Tuesday, July 21, 2026
Monday, July 20, 2026
Sunday, July 19, 2026
Saturday, July 18, 2026
Saddle Racks
If you're gonna have a saddle room, you better have some saddle racks. Problem solved. In the realm of projects around the ranch, this one is gravy. No hard work involved. Just fun on the farm.
The new saddle room has such character. Rough cut lumber and weathered plywood, it just smells of cowboy potential.
With a game plan in mind, we set up shop.
The idea was to use a few of the left over rough cut 2"x4"s.
And some planed 2"x10"s from the barn stalls.
Dad's saddle was our pattern to follow.
Step one was to mount a 2' 2"x4", 36" off the ground.
Then, accompany it with some wings. Getting the right angle was the trick.
Our first stab at 30° was not enough.
So we tried 40° and everybody was happy.
So we built four of them, with 45° braces underneath.
In similar fashion, we built a couple of saddle blanket racks.
While we were at it, we decided to build a few bridle holders, too.
Simple idea, we just took one of Grandpa's old 6" fence posts and cut 6, 4" blocks.
Recessing a hole, we fastened them onto the walls studs with a heavy torques screw.
Giddy up.
Should work. I like to hang a bridle from something good and round, helps them keep their form.
Once constructed, I went around and sanded everything down. Cleaned up nice.
Seems to match the rest of the building’s character.
Functional, too.
Let's ride.
So nice to keep sitting saddles in good riding posture. Along with looking cool, this set up is ready to ride. All you have to do is slide your saddle off the rack and swing it on your horse. I hope riding a horse will be as much fun as building these saddle racks. This has been in my think-tank for sometime. Great to get to this point in our ranch-restoration project. Let's see what else we can drum up. On to the next one!
Friday, July 17, 2026
Hitching Posts
Now that we have the saddle room set in place, it's time to plant a couple of hitching posts. The job went about like I thought it would, which involved a lot of grunting in the summer sun. Good stuff.
Each side of the saddle room is an ideal spot to build a hitching post for parking your horse or getting them ready to ride.
Of course, our building material of choice was 2 7/8" tubing.
This stuff came from south of Shoshoni and has a lot of paraffin still in it, which is a high gravity of oil that only liquifies in hot temperatures. Cutting the pipe into lengths was enough to get it moving and catch it on fire.
Once everything cooled down, we took the four 7.5' posts and pounded them in the ground.
The ground was hard and you pretty much just have to let the posts go where they will, which in this case was crooked.
Instead of trying to pull them straight, I just took the cutting torch and cut a half slice out of the pipe just below ground level. Then I could pull them straight and weld the gap back up.
For a job like this, we got ole ranch truck outfitted. Worked good.
Then we found our level and saddle the vertical pipes.
After everything was ready to go, we set our 8' horizontals and got to welding. Once again, the paraffin fought me.
Eventually, we got the saddles all welded up and the cross bar trimmed and capped.
Works for me.
Classic. I'm thankful to have this job done. It trims out the building nice and allows for an efficient way to saddle a horse. Now we just need a reason to put them to work! That day will come. Until then, we ranch on.
Thursday, July 16, 2026
Bull Time
Every ranch scenario is unique. At the time when guys are pulling their bulls, we are just putting ours in. Because we want to calve on our irrigated pasture below the house, we decided to calve in May and June of next year, when the grass is ready. To do so, we have to turn the bulls out in mid/late July. The feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel seems like a good day to me!
Herman wintered well. Because Luke is done with his bulls, we took one of his too.
I'm impressed. Herman, the two year old, bulked up nice. He threw little calves, which were nice for first-calf-heifers. Not sure how they would turn out in the long run, I wasn't sure we wanted to use him again. However, after seeing him this spring, we decided to give him another go.
It never hurts to have a backup bull in with the herd. Even though we only have 10 girls to breed, two bulls will ensure that they all get covered on the first cycle.
So I got the trailer all set, and jumped them in one at a time and hauled them to Neiber.
Herman lost his ear tag, so wanted to give him a new one before we turned out.
Had to widen the chute first.
No problemo. Gentle giant.
New tag in the same spot.
Dad poured him while we were at it.
Beings these two have been together already, sharing breeding responsibilities shouldn't be a problem.
Let's find out.
Fun stuff. It'll be interesting to see how this new enterprise works for us. May/June calving is not real common around here. Guys definitely do it, and some swear by it, but March/April is more the norm. Not a huge risk, but will be fun to see how it works out. In the meantime, there are cows to be bred. Go get 'em boys!
Wednesday, July 15, 2026
Tuesday, July 14, 2026
Tape Measure
I'm a tape measure guy. If I'm ranchin', whether in clerics or not, I usually have a tape strapped to my hip. Ideas are one thing. But if you can combine that with some actual units of measurement, then you've got a project. Best to be prepared with a tape measure at hand.
I have tapes stashed all over the place. Though, every handyman has his favorite one. However, even the good ones don't last forever. This Stanley 25'er has been by me for the past five years or so. She still had plenty of life in her, until I dropped a crowbar squarely on the side of the metal tape, breaking part of it. It still measures fine, but that broken metal will cut a cowboy's finger with little effort. Best to replace it.
All these selections. Ace, Stanley, 25' or 30', Fatmax and Leverlock... Which to choose?
Not a lot of discernment. Stanley 25' is the all-around tape for me. 30's are good, but are bulky and rarely do I get that far out. If I do, I have a 100'er in the truck. I don't like any of the bells and whistles, either. Just a simple, quick, imperial tape measure.
Some tapes have both tenths and fraction units. Too much for me. I prefer simple 16th of an inch increments.
Giddy up.
Tape measures hook well on the front pocket of your Wranglers. However, one, quick, 90° bend of your right leg and it's in the dirt. I prefer hooking them to my belt. Holds tough and still easy to grab. A guy does have to be careful dropping your tape too much. If they land wrong, they can bend the front metal tab and throw your accuracy off. Good to look them over every now and again, and make sure all is straight. I'm pleased with this guy. We should have a few good years together around the church and the ranch. Let's find out!
Sunday, July 12, 2026
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
-
Carmelite Monks? I thought there were only friars and nuns. Not in Wyoming. In 2003, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and the dire...
-
June is a great month for chewing on grass. Though many parts of Wyoming are dry, where there is irrigation, the grass is growing tall. Maki... -
Back in the fall of 2021 I received a call from Bear Woznick asking if I ever thought of writing a book. I told him, "I don't think...
