30. January 2012 by Laurie Bryan.

1-17-1915 to 1-15-2012

BCHA loses one of its founding fathers with the passing of Charles Dulane Fulton, Jan 15, 2012, two days short of his 97th birthday. “Dulane was one of the four who sat around the campfire and formed the first club of BCH in Montana,” said Rod Parks, BCHI National Director.

There is a brief article on all the founding fathers on the BCHA Website at: http://www.backcountryhorse.com/Founders_Page.html .

Dulane will be missed by all who appreciate the mission and dedication of an organization he helped to form. For Dulane’s complete obituary, click here.

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29. January 2012 by Ellen Knapp.

Read More

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29. January 2012 by Rob Adams.

What is national trails day?

What does Squaw Butte have planned?

How do I get to the trail head? 

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25. January 2012 by Linda Paul.

How many of us began our ridding careers from the back of a shaggy mount much like Jessie?

I asked Linda Paul if she wouldn’t mind writing for our blog from time to time. She graciously agreed to submit a piece of her work that she felt would make a good fit in our “Around the Campfire” category.  

Sit back, grab a box of Kleenex, (and I promise, you will need Kleenex) and enjoy Linda’s “Jessie.”

JESSIE

By: Linda Paul

Jessie was my babysitter. She was my best friend. She was my grandmother. She was my grandfather. She was my sister, my cousin, and my aunt. At times I wished she were my mother.

Jessie, like me, was a mongrel: half Welsh pony, half nondescript horse. She was tall for a pony, around 12 hands high, if I remember correctly. This compares to the Shetland that measures from 7 – 11 hands high. She was a black and white pinto who looked more like a horse than the roly-poly image of the standard kid’s Shetland monster. Jessie was ancient when she came to us—beyond reliable dental aging. She had a wise old look about her too. I, on the other hand was young—five or six years old. We spent many hours together, usually just the two of us. I was safe with her, there was no need for a baby sitter. Even in the company of my mother and sister, her short legs had difficulty keeping up with the horses so we lagged behind—me lost in my daydreams, Jessie patiently watching for gopher holes. I learned most of what I ever knew about horses from Jessie. Click here for the rest of “Jessie” by Linda Paul

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19. January 2012 by Laurie Bryan.

Rob and Linda Adams have been active members of the SBBCHI chapter since January of 2000. Rob was first introduced to the Back Country Horsemen during a horse show at the Nampa Center. “I talked to Dale Forester and liked the mission of the organization.  This horse show was in the fall, as I went to a couple of meetings before I joined.” Mentions Rob.

With a passionate belief in the organizations mission, Rob and Linda have dedicate countless hours towards the operation and success of the Squaw Butte Chapter. Rob has been an active member of the chapter and is currently the chapters Vice President, Project trails coordinator and manages the chapters web presence. Click here for Rob and Linda’s complete bio.

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19. January 2012 by Rob Adams.

Former Squaw Butte member JoAnna Lamb is excited to share news of her first novel. After a long struggle with myself and this novel I wrote, I decided to self publish it and move on to the next three novels I have stirring ’round in my head!  Read more!

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18. January 2012 by Rob Adams.

Southwester Idaho BCHI chapters Boise, Squaw Butte and Treasure Valley will be manning an booth at the Idaho Sportsman show Thursday March 1st through Sunday March 4th.  Click here to see the sign up sheet.  Rules of Engagement:  Limit of 4 in booth per shift.   

Email what day and times you would like to man the booth to president@sbbchidaho.org

PASSES- 4 passes are provided by the vendor to be used by the booth staff. Additional passes can be bought for $5/pass by the clubs and left at the “Will Call Desk” at the entrance to be used by club members. When done they can be returned to the Will Call desk for others use. A list of booth works MUST be provided to the “Will Call Desk” of those who are eligible to use the available passes.  If not on the list they will not get a pass!  

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16. January 2012 by Laurie Bryan.

It is time to start thinking about getting your photo submissions in for the 2013 calendar.  Jake Lemon will be heading up the photo submissions for this year’s Squaw Butte entries. Please email your submissions to pictures@sbbchidaho.org.

Jake has put together an informative  .PDF guide of basic criteria and tips for your photo submissions. Click here to access more information on the 2013 photo submissions, requirements and criteria.

The overall intent for this year’s submissions is to focus on image quality and content, effectively cutting down on the number of filler photo’s being submitted for review.

Good luck!

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9. January 2012 by Laurie Bryan.

A typical equestrian ride on a not-so-typical winter day turns into an unexpected adventure for two members of the Squaw Butte chapter. A day that started out rather benign and somewhat boring, quickly turned into something a bit more wild and western. Read on for an account from each rider, in their own perspective of the events to unfold.

The Winter Wreck, by Rob Adams

Many movies get the audience hooked by zooming in on the lead character in some dangerous situation and then flash back to a scene 24 hours earlier.   Here is such a scene, starring Rob Adams.

High on a ridge in the 4 Mile wild horse area lays a young horse on his side in a gully, feet pointing up slope.  Rob’s left leg is trapped under the horse by the saddle and saddle bags.  Flash ahead to two hours ago…

With the total lack of snow below 5500 feet, winter riding ranges have been expanded this year.  I have been riding my colt, Payette, most weekends and Sunday. January 8th looked to be another nice day, so I put out the word to a couple riding buddies that I was thinking about riding 4 Mile Creek.  Two passed, but Laurie Bryan was game. We would meet at 11:00 at the bridge, just before the Y.  After tacking up, we started on the loop route we often ride.  The ground, for the most part, was frozen or dry and the stock had no problem with footing.  There were a few cows still in the area, but we were looking for the mustang bands. We watched for fresh hoof prints, stud piles and other signs that might indicate wild horses in the area. Read the rest of Rob’s tale here

Wrecks and Wild Horses, by Laurie Bryan

As usual, Jack and I followed a good 30 yards behind the last rider on the trail. On this particular cool day in January, the only other rider on the trial besides me was fellow Squaw Butte member, Rob Adams. I don’t mind picking up the rear most of the time. Doing so gives me a pretty good perspective from which to take pictures and keep an eye on things just in case, you know…we are attacked by cougars or serial killers.
Rob chose the Wild Horse Management area, just north of Emmett on 4 mile road, hoping that we would get a glimpse of a band of mustangs that roam this part of the desert. Rob was familiar with the area; however, this was to be my first trip. I was excited to finally have the chance to see Mustangs in the wild.
Rob rode his bay Mustang, Payette. The four year old was doing well for a green broke colt. He plodded along, picking his way through dense lava fields that covered 90% of the area, with familiarity born of a desert horse.  Jack, on the other hand, was not born of the desert. I purchased Jack from a breeder as a young colt.  Until I started him two years ago, he was pasture bred and born.  Jack carefully picked his way through the rocky terrain with ease.  His hard, black hooves held up as well as any horse of the high desert.
The day was unusually warm for the first week of January, topping out at thirty nine degrees. Although there was no snow on the ground, spots of white frost covered areas made slick and hard with nightly freeze.  Overcast sky’s provided little lighting opportunity for an interesting photo of the surrounding area. Once you’ve seen one sage brush…you’ve pretty much seen them all.  Staring at the back of Rob’s reflective lime green jacket, I sighed at the high-probability that we might not get much of anything of interest in the way of photographs. So far, we had not come across any wild horses either. The most eye-catching thing about the day thus far was that blinding, neon-lime-green jacket. Could the day get any more uneventful? I resolved to enjoy the ride regardless. After all, not every ride can be filled with adventure and photo ops. Read the rest of Laurie’s tale here:

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2. January 2012 by Laurie Bryan.

       The Life and Times of a Chapter President

The joyous occasion occurred in Nampa Idaho, one fall evening.  The sire was from good Owyhee County/Silver City stock; the dam was out of a Scottish immigrant that settled near Peck Idaho. Home was to be a 28-acre farm just south of Homedale.  It was a perfect place to raise a herd of young’uns; lots of pastures and fields and outdoor activities to grow ‘em up robust and healthy.

After the wars, Dad came home and got hired on as a Rural Mail Carrier, a job he held for the next thirty-something years.  Mom graduated from the U of I and came down here to teach Home Ec.  She ended up being a stay-at-home mom, which was the norm back then, and besides carrying mail, Dad also farmed, through rain, sleet, snow and dark of night.  He raised hay, corn, wheat, and beef cows.  Twenty eight acres was just big enough to keep the kids in chores and teach them a work ethic, and to have horses.

Horses were my life.  I can’t remember when I fell in love with them, but I got it from my mom, and I  know I was pretty little—about knee-high to a grasshopper, I think.  Every summer when we’d go up to Granddad’s I’d hound my older cousin to take me horseback riding.  She hated me, I’m sure.  Then Granddad gave me his old hunting mare, which was too old to be too dangerous for a little tyke, but I learned a lot from that horse.

The rest of the story

2012 President Corner:  January  February  March  April  May   June  July  August  September  October  November  December

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