The Ride

The Big Horn Mountain Roundup trail ride has been going on in the Big Horn Mountains since 1965. For four days and three rides, men from all over the nation come out to ride the trails of Wyoming together. Though the numbers aren't what they once were, the tradition of brotherhood, freedom, and fun is still going strong.

The ride takes a different route every year. This year it was in Elgin park, in the southeast quadrant of the Big Horns.

I was not real sure what to expect as I rolled in early Thursday morning. But my buddy Pete, who one of those in charge of this thing, said to come up for the day and join in. So we did.

First stop was getting a leather name tag. 

Chief was all ready to roll.

A good group of riders from all over. I met guys from Florida, Pennsylvania, California, Arizona, Utah, Montana, Ohio, as well as our locals.

Fun stuff. New country.

We stopped once in the morning to stretch our legs. Then again for lunch. This is a well oiled machine. They guys meet us at each stopping point with beverages and lunch.

The pulled pork was a welcome site.

After a nice lunch and a good break, we were back up and running.

Cool country. The Forest Service is cutting down any conifer trees in aspen areas to help the aspen rebound. Seems to be working. 

The ride was great, but not a walk in the park. Most of the guests rode outfitters' stock.

Right before the end, Pete pulled myself and a couple other guys out to help him scout out one leg of a trail he still needed to mark.

Pete used to have the lease on this land and run his cows up here. He knows the country well and where would make a good trail ride.

Jumped two bull moose! 

Then the sky opened up. Downpour!

About 4pm, we rolled back into camp.

Well done, ol' son. 

Before dinner, the clouds broke and the sun came out. Just in time for the lowering of the flag ceremony and prayer before the meal.

Rack of ribs. Good stuff.

Fun time and great opportunity. I'm super thankful I took advantage of it. Met some great men and saw some beautiful country. I'm glad traditions like this still live. This kind of freedom is what this country was founded for. When we saddle up and ride like this, we appreciate all we've been given and the sacrifices it takes to ensure it. Praise God for this land that I love! Let's ranch on. 

Jake Hostetler

Raw and real!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UI_cioCw0Q

Love

Love is free.

           https://youtu.be/0c9sz_cEcJ4         

Old Shoes

I've always wondered if you could reuse old horse shoes on the same horse. Only one way to find out.

Back in early May, my buddy Devlin put these shoes on Chief. We wanted to try pads under the shoes because he can get a little tender footed. Devlin did a good job and the shoe/pad combo worked great. About eight weeks later, I pulled them off. That's about all the longer you want to run shoes without trimming the hooves, and I wanted to go barefoot for the 4th of July parade. Now that I'm needing to re-shoe Chief for some summer riding, I turned to these old shoes and wondered if we couldn't just put them back on. I see no reason why not.

The horses have been doing good, hanging out at the VO Ranch on the Clear Creek.

Before we did anything with their feet, I shot them with fly spray.

Mom's feet were a mess. Looked like a duck-billed platypus. 

Her hooves actually trimmed up pretty nice. I'm thankful for that.

Chief's were in great shape, for not being formally trimmed since May.

Before we got too far down the road, we cleaned the old shoes up. The pad was riveted onto the shoe, which was one reason I wanted to reuse them. Looks good to me.

Everything cleaned up pretty good for my standards. I like to take the sidewalls of the hoof down as far to the sole as I can, so there is a good mating surface between the hoof and the shoe. Everything sized up real nice. Chief has easy hooves, simple 00 size with no shaping needed.

Horse shoe nails are interesting. They are tapered on the side that has traction marks on the head. Those marks go to the inside of the hoof, which ensures that the nail veers to the outside of the hoof when nailed. 

Nailing on a shoe is never easy for me or Chief. But, we always seem to manage, thanks be to God. When running pads, you want to fill up that void between the pad and the sole with some special shoe glue. This keeps bacteria from forming in the confined environment and also keeps rocks and dirt out of there, which can make it worse than if there were no pads on at all. Looks good to me. The only drawback I can see is that the new nails stick up higher than the worn shoes. Shouldn't be a problem.

Chief seems happy.

Good stuff. With some riding coming up, we'll have prime opportunity to see how these old shoes hold up. I've gotten away with more than I should on this horse. He really is an easy keeper. So, my rudimentary shoeing skills seem to get by just fine. Let's ride.

Reality

God's will is reality.

           https://youtu.be/98SbDN2vaBo         

Historicity

Connects us to our deep roots.

           https://youtu.be/SJQSoIztFso         

Weedy World

Repentance!

           https://youtu.be/wPoWNPGdvUY         

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!