The horses are all out on winter pasture, living like wild ones until spring.  There was some mighty racing and bucking going on when we unloaded the last load!   We, on the other hand, were more inclined to slide into the easy chair by the fire and rest!

Our 2006 summer was a beautiful one.  The closest thing we had to a blizzard was when the cottonwood trees released their cotton at Sun Canyon during the horse roundup.    

During the Plymale Ranch May cattle drive, we briefly had elk on the route, as well as cattle.  (Elk have no interest in participating in a drive.)   This drive is the first real workout of the year; a perfect tuneup for the horse roundup.  Haley especially needed it; she was about 250# overweight when she came off winter pasture the end of April.  I really like this trip for the opportunity to see all kinds of wildlife and birds while riding.  The new mountain grass is so lush you can smell it!  

We’d had heavy rain just before the horse roundup started, so couldn’t get in to our first camp.  We stayed the whole time at the second camp.  Some of the herd got past us the first day, and found an open gate.  “That was quite a wreck!”, as the local lingo puts it.  All were gathered up eventually and got to the lodge in time to be shod.  As usual, trailing the horses up along the river was the high point for everyone.   We enjoyed a special treat when Mike Cobb gave our guests a presentation about their ranch and area history.  Evening outings to the buffalo jump and Indian writings added to our appreciation of the Rocky Mountain Front as a sacred place to the native peoples.  Attending the well-known Belt rodeo concluded the roundup.   We’re planning on a longer route this June.
 
The June cattle drive took the Plymale cattle across the mountains to their summer pasture at Wall Mountain.  This is the card-playin’, singin’-along, lots-of-laughing drive every time.   It involves some real cow hunting to get everything gathered up out of the brush to move.   We concluded the drive by attending the Harlowton rodeo.  The rodeo producer has some of the toughest bucking stock in the country; what a spectacular show!  Geraldine decided maybe bull riding isn’t for her, after all.  

The August cattle drive found us on the north end of the Big Belts, moving cattle on Duck Creek.   Some of the cattle on Duck Creek had been in hiding for a couple of months; Chuck didn’t know if we’d find them or not!    After a couple of days, all were accounted for, and where they belonged with the rest of the herd.   We then went back to the south end to Wall Mountain, for a pasture move there.  After a hot day’s riding on Wall Mountain, there’s nothing like a soak in the natural hot springs to make you feel like a brand new person.  

 Join us for great riding, good fun, and a memorable mountain horseback adventure on a 2007 cattle drive or horse roundup.  Now’s the time to gather up your riding partners and reserve your dates.  The schedule is in the links above.  We can often arrange special dates for large groups; give us a call to discuss your plans.

We’re looking forward to having you join us for an unforgettable horseback adventure!

Monte, Mary Ellen, & Teresa