Cow Country

[BigAl52]

Nice day up there RR windy and 90's here

[RanchRoper]

Yes real nice day.

[RetiredSeabee]

Love the black tips on those ears.

[RanchRoper]

Definitely end of summer though...

[RanchRoper]

Haven't posted much here in awhile. Here's is an old homestead not too far from my place. Somebody's warm home sweet home on a snowy night in days long past. Maybe they used to put their Christmas tree in that fancy bay window...
Time marches on.

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[JEBar]

Time marches on.

that is does .... well done in staging and taking the picture

[BigAl52]

That might be beyond the fixer upper house

[RanchRoper]

Ya kind of a sad little house.

[markiver54]

I'm sure there a lot of memories within those walls...what's left of them.

[RanchRoper]

The kitchen still has some wainscot left in one corner. You can see it through the window on the other side. The house is leaning from decades of wind.

[RanchRoper]

Hi, will try to answer a few of your questions. My wife and I have been blessed in our search for horses over the years. We have had some young ones and some that were already in the bridle. I have started and finished a couple here and there. The dun mare in this photo we bought as a 3 yr old and she had just been started. She had never done any ranch work until I started using her for it. Turned out to be an all-star. I don't believe in rough stuff with horses or stock. Slow and steady and treat them with respect. The first time I ever roped in the pasture on this mare was a 1600 lb mama cow with a footrot. She held that cow like she had been doing it all her life. I had spent a lot of time dragging logs and such and just letting her figure things out. She was a very smart horse who "got it". She had some thoroughbred in her but was registered QH. Lost her to colic in 2015. Sad day. Her name was Magic.

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The gelding in this pic, Badger, and seen throughout the forum is also a QH. Peppy San Badger breeding, and it shows in his handling of cattle. Badger and I have seen lots of miles since we got him in 2005. He's 22 in the spring. Still ride him just for pleasure but his days of going up and down the mountains are behind him. He still likes to move cattle though, and rope once in awhile at brandings.

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Then there is Dakota, a registered paint but we don't have his papers. He is 16 hands and was used as a rodeo pickup horse before we got him in 2012. Paints by nature I find tend to fret & worry more than QH's. Very easy to upset him and he needs a little extra time to figure stuff out so patience is the key word for him. But once he is confident with something he is extremely willing and game. I have roped some big stock on him. We ran 40 bulls at the big ranch I worked at a few years ago and he was my go-to for treating them in the big pastures. He's also very smooth at a long trot and a guy can cover lots of miles in a short time.

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I can shoe my own if I have to but my back isn't great, and the knees are not much better. I have a guy that comes in and does them most of the time. I am assuming you mean the Canadian Sport Horse line? I have no experience with them but have heard good things. I know a lot of the big ranches here and in the US have introduced thoroughbred blood into their programs over the years to increase the stamina and longer stride. Some of the big buckaroo outfits in the Great Basin country like that. Hope this helps.
ps....there's also Houston, our QH lawn ornament, he developed osteoarthritis in his back leg, and now in 1 front leg so he has not seen any action for a number of years but he's my buddy and we frequently have long chats about current events and such. He's usually got good advice. Too bad that happened to him, as he was a finished bridle horse in the vaquero traditions, spade bit and all. I won good money on him at a ranch roping one time.

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[BigAl52]

Nice write up RR. Very interesting. Loved the photos to but I always like the photos from up there.

[RanchRoper]

Cool, I had a 2 Eyed Jack grandson back in the 80's. "Star" was a great horse, rode lots of miles on him too. Thanks for your interest.

[RanchRoper]

I think ours came off the Pitzer Ranch in Nebraska if memory serves.

[JEBar]

RR ....

really interesting write up .... showed it to my wife, she grew up on a South Dakota farm that had at least one horse for as far back as she can remember .... she thoroughly enjoyed reading it ...

[RanchRoper]

I’ve had my share of wrecks but looking back it was usually something I did or didn’t do.

[RanchRoper]

Yesterday. Elk.

[markiver54]

Wow! Have never seen so many Elk in one place.
Beautiful picture!

[BigAl52]

Freezer meat get the big 50 out

[Hatchdog]

You sure you didn’t wake up in Wyoming this morning.

That’s an interesting looking hill in the background just coming out of the clouds. Looks like a pyramid. Hey, maybe you woke up in Egypt this morning. If so, that’s some very white sand.

Great pic, thanks for posting.