What BCHA does for you? Read equipment report
Jon Seel and I had the opportunity to ride the Eagle Caps Wilderness in Eastern Oregon last week. We spent four days riding the Minum River area. We Left Emmett on a Friday afternoon and headed west to the little town of Cover Oregon. There is a great little tavern and food place there, Great Steaks!. We ended up at the Moss Springs Trailhead. (Idaho should have such trailheads.)
Saturday morning we packed our animals and headed down the seven miles to Reds Horse Ranch, and Minum Lodge. These are areas set aside as private when it became a wilderness much like the airstrips in the Frank Church Wilderness. We spent the night next to a Fish and Game cabin by the airstrip, good feed for the horses. Next day we fished the Minum River and had a great supper that evening. We packed up the next morning and headed up stream trying to find our trail so we could make a loop and eventually get back to the Moss Springs Trailhead. Lucky for us we met two Oregon Fish and Game Wardens who informed us that the trail we were looking for had been washed out for years and was nonexistent. We made a great camp next to the river, decided that a return trip the way we had come was in order for the next day, fixed dinner, finished off the whiskey, and crashed for the night.
I am finding out that the trail systems in all our area wildernesses have major trail problems and we really need to have the Forest Service make a better effort to clear those trail for everyone. We made it back to the Trailhead the next morning and headed home. If you plan to ride in any of the wildernesses please contact the district ranger office to find out the condition of the trails first.
By Phil Ryan
Horse & mule packer are not the only ones using back country trails, there are other ways to get your stuff from trail head to great locations in the mountains of Idaho. As stock packers we should know a bit about the other types of pack stock, and how they view us.
Encountering pack stock on a trip from a goat packers point a view is a good example:
(Note: We do not dislike horses per say, any derogatory sounding comments are based solely on personal observations of them and their reactions to us with our goats.)
It is our experience that very few back country users know the answer to this question. Thankfully our boys are familiar with both backpacks on people and horses, so are total unconcerned beyond there natural wilderness alertness. Most hikers hate the idea, but as the most mobile they should get off the trail on the low side. In a goats vs horses the same rule applies. We move to the low side as the goats are much more agile than the horses. (Horses are much easier for the rider to control on the high side of the trail. Move approximately 30 feet off the trail for horses). We have decided that horses think people with packs are bears, and llamas/goats with backs are devils from their darkest nightmares. With horses it is a excellent idea to keep talking to the riders as they pass, as this helps the horse with their tiny little brains identify you as a person rather then a scary unknown.
There are times when passing is not an option. (The east fork of the Duchesne comes to mind. A 1/4 mile, six inch ribbon of trail across a 70 degree slope of loose dirt.) In these situations the most mobile should back up to a safe place to pass.
Pack strings of any sort should be given consideration over any kind of person with a lone creature. But we seldom argue with a spooky horse and just give way. And our boys watch the horse dance fitfully past with silly grins on their faces.
To lean a bit more about goat packing, check out the following web sites:
From time to time members ask me about how a trail should be rated. Rating mean
different things depending on if you’re hiking or riding a mountain bike. On horse back it
means something else. Also, the perception of how difficult a trail should be rated is
influenced by the experience of the one rating it. Time of year or weather conditions – a
trails difficulty can change drastically. A level 3 or 4 trail can easily turn into something
altogether more technically with the addition of snow, rain, wind, high water… etc
I looked backed at the writings between Idaho’s Republican Senator Weldon Heyburn and President Theodore Roosevelt in 1905 about Idaho’s forest reserves to prepare for the covering the Idaho Legislature’s Interim Committee on Federal Lands Friday at 9 a.m. at the Capitol.
These two Republicans had clear differences about the value of the reserves and their role in American life. Heyburn saw the reserves as an affront to the state’s ability to choose the remaining 50,000 acres the federal government promised it would get under the Admissions Act.
At statehood in 1890, Idaho received federal grants of 3.65 million acres but it took a few years to identify all the lands it wanted. Today the state has 2.46 million acres.
The BLM Wild Horse Program & Oregon teens team up to take on training wild mustangs! These kids do a great job gentling their Mustangs and then adopt these horses out to the public.
Phil Ryan – July 2013
If you ever get a chance to ride the Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana don’t pass up the opportunity. Bill Conger and I have ridden the “BOB” for the past two summers and each time it has been a great trip. Bill and MB have ridden that wilderness for years before they moved to sunny (hot) Idaho so he knew the trails and trail heads quite well. This year we decided to go into the wilderness from the East side out of The Benchmark trail head. That is out of the town of Augusta. That way we would ride up the South Fork of the Sun River, make a ride up to Prairie Reef and along the edge of the China Wall and come back down the North Fork of the Sun and back to the trail head, a total of seven days.
A wonderful twelve hour truck ride got us there and we spent the evening having a steak dinner, beans and beer. The next morning we loaded Bill’s two mules, our horses and set off down the trail. The first thing you come to is a swinging bridge over the river. Bill’s new horse “scout” wanted no part of that so my old horse “Sam” took the lead. We did this two times and his horse got the idea and away we went. As you go down the trail there are Forest Service signs saying “Alert” bear in the area, STAY ON THE TRAIL” so we did. Further down the Trail is another Forest Service sign “BE ALERT” BEARS (plural) eating on a mule carcass. Now that gets your attention and you make the horse move faster and you scan both sides of the trail wondering which outfitter scarified a mule so he could get down the trail and out of harm’s way. Anyway we made it and saw no bear (that day).
We traveled on and came to the South Fork of the Sun River and another swinging Bridge, no problem. Three hours of riding got us to our first campsite where the trail takes off to Prairie reef. We ford the river and set up a nice camp. Good grass and water for the stock. After a meal of MB’s ready made goodies, I went fishing, caught a Bull Trout, first time for that. The next morning after a breakfast burrito and coffee we saddled the horses and up we went. Now the trails in the “BOB” are well laid out with great switchbacks, but it was up and up and up, but the trip was well worth it. At the top of the mountain “Prairie Reef” is a fire lookout, and you can see the rest of the world, or at least most of Montana. One side is sheer cliffs for thousands of feet down. You can see all the way to Montana’s flat prairies on one side and the China Wall and snow covered mountains on the other side. We saw eight Mountain Goats on the cliffs below us and one crashed airplane (from the 1980’s) Bill told me. When we returned to camp it was a six hour ride and the horses were spent.
The next day we loaded up and made the ride under the China Wall, over the pass and down Moose Creek looking for a good campsite. We wanted to go down Rock Creek, but there was a really big fire there and the Rangers had closed all trails leading into that area. I spotted a really nice bear as we rode, don’t know if it was a Grizzly or not, but it was bigger than any bears I have seen here in Idaho so we continued further down the trail to find a camp. Seven hot dusty, horse fly infested hours later we made camp in a nice shaded glade, good food and water for the horses and a well-deserved drink of whisky for me and Bill. Next morning off we went down the canyon and to the North Fork of the Sun River. Wonderful meadows, lots of grass for the animals, good fishing. We laid over for a day there giving the animals lots to eat and time to play cribbage and me to catch some fish to eat. We decided to ride out on the sixth day because we couldn’t get up rock Creek or the Gates Park Ranger station so we headed out in dense smoke from the fire. We met an outfitter who had just been in the Rock Creek area and was only six hundred yards from the fire when it topped over the ridge above his camp, he said it was hot for a time while he got his equipment and stock to a much safer location. The Forest Service had sent a helicopter in searching for him to warn him to get out of that area.
On the ride down the North Fork of the Sun River we saw a gray wolf. We made it out in about four and a half hours to the trail head, loaded the stock, went to Augusta for cold drinks and chips and headed the truck south and made it home about twelve thirty Sunday morning.
Another great trip, I may never get to see that area again in my life, but the memories are ones that will last a lifetime.
P.S Watch out for the BEARS!!!!!
Panoramic view of Frog Lake.
“Sawtooth’s or BUST!”
Eleven horses, nine humans, five mules and a dog pulled out of Rob and Linda Adam’s place in Sweet Idaho, Wednesday, July 17. The five rig caravan loaded with enough provisions for five days in the White Cloud recreational area looked like a modern day migration of homesteaders. Plans laid by our particular group of backcountry horseman are seldom strictly adhered to, but we try to make them anyway. Ours loosely consisted of driving to Livingston Mill trailhead two hours outside of Stanly Idaho, spend the night at the TH and be geared up and mounted early Thursday morning for the ride into Frog Lake. Rob Adams, organizer, project coordinator, self proclaimed “Trail Boss” and all around nice guy – doled out the individual responsibilities for the trip well in advance. Rob would plan and execute the evening meals. Janine Townsend would take care of breakfasts. Robbin Schindele would do lunches. The Chicks, Bob and Lorraine, were responsible for the wine. Bill Selkirk and Kate Miller would be our entertainment directors for the week. I would do desserts. I don’t know if I’m becoming famous for my Dutch Oven desserts or everyone’s afraid they will get Beanee Weenees three times a day if given anything but desserts. My bet is on the latter. We arrived in Stanley shortly after 12:00 PM for fuel and a bite for lunch. What happened next was to unfold into every horseman’s worst nightmare. Willow, Rob’s trail horse of more than a dozen years, went down in the trailer with severe colic. The events leading to the tragic loss of a beloved trail partner and friend can be found by following this link written by Rob. I will not hash out the heart wrenching details of Willow’s passing further except to say that he will be sorely missed. Without Willow, the Squaw Butte Backcountry Horsemen are less than what we were. Though he cannot physically be with us, I know we will carry Willow within our hearts until the very last backcountry horseman draws their final breath. Willow will not be forgotten. We could quit and go home or figure out a way to continue on with one less animal. Backcountry horsemen don’t quit. I offered up my new pack horse, König, as a riding horse for Bill Selkirk. I’d recently acquired König and although he had all the potential for a great little pack horse, I had no idea how versatile he would turn out to be. This made us short one pack horse. The wheels turning in Rob’s head were all but audible. He could make this work. We’d cut down on the gear and take only what was necessary. Heck, we had twice as much as we needed anyway. I chuckle at what we chose to take and what we left behind. Left behind were fire starter, duplicate first aid-kits, extra tarps, rope, high-lines, various cooking utensils, solar showers and duct tape – but damn it – we didn’t leave behind dessert or the wine. There is a limit to adaptability and ours ended with the peach cobbler and boxed Cabernet.
At 17:30 on July 17, 2013 Willow my lead trail horse and dear friend had to be put down. The day started out full of anticipation as a number of friends were meeting at my ranch at 09:00 to caravan to Livingston Mills trail head in the Boulder / White Cloud Mountains to start a four day pack trip to Frog Lake and the Little Bolder chain lakes area. The day started out cool and clear, but was expected to get hot in the valley so all were ready to get underway to the mountains. I fed my five horses around 40 pounds of grass hay at 07:30 with an expected load and departure at 10:00. They were in my walk-in shed and holding corral. At 09:00 each horse was haltered, and given an opportunity to drink and then hosed off as they were covered with mud from playing in the pond (mud hole) the day before. They were then fly sprayed and loaded into my trailer. Willow only drank a bit, but was acting his normal self and took advantage of being in the yard while getting washed up, by eating anything he could reach. He was the last one loaded and we were on the highway at 10:15.
After an easy drive we arrived in Stanley at 12:15 and got in line to fill up our fuel tanks. We heard and felt the thump when willow collapsed in the back of the trailer. Bill Selkirk jumped out and came running around the trailer shouting that Willow was down. I jumped out of the truck, opened the trailer door and he looked dead, not moving. I jumped in and he moved his head and looked at me. I jerked the lead rope and he attempted to get up. With Bill and a couple of the others help I got him on his feet and out of the trailer. We walked around a bit and he seemed un-injured.
I walked him around for a few minutes and he seemed to be ok, other than he was sweating a bit, but that could have been from the fall. Then his legs just went out from under him and he hit the ground. He hit the ground hard, and rolled four of five times. I got him on his feet and we repeated the cycle. We would walk a while, than he would do a belly flop and try to roll. His belly was blowing up and it was obvious that he was in great discomfort.
Janine got on her cell phone and called her vet for guidance and to see if they knew of a local large animal vet in the Stanley. Chick went into a store to find out if there was a local vet. Both came back with phone number of two vets, one in Challis the other Bellevue, Id. While trip members kept Willow on his feet, which was getting harder and harder, phone calls were made. The Challis vet said he was swamped and could not come, and was not sure he could help if we went there, his practice was limited to what he could do out of the back of his truck.
The Bellevue vets at “Sawthooth Equine” said if we could get him into a trailer and to their facilities they would do what they could. Janine and her vet were going over the drugs we had at hand, and a 1000 pound dose of Banamine (Flunixin Meglumine) paste was given. Both Janine and I have injectable Banamine, but had not brought it. Janine also had Rompun (Xylazine HCI) that with the guidance of the vet on the phone was injected into a vein on Willow’s neck while he was collapsed on the ground, no easy feat! The Rompun is a sedative and analgesic and the vet told us we only had a few minutes to get Willow into a trailer and to a vet or we would lose him.
Laurie had unloaded her two horses and the whole group got Willow to his feet and pushed him into the trailer. The door was slammed shut and we were off.
It was a mad dash down US 75 over the pass and down through Ketchum full of tourists and Winnebago’s. We arrived a bit before 16:00 and Willow was still on his feet, and for the first time I felt there might be some hope.
The vets were waiting for us; we unloaded Willow and took him into the clinic. They did a quick exam and determined he was in great distress and extremely dehydrated. They took blood, reached into his anus with a greased glove and located the blockage, saying words like twisted gut. His heart rate was through the roof, sweat was pouring off him and he tried to go down a couple of time. They inserted a large needle into his abdomen and fluid squirted out. They pumped more drugs into him and inserted and IV and hooked him to ten gallons of IV fluid.
The Vets suggested that Laurie and I go for a walk and in an hour we would know if there was any hope. We talked about surgery and how unlikely it would save him, so it was up to him to pull through. We walked over to an Albertson’s and got a couple of ice teas and a wrap from the deli. After 45 minutes they called Laurie’s cell phone, No idea how they got that number, and said to come back.
Willow had not responded and was lying in a bed of shavings, a shell of the horse that had loaded into the trailer this same morning. The vets asked me what I wanted to do, and I swallowed and said, it is time to let him go. They said they would take care of his remains, I signed some paper work and it was done.
I am sharing this because I think there may be some lessons learned.
First I fed dry feed (hay) without a ready water source a couple of hours before the trip began. They were offered water before they loaded, but not all drank all that much. In the future I will only feed small amounts of soaked (wet) hay before doing a trailer trip. It was something Dr. Hardy talked about at the clinic and it really sank home this day.
Second, we were out of our normal vet’s range, we should have had a list of vets along our route with phone numbers, so we could have saved time finding the nearest one. Your vet or Vet Finder (http://www.webvet.com/main/vetFinder) on the web can help you make a list.
Third, the paste form of Banamine is fine for some things, but takes quite a while to act, in this case we needed the injectable and the skills to put it in a vein.
If you travel with your horse for more than short day rides, you need a good vet kit, and some skills to make use of it.
I lost a great trail horse that has taken me over thousands of miles of Idaho trails and I will miss him greatly. I watched him go from I can’t wait to get on the trail, to a shell of himself in less than four hours, so you don’t have time to not get it right. Would any of this made a difference on Wednesday, I do not know, but I am going to make sure my stock in the future have the best odds of making the trail head in as good shape as they left the ranch.
Rob Adams
Logistics is the management of the flow of resources between the point of origin and the point of consumption in order to meet some requirements. Just like the UPS commercial, the Renwyk Creek and Tripod Peak projects were all about logistics. The first logistic problem was how to schedule and manage two separate projects on the same weekend. The projects were trail maintenance on two trails out of the Renwyk Creek trail head north of Sage Hen, the second was packing over 1500 pounds of food, water and equipment from Joe’s Creek Trail head to the Tripod Peak fire lookout with members of the Boise National Forest crew. Read More Pictures
Chick working a log on Renwyk Creek Trail
Also see Tom Seay’s video clip in support of BCHA. (From Best of America By Horseback)
Back Country Horsemen of America Gives Youth a Leg Up on Tomorrow By Sarah Wynne Jackson
The GAO just posted on its website an updated report on the USFS trail maintenance and reconstruction backlog: http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-618
From: curt
We are announcing our new Facebook page “Free Horses in Idaho”. It is a page where people who find that for one reason or another they can longer keep their animals, can list them for no charge. The animals can be listed from $0 to $600.
Our purpose is to try and help horses, donkeys, mules, ponies and burros find loving homes before they have to go to auction. With the large group of surplus horses in America today many of these horses end up with kill buyers. Even with the end of horse slaughter in the US (we hope), these animals are still being sent to slaughter in Canada and Mexico.
Although we are new, we are following the pattern of several other pages including Free horses in Oregon, and Free horses in Washington. We hope to have a quick impact. Any horse $600 or less can be entered on our page. We would encourage you to visit our page. In order to limit what kill buyers can see it is a closed group. Feel free to join and add your animal to our page. Please read the “Rules of the Road” under Files on the main page.
Free Horses in Idaho www.facebook.com/groups/149754131883141/
You can post your information and pictures, or you can link to your another site such as a Craig’s List ad by simply copying the url (the web address at the top of your browser) and pasting it in the dialog box when you post your animal. You can also add any additional information you may have.
This page is meant to cover horses in Idaho. There may be some overlap with eastern Oregon and eastern Washington around major metropolitan areas such as Spokane, Lewiston, and Boise. When your horse is no longer available, please message us so that we can delete the listing for your horse. That way you will not be bothered with additional inquiries. Please pass our page on to others you may know who are looking for a horse for the long term or for some reason find they can no longer care for the animal that they already have. The limit is $600.
Please forward this email to other groups, organizations, and distribution lists so that we can increase the number of animals who can find loving homes.
Regards, The folks at Free Horses in Idaho
Retracted soles are when the sole retracts, or ‘sucks up’ into the arch of the coffin bone. Usually this happens to horses when they are in a wet or muddy environment. The external appearance of the foot will have good concavity (usually excessively good), and even sole/toe callusing. However the horse is often footsore with low grade pulses, sensitive to hoof testers and even manual palpation. These horses often get diagnosed with low grade laminitis and/or sub solar abscesses. As stated by Dr Buff in the AFJ article: “The appearance of the sole cannot be mistaken for any other sole issue. Instead of having a nice sole concavity, the sole appears to drop off from the white line. Retracted soles that get unnoticed by the farrier during trimming can result in over trimming of the hoof wall, causing the horse extreme pain due to sole pressure.” (Buff, E. 2012, Recognizing and Treating Retracted Soles, American Farriers Journal, Sept/Oct 2012)
Retracted Sole
Terry MacDonald looking over Willow Creek Drainage
Last Saturday I went for a day ride. A day ride is when you do chores, load a horse, go somewhere, ride for a while; then load up, go home and do chores. This year when I’ve been doing this I’ve been saddling my horse before I load him. Someone suggested to me a while back that he might be cold backed. Which means he needs to get used to the saddle before I get on. Admittedly this discussion occurred after the suggestee watched me get bucked off, moments after I got on, the same horse we’re talkin’ about here.
Anyway, last Saturday I caught him, a chore for another story. We went to the trailer and I led him the to the grain pan I’d put out as a reward for being caught. He lowered his head. I lowered my head. It was empty. He looked at me and I looked at the pup. She was licking her lips and looking straight into my eyes. The horse licked the bottom of the pan. It was a family moment.
So we got over that and I brushed him down and saddled him up. I knew we had a way to go so I didn’t cinch him down too hard. We did the other stuff you have to do before you go. He stepped right in the trailer; I told the dogs to STAY HOME! and off we went
I dealt with the low trailer tire, which went flat, but that’s another story. After 30 miles of the most rough knucklin’, shock bustin’, slip slidin’ washboard road I’d been on in days we got where I’d said I’d be before the time I’d said I’d be there.
Said “Howdies!” Walked back and opened the trailer door. I looked at Dusty. He looked at me.
I looked back and noticed my saddle was almost under his belly. It was really kind of caught up against his legs on his right side. The felt pad had come against his right stifle and was holding the whole rig from going all the way underneath. I cursed. He looked at me.
I called to my friend Terry MacDonald. He came running, he looked, he cursed. The horse looked at us both.
Talking “Whoa.” all the time I walked into the trailer and lifted the saddle. Tried to slide it around his girth to where it belonged. No go.
Terry said, “If you got it (the saddle) I’ll undo it.” An easy task since the cincha buckles were now on the top of the horses back. So I held the weight and he undid the buckles. The horse was just pushing his muzzle against my neck and talking trash about” just getting out of the, expletive deleted, trailer. “ (My horse can curse too when he chooses.)
Saddle off and set aside the trailer I untied him and out we went. We both walked around and looked around some, I saddled him again and we went for a good ride on a fine spring day.
Everything about this story could have been a wreck, but it wasn’t. I don’t know if it was luck. I don’t know if it was a miracle. I do know I’m putting my trust in the horse.
By: Robbin Schindele
Eric Melson here from the Selway-Bitterroot Frank Church Foundation writing to update you about three volunteer trail maintenance projects this summer within the Frank Church – River of No Return Wilderness. We’re looking to fill these projects with volunteers, maybe you could be one of them? Please feel free to pass this email along to folks who may be interested in joining us for a projects this summer. Here’s what we have cookin’:
Volunteer Registration Packet 2013 SBFCF Southwestern Idaho 2013 Projects
This News story was on the Local fox news during the convention:
Back Country Horsemen of America welcome Senator John Thune
The Black Hills region can be described as perfect horse country. It’s the reason many people come here to live. And many of those people have become a part of an organization working to preserve the Hills as a good place to take a horse. Black Hills Fox Reporter Al Van Zee has the story.
Access to wilderness areas in the U.S. is becoming more and more difficult as more and more back-country roads are closed to motor vehicles, especially in the country’s National Forests. So more and more people, and especially people who have difficulty walking rough terrain, are coming to realize that many wilderness areas are simply inaccessible except on horseback. The Back Country Horsemen of America is made up of many such people. And the group is held it’s national convention in Rapid City this week. One of the stated goals of the organization is to insure that public lands remain open to riding and to help government and private agencies maintain the back country assets.Addressing the convention in Rapid City this afternoon was South Dakota Senator John Thune, who related his own western South Dakota upbringing where horses and horseback riding were a large part of the way of life. The horse culture is tightly encoded in the DNA of the Black Hills. And its history goes all the way back to the first horses brought here by Native Americans hundreds of years ago. And the Back Country Horsemen say they want to make sure the Black Hills area remains horse country.
Here is the report from the Cate Bradley, National Park Service, from the panel discussion at the International Trails Symposium. I asked the presenters from the National Park Service, the BLM and the USFS to discuss the future of maintenance on America’s trails…as federal funding for trails becomes more and more limited from all federal agencies…and how youth corps, volunteers, and organizations can help fill the gap anticipated for the future.
Forwarding to the National Directors as promised in my Vice Chair report.
Happy Trails, Yvette Public Funding Stream for Trails and Equestrian Groups
BCHA National Directors:
As some of you may know, Rick McLean resigned yesterday as our Executive Director. In the process of a week of discussions and emails between Rick and myself, Rick felt that the evolving job description of the Executive Director to emphasize fund raising was not what he had signed on for with the BCHA. Priorities change and the momentum needed to grow the BCHA to meet the ever increasing challenges we face require fund raising efforts.
We thank Rick for his tenure with us and wish him well with his family and trail riding time.
Going forward, with the guidance and agreement of our Executive Committee; 1) the Chairman will temporarily assume the duties of the Executive Director position, and; 2) use the monies in that position’s 2013 budget to cover the expenses of the fund raising effort, and; 3) begin a deliberative search to fill the Executive Director position possibly to commence with our 2014 budget. Again, all this in coordination with Executive Committee.
I welcome your comments, suggestions and criticisms,
Jim
Jim McGarvey
Chairman, BCHA
C: 706-669-1015
H:706-629-4196
participants at the 2013 safe trail riding clinic
The Squaw Butte and Boise Chapters of the Backcountry Horsemen of Idaho pulled together a successful 2013 backcountry skills clinic. That success is attributed in no small part to outstanding presenters and participants of this year’s event.
From backcountry equine first-aid to equine therapeutic massage, participants were treated to demonstrations and lectures from top experts in the equine field.
A major emphasis on trail safety was evident as dozens of horses and riders put their skills to the test in the simulated trail course put together by Squaw Butte education committee leaders Chuck and Lorraine Chick.
The event finished off with demonstrations in different packing techniques by several of the backcountry horsemen’s experienced packers.
This year’s event had something for everyone from the novice to the experienced trail rider.
A sincere thank you to all of our presenters and participants in this year’s backcountry skills clinic – YOU ROCK!
* Keep your fences horse-high, pig-tight & bull-strong.
* Keep skunks & bankers & lawyers at a distance.
* Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.
* A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.
* Words that soak into your ears are whispered…not yelled.
* Meanness don’t jes’ happen overnight.
* Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads.
* Don’t corner something that would normally run from you.
* It doesn’t take a very big person to carry a grudge.
* You cannot unsay a cruel word.
* Every path has a few puddles.
* When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.
* The best sermons are lived, not preached.
* Most of the stuff people worry about is never gonna happen anyway.
* Don’t judge folks by their relatives.
* Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
* Don’t interfere with somethin’ that ain’t botherin’ you none.
* Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.
* Sometimes you get, & sometimes you get got.
* Don’t fix it if it ain’t broke.
* Always drink upstream from the herd.
* Good judgment comes from experience, & a lot of that comes from bad judgment.
* If you get to thinkin’ you’re a person of some influence, try orderin’ somebody else’s dog around.
* Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly.
It seems wrong to say that Columbus elk hunter John Chepulis was lucky. Hes lying in a Bozeman hospital intensive care room hooked up to a ventilator to help him breathe, heavily sedated and fighting pneumonia. But his situation could have been much worse.
“This whole thing, to me, has been divine intervention from the beginning,” said Bonnie Chepulis, John’s wife.
Here’s the article on John Chepulis’ wreck. John is past president of the Montana BCH and was at the BCHA National Board Meeting in Eugene Oregon and Butte Montana.
Please keep John and his family in your thoughts and prayers.
Peg, BCHA
Nov 16 update
John has made remarkable progress toward recovery and has been moved to Billings to a state-of-the-art acute care hospital for patients who require time to heal from catastrophic injury or illness.
His new address is: John Chepulis, Advanced Care Hospital of Montana, 3528 Gabel Rd, Billings MT 59102
Shoot from the hip and hope you dont blow off a toe in the draw. That pretty much sums up my approach to most things in life. Excursions into the wilderness seldom veer from this philosophy. Toss in a five pound bag of potatoes and a pound of bacon and head for the mountains with my dog. This year would see a change in that methodology.
At least once a year I try to make an annual pilgrimage into the Eagle Cap Wilderness specifically Pine Lakes. When a few members of the Squaw Butte Back Country Horseman expressed an interest in packing into the Eagle Caps, It was with conflicting emotions that I agreed to guide them in. Pine Lakes is filled with personal memories mostly great, some sad and a few as spectacular as the lakes pristine azure waters. I dont mind sharing in the good and even a few of the spectacular moments, but the poignant memories are my own and likely not to be understood by others. I assured myself that it would be alright. Any such emotional episode could remain privately concealed behind dark sunglasses.
State Comm., this is Back Country Horsemen Mobile Two, over!
With this simple statement spoken into a hand held radio, a whole series of events were put in motion. What events led up to this radio call?
I tried State Comm. again and got an immediate response. I explained who I was and that I had a sixty-five year old woman with me that was showing symptoms of Heat Exhaustion and Dehydration. A number of questions were asked and answered and I requested that they contact Valley County EMTs and Rescue to meet us with an ambulance to transport her to the Cascade Hospital. Read Rob’s journal of events Read Mary Kay’s
Some of you already have heard me talking about this, but some of you haven’t yet. I have been going out to the corrals and video-ing and photographing BLM horses for a few months now, hoping that posting the photos on Facebook pages might help get them adopted.I have had very limited success with that and I began to get frustrated. It turns out that it’s just one of the limitations that Facebook has.
So I have pulled out all the stops now and I have the Facebook Group AND Page “The Modern Mustanger” and I have “The Modern Mustanger” Blog for all non-Facebook users http://the-modern-mustanger.blogspot.com/ I also have the YouTube channel The Modern Mustanger http://www.youtube.com/user/TheModernMustanger
So, now I can get my photos and videos out to the public more efficiently and keep everything as current as possible. Also included in my “Everywhere Campaign” are horses in TIP and other programs and hopefully, soon, I can enlist more people to go to other corrals to photograph and video horses for everyone to view (and hopefully adopt!!!) I’m optimistic that getting these photos and videos out to the public we can increase the adoption rate. I also hope that everyone does not find my enthusiasm terribly annoying, but…hey, if you can’t annoy your friends and family, who can you annoy!
Please check out my pages and let me know what you think.
Maybe there will be a horse in there that just catches your eye too?
2012 has been a sad year for a number of our members with the loss of a beloved horse due to accident or illness. On Saturday, while Bill and Marybeth were riding above their home, Rusty, Bill Appy, who he raised from a four month old colt, stepped in a hole and broke his neck. 
Bill was not injured.
Laurie Bryan lost her mare Phyre due to colic while she was at a trainer getting her basic education 
. Phyre was a Thoroughbred mare Laurie adopted when a breeding farm sold off a number of their mare by the pound for slaughter.
Phil Ryan lost his beloved mustang Wild Bill this spring to colic. Wild Bill had been a member of Phil and Kay’s family for over 20 years.
Robbin Schindele big paint Pancho was put down in July due to failing joints and old age. Pancho was a regular at a number of projects over the years, and was a steadfast
and true friend.
October 2012 Ellen Knapp said good by to her trusted friend Warrior. 26 years old. He and I have been together for 22 years. Thousands of miles together. Trail partner, pack horse, and Civil War horse. #7 in the NW in 1999 for 50 mile endurance rides. Civil War demo horse extraordinaire.
A suburban family’s thrilling, chilling, life-changing trip through the beyonds of the Sierra Nevada
It wasn’t until we reached the summit of Mono Pass, a spectacular trail carved 12,150 feet up in California’s Sierra Nevada, that my maternal alarm bells went off.
Ahead of me, my husband and three children were about to descend a series of steep, narrow switchback trails littered with loose granite rockson horseback.
Suddenly, hazards seemed to be everywhere. The altitude was winding the horses. Bears lurked in the vast forest below. Mountain lions obviously lay in wait. The words of Craig London, the owner of Rock Creek Pack Station who’d sent us on our six-day trip that morning, echoed in my head. “You’re completely dependent on your stock,” he said, looking us in the eye. “If a horse trips and falls, you die.”
Terror was not what I had envisioned when my husband, an intrepid traveler, proposed taking our suburban New Jersey children on an outdoor adventure. Ages 12, 9 and 9, the kids were growing up much more “indoors-y” than outto them, “the wilderness” might as well have been a sequel to “Angry Birds.” George wanted to give them a memorable experience and teach them some basic survival skills before they became completely alienated from the natural world. He assured me that they would be more than fine without the antibacterial wipes, helmets and location-tracking iPhone apps that we had come to rely on at home. The physical discomforts, he argued, would be worth it
Trail riding does not offer the luxury of a confined arena within a controlled environment. A trial horse is expected to perform under extreme weather conditions from the searing sun to rain, snow and wind to thunder and lightning. What the wind wont throw at you your horse to scare them to death, a thunderstorm will.
A trail horse is required to safely navigate miles of unforgiving terrain. Trail horses are asked to tread on sharp rock covered trails not much wider than a single hoof. There might be an insurmountable mountain on one side and a 60 foot vertical drop to a raging river on the other. The only thing keeping horse and rider from plummeting over the edge is a lot of trust and a little prayer.
At any given moment, a trail horse might encounter Elk crashing out of a tree-line, bushes coming alive with an explosive flight of birds, uncontained barking dogs and pissed off rattle snakes. What they cant see can be equally as terrifying for them. A trail horse must be able to handle the scent of bears, cougars and other predators while filtering out a host of unknown and equally spooky sounds lurking in the forest.
A trail horse never knows what might be coming at them or behind them from one turn to the next. Potential horse eating hikers with colorful backpacks piled high on their shoulders bikers with reflective spokes flashing with every spin of the tire. Roaring ATV engines and racing dirt bikes. My personal favorite: llamas. You have not truly experienced the fear threshold of a horse unless you have happened upon a pack string of Llamas coming at you. I dont blame my horse because frankly, llamas scare me too.
The trail horse doesnt get to run down to the end of an arena, do a few impressive spins and go home for the day. A trail horse hits the trail from sunup to sundown and is expected to carry a rider and/or gear ranging from medical supplies and food to chain saws – all the while being asked to navigate obstacles from river crossings to bogs, logs and bridges.
The working trail horse has been asked to drag logs and pack cumbersome loads up and down steep, slippery terrain. Hes willing to be tied, hobbled or high-lined in the most precarious of situations. At the end of a long day of service, she will be content to drink from any available water source and graze upon sometimes scarce mountain grass.
Check out the entire post on my blog: The Sage writer
How many of us began our ridding careers from the back of a shaggy mount much like Jessie?
I asked Linda Paul if she wouldnt 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 Lindas 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 kids Shetland monster. Jessie was ancient when she came to usbeyond reliable dental aging. She had a wise old look about her too. I, on the other hand was youngfive 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 behindme 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
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!
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. Robs 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 dont 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 skys provided little lighting opportunity for an interesting photo of the surrounding area. Once youve seen one sage brush
youve pretty much seen them all. Staring at the back of Robs 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:
Several ideas drifted through my mind for a Christmas letter this year, but nothing stood out as all that compelling. I considered outlining various events and achievements that have occurred throughout the year, interjected with humor and self-proclaimed wit. I thought about bragging on my kids and grandkids with sufficient sugary sweetness to leave the reader with tooth decay. A few themed ideas popped into my head from time to time, but nothing powerful enough to wrench free the confining grip of writers block; until today.
The department in which I work is putting on a winter season holiday party God forbid they call it what it is a CHRISTmas party which, by the way, was one of the themes I considered, A politically correct celebration of all things non-spiritual and otherwise meaningless. I will digress a bit here and say that on my DOC provided work schedule, one of the designated paid holidays actually says Christmas. Personally, I feel all those who are offended by calling a duck a duck should have to work on Christmas and be paid straight time like any other ordinary day. I also think they should have to dress up as Ebenezer Scrooge.
As part of the celebration activities, our department manager asked that we each send her an email describing our favorite winter season activity. I thought about this request (more likely over-thought, as I am inclined) and sent her mine as follows:
I suppose my unique Christmas tradition has changed since the kids have grown and moved away from home. On those far too many Christmass that I am unable to spend with the kids I load up my dog, Shade, my horse, Jack, and my mule Annie, and make winter camp at a favorite spot in the Owyhees. I ride on Christmas Eve and if Im lucky it snows those big fluffy snowflakes that muffle the sounds of the desert. Christmas morning the critters are presented with stockings filled with apple/oat horse treats and an extra-large dog biscuit for Shade. I saddle Jack and head for a high spot where I can usually get cell reception and call the kids. Depending on the weather, I may or may not head home later Christmas evening, all the while secretly hoping I get snowed in until New Years.
After sending this write up to my boss I wondered what she would think of it. Would it seem sad to her? I hoped not. Sure, I would rather spend Christmas surrounded by family, who wouldnt? Unfortunately, we cannot always have things via Norman Rockwell. The most we can do is make the best of any situation and hope we live to tell of the adventures.
The small assignment seemed to be the leverage I needed to pry loose the strangling hold of writers block. I decided instead of the typical Christmas letter, I would write a story. A story I could share with my grandkids for many years to come. This story is based in truth. Its inspiration derived from a very special Christmas spent in the desert not so long ago.
A droplet of thin mucous hovers at the tip my nose. I swab it with the cuff of my sleevethirty seconds of respite from annoying dampness. Another droplet forms. I flex stiff fingers inside bulky leather gloves, willing the blood to circulate. Flexing does little to waken sluggish veins. I bang my free hand against my thigh till a small tingle teases the knuckles. I move the reins over to that hand and repeat the process with the newly freed hand. Its hopeless. I jam the free hand under my opposite armpit and clamp my wings shut to stymie the wind.
The horse plods, his feet dragging, providing a measure of support to offset the high-heeled teeter of snow-packed hooves. Our pace is slow, unusual for this fireball of horsehair and arrogance. Looking over his shaggy shoulder, I see frosted whiskers and eyelids. With an occasional horse sneeze, he clears the sticky hairs inside his nostrils.
By Marybeth Conger, President
It seems the unknown naked man really enjoys that trail. A small group went back to investigate further and sure enough he was still out there. Now the question that comes to mind, what should that trail sign say? Now that I have your attention, lets think about 2010.
This year was another successful year for the SBBCH chapter thanks to all of you. Our membership continues to be strong and we grew the number of family memberships. Our calendar was full of Rides, Trail projects, Broom Polo events, Back Country Skills Clinic, Packers Play Day, Trail Safety Sessions, Sawyer class, First Aide/CPR, overnight Horse camping adventures to name just a few. There is something on our Activities list to appeal to most everyone.
Even in this economy, our finances grew thanks to the annual Yard Sale, your continuing membership fees, Donations from our website advertisers, and the % the chapter gets from the BCHI Calendar sales. We even spent some of this money in 2010. The two Radios purchased will help keep us safe on upcoming Trail projects and chapter events. We can use that rather large Saw to clear trails in Wilderness areas.
There was a tremendous amount of public meeting attendance by SBBCH members traveling at times all over the state to promote the goals and objectives of our organization. The chapter was well represented at the Sportsmans Show and Horse Expo too. So how ever you contributed to SBBCH chapter be it trails projects, rides, education, public outreach, meeting attendance please take a moment to log your hours on our website.
I had a tremendous amount of fun sharing the trail with you in 2010 and hope to do it again in 2011, once the snow melts a bit.