Well Howdy Wranglers,

And, no, I have not left Rawhide, nor am I retired. I am truly apologetic for the long delay in reporting our activities and happenings here at the Ranch. The Mega Quarry issue and my involvement with www.NDACT.com has just clearly got the better of me.

There is so much to tell:

With great pride I was privileged to witness Nikki’s coming of age, riding so very well, leading ranch adventures and finding the soft spot in all our different horses. It might look easy to some, but getting into that space where horses relate back to you as an individual, really takes a very pure soul and a very strong heart. In the end, horses will respect leadership, but only if it is not forced or loyalty demanded, but it has to be proven. Once a horse decides that you can make its life better and safer, they give endlessly. And Nikki sure earned that respect this summer.

It was also great to see Red a couple of times this summer and have her apply her skill and charm to both horses and people. We hope to have her out a couple of times this winter working with Loki - or at least getting the burrs out of his mane and tail that he keeps storing!

I have not made as much progress as I had hoped for with Okota and Lightning, once again proves that you just have to spend the time and cannot short change the process. They deserve more and I have just not been able to give it. This year was the first time that I was accompanying a ride that NJ was leading, and got bucked off! Luckily all our horses just watched, as did our guests - wondering what crazy place they had chosen to ride at. Luckily for me, I had told them in the beginning that I was training this horse and they all witnessed that we were not as far along as I thought we were. They went on with their ride while I walked home in search of my horse. The nice part about all of that was once I got home and found my steed happily grazing on the lawn, I walked him out away from the Ranch, got on and caught up to everyone about one hour later, with no problem at all, matter of fact I had a really nice ride.

It has happened often to me during my interesting life, that once I thought I knew something, or was really good at something; Karma just has a way of letting me know that I still have much to learn!

For us the good news is that our renovated 10 stall boarding barn is finished, as is our indoor 60’ x 160ft indoor arena. We are slowly growing that side of Rawhide and the Ranch and looking forward to being able to train more during the winter. As you read earlier, some horses can really use the extra attention. :-)

Through the summer, we enjoyed cattle drives with Tim Fortune and with Charli, who went to school with Nikki and it was so nice to see the two of them reconnect. From Kids Wrangler-in-Training Camp to Adult Wrangler Camp, to Sorting Adventures and Manage-the-Bull challenges, we sure had a very busy summer! It was great fun trailering six horses, and our girls including Paige to upper New York State for a short riding vacation at Otter Creek. Our girls keep talking and laughing about the crazy things that went on while crossing the border! A highlight for me was my trip with NJ to Georgia. On the way down we enjoyed the unbelievable hospitality of Emma and her family in North Carolina. Next time you are here, ask me about the beautiful ride Emma took us on at the Biltmore Estates, truly spectacular. Thank you Emma, Kelley and family.

The fall has been just plain spectacular, and still is. I could get used to being able to cut firewood, go fencing, spread manure, ride horses and clean trails this late into the year. And the cows love it as well!  After a great summer with lots of grass, calves now mostly weaned, the cows are enjoying some well deserved time off. Big, black and beautiful, growing their winter coats just like the horses have, everyone is getting ready for the colder season. With lots of hay in the barn and the Ranch in generally good repair, I am also looking forward to a little quieter time, time to focus on the holidays and on family.

And with that in mind, on behalf of myself, NJ, and Nikki I want to wish you time for reflection, time to process where you are at in life and where you want your life to go, to truly see the friendliness in people and the beautiful moments in every day, and may you and yours have a very, very Merry Christmas!

Crusty

PS: NJ asked me to remind you that we can put together Rawhide Adventure Gift Certificates for that special someone who has "everything"! From our Cowboy-up to our Overnight Adventure we would be happy to even help you customize a package!

We'd love to keep you up-to-date on our special events, outings and other news from the ranch.  

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