses a person could ever hope to have. Amos was the motivated half of the team and Andy would rather just eat hay. They knew their job and they did it well. They taught all of us here at Western Pleasure Guest Ranch how to drive a team.

We lost Amos a few years ago at the ripe old age of 28. Andy is enjoying retirement and is currently the oldest horse on the ranch at 30 years young.

Andy misses Amos, his life long working partner, but has adjusted to life without Amos. In the winter, Andy has a private stall and run with a special diet of equine senior and hay pellets. In the summer, he has a part time job  babysitting the youngsters in one of our green pastures.

Andy loves any special attention he can get, especially if it involves a treat. So when you stop by the ranch be sure to find Andy and give him a scratch and a treat. Just make sure it’s a soft treat, he’s an old man and doesn’t have many teeth left.

Emily giving Andy a little love.
Andy- 30 years old and on a diet of grain and hay pellets and looking pretty good.
Andy enjoying some down time in his winter pen.
A memorial to Amos and Andy in the hallway at the Western Pleasure Guest Ranch lodge.
The Bigger the Horse the Bigger the Heart.

My Little Cowgirl

by with No Comment iRanchiRide
We had some fantastic early spring weather here at the ranch and we spent every moment we could outside soaking in that vitamin D.  The April showers have since arrived, but I thought I would share with you one of Emily’s favorite activities during those warm, sunny days.  I have to say I am pretty proud of my little three year old cowgirl.  She rode my good ol’ boy, JR, and one of the ranch horses, Honey, all by her self.  She was very confident in her ability to ride her horse all by herself.  “Mama, will you leave the arena? I want to do it all by myself!” She learned how to steer and kick to make the horse go forward. She trotted like her uncle Isaac (complete with an attempt to post) and announced that she wanted “to lope like my aunt Libby!” No, I didn’t let her lope. I am looking forward to the time we will spend together with our horses this summer!
Emily riding JR
Emily riding Honey, and me riding Little Horse.  Emily has laid claim to Little Horse.

My Little Cowgirl trotting along
More trotting
Gabe even got in on the fun! He was all smiles and giggles as he went for his ride.
At the end of the day, a cowgirl always takes care of her horse.

Winter Horse Therapy

by with No Comment iRanchiRide

Winter is slowly loosening its icy grip on us here at Western Pleasure Guest Ranch and I am suffering from some serious cabin fever symptoms.  So today, I left the kids with mom for a couple hours so I could go outside for some winter horse therapy.

JR = Practically Perfect in Every Way

Of the many horses here on the ranch, three of them are my very own.  I have JR, my 21 year old Quarter Horse who is practically perfect in every way and has been my partner, teacher, student and friend for 17 years.  Little Horse is a 15ish year old POA mare and Zeus is her yearling POA/Appaloosa colt.

Little Horse = Nervous Nelly

I headed to the barn and caught Little Horse and JR to groom away some of that winter hair.  Little Horse is always a bit of a nervous Nelly when she’s tied in the barn, so she danced around while JR stood quietly enjoying the brushing and scratches I was giving him.  While some may consider getting covered in pounds of white horse
hair a pain, I consider the time spent in the barn brushing away those winter coats to be very therapeutic.

JR Thinks spring is coming!
Little Horse doesn’t think spring is coming very soon.

After JR and Little Horse were brushed out, I turned them back out and got a little show from them and their young pen-mates. Even my gimpy old man got in on the fun.

Little Horse showing the youngsters who’s boss.
JR watching the show.

Running and playing
Don’t mess with the head man.

Little Horse coming to say hello.

Then I went and visited Zeus at the little horse barn.  A winter of very little attention from me has caused him to be a bit jumpy and stand-offish. He is coming around however as he has discovered that I can scratch and rub away that winter hair in places that he just can’t reach to scratch.

Zeus = Son of nervous Nelly, Mr. “Not so sure I want you to touch me.”

“Hey, whats going on back there?” I love those Appy spots!

It was very refreshing spending an hour with my fuzzy ponies.  There is a quote by Winston Churchill which I think is very true: There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.  ~Winston Churchill

2013 Dude Ranchers’ Association Convention

by with No Comment iRanchiRide

Well I have just returned from the 2013 Dude Ranchers’ Convention at the Rancho de los Caballeros in Wickenburg, Arizona.  My parents (Roley and Janice) were good enough to take the whole family along with them to this annual convention.
 It was great to see some new scenery as we traveled north from Phoenix to the Grand Canyon.  The Grand Canyon was, of course, spectacular.  However I would suggest that when you plan your next visit, make sure you don’t have a massive head cold like I did.  Here was my thought process: “Oh that’s really pretty! Wow, get a picture! Ok, I am going to go sleep in the back of our massive 12 passenger van now.” Speaking of our van.  Because we had the whole crew (Mom, Dad, Me, Landon, Emily, Gabe, Isaac, and Libby), we couldn’t fit in a normal rental car so we ended up renting this giant 12-passenger van. It was not the sportiest ride but it was really quite comfortable.  We named it the Queen Mary.  Dad suggested the Titanic, but we decided that name might start our trip off on the wrong foot. 
After the Grand Canyon, we headed south again to Sedona; a beautiful country full of red rock.  Then we headed up over the mountains on our way to Wickenburg.  On our way  up and down the twisted Highway 89, (seriously, when you look at this road on a map it looks like someone planted multiple corkscrews in the road) we found the city of Jerome. This was a booming copper mining town who’s population peaked at 15,000 in the1920’s, but is now a whopping 450 people. The craziest thing about this town is its location.  It is literally built on the side of a hill that you wouldn’t want to walk your mule across let alone build a whole town on!  They are proud to be America’s most vertical town.  The town is built on a series of switchbacks where front doors literally open onto Highway 89.  So for an interesting drive, I suggest you grab the Dramamine and explore the quaint town of Jerome, Arizona.
The Dude Ranchers’ Association convention was held at the resort ranch, Rancho de los Caballeros.  They have a beautiful facility and do an excellent job of serving their guests.  I was ready to take the king sized bed home with me when we left because it was so heavenly. 
We also had the opportunity to take part in a little friendly Team Penning competition.  For those of you who don’t know how it works here’s a quick run down.  About 8 cows are all on one end of the arena and a small pen is on the other end.  Four team members ride toward the cows, cut three out, and herd them down to the small pen.  This is a timed event, so the faster you move these cows, the better.  I was quite proud of our team because we placed 3rd out of nine teams and, I must say, we actually followed the rules; unlike certain other teams.
I really love attending conventions like this because between the speakers and the vendors you get some great inspiration on how you can give your guests an even better ranch experience.  It is also very encouraging to see the many ways we are doing things right for our guests here at Western Pleasure Guest Ranch.
Please enjoy these photos from our tour of Arizona.
+Landon Otis at the Grand Canyon

Sedona, Arizona

Waiting our turn for Team Penning at the Rancho de los Caballeros

On deck for Team Penning
Western Pleasure Guest Ranch
Sandpoint, Idaho
@Western Pleasure Guest Ranch

A Day in the Life of a Ranch Babe

by with No Comment iLoveiRanchiRide

Have you ever wondered what goes on at a North Idaho guest ranch during the unpredictable month of March? Through rain, snow, hail or sunshine, the ranch-hands continue their work on the ranch. Follow Emily through her day and learn just what a ranch babe does to help the ranch prepare for spring.

Emily starts the day out by helping Grandma to make beds in the guest rooms.  She makes sure the quilts are  on exactly the way she wants.
The ladies who come for quilting retreats need some help too.  Emily loves to help them sew.

Next, its time to head to the barn to ride horses.  This time of year, everyone is riding horses to prepare them for the summer guest ranch season and the young horses are getting a refresher course.  All the action takes place in the indoor arena because everywhere else is covered in snow, ice or mud.  Emily likes to supervise the riders, dogs, and cats from the hay stack.
The horses stand in the alley, waiting patiently to be ridden.  This is Chance sporting Emily’s saddle. Yes, that’s a big horse (16.2+ hh) and yes that’s a tiny saddle (8″ seat).

When she is not supervising or riding, Emily is just outside the barn checking the mud levels.  
All that work tuckers a girl out! After a quick lunch break, Emily is ready for a nap.  Anywhere will do, even the kitchen counter is a good spot to catch some z’s.

After lunch, the sun is out so its back to the haystack to supervise the cat and soak up some much needed vitamin D.
Now its Emily’s turn to ride! She loves to ride with grandma and tell the horse exactly what to do.  “Walk, trot, whoooooooaaaaaaaahhhhhhh, walk, whoooooooaaaaaaaahhhhh, trot”,  she tells Blue.

Blue is nice, but Chance is warm and comfy.  There is no better place to rest your head.

By the end of the day, this ranch babe is worn out.  A bag full of horse blankets in the tack room makes a nice place to rest.

How to Get on Your Horse Bareback

by with 4 Comments iRanchiRide
The art of mounting a saddleless horse is something I have tried to master for years. I am sorry to report that…well…I still really stink at it. However, with my years of experience at trying, I have learned a few techniques that I will share with you today.

The models in the pictures will demonstrate these techniques, however I must apologies to them ahead of time because they don’t know that I am using these lovely pictures of them on this blogg.

It is vital that your horse stand completely still while you attempt to swing onto their bare back from the ground. I find that it is best to first whisper to your horse your plans. In this case, I decided to make sure my horse was paying complete attention to my whispers by taking her head in my hands and speaking directly into her eyes. Here I am imploring her to stand still and think small (very small) while I attempt to get on.

Here, Sammi Jo Gulickson (one of the ranch’s past wranglers) is swinging onto Lil’ Horse. She began by standing next to Lil’ Horse’s head facing her hind quarters, then swung her right foot up and over Lil’ Horse’s back. Note that Sammi uses her left leg, wrapped around Lil’ Horse’s front left leg to help her climb onto her steed’s back.

Once Sammi has swung her leg on top of Lil’ Horse’s back, she uses her arms to pull her the rest of the way up. Her left hand pulls on a chunk of mane, while her right elbow is hooked over the withers.

This next horsewoman is Melissa Peck, another past wrangler at the ranch. Please note that her horse, Rhythm, is 16+ hands tall. Melissa begins with the same technique as Sammi by facing her horse’s hindquarters and swinging her right leg over her horse’s back.

This is where Melissa’s technique varies from Sammi. Notice Melissa is using her right leg to grip Rhythm’s right hip and pull herself onto his back. A word of caution here: if you are wearing spurs make sure you have very calm horse or be prepared for a large movement forward!

Congratulations Melissa on successful and graceful bareback mount onto a very tall horse.

As I mentioned at the beginning I have not yet mastered this skill. I would now like to demonstrate a bareback mounting failure. Yes, that is me, and yes that is a pony whose side I am clinging to. Not my finest moment here. Let us dissect my form, or lack there of. Had I used Sammi’s left leg method and climbed Lil’ Horse’s leg like a ladder, I might have made it on. Or had I employed Melissa’s technique of using my right leg and spur like a climbing axe I may have succeeded. Or could the real problem be that my horse just didn’t think small enough? Yes , I am going with that one.