If you missed parts 1, 2 or 3 of my Wyoming adventure then you can click on the links to read them!I can't believe the end of my adventure is near - but for now, enjoy part 4 of my trip!
Sunday
We all had such a good day together in Yellowstone National Park today. Despite spending a whole day out on the park we only managed to drive around half of it. If you're thinking of visiting, I'd definitely recommend doing an overnight stay somewhere in the park so you can get to see as much as possible. We all thoroughly enjoyed our day and definitely saw some special sights that I couldn't wait to show everyone back home the photos of. Yellowstone is simply a breathtaking place that has hundreds of little secret pulling in places which all give you the opportunity to experience the natural beauty of the place. I've never been to a place so fascinating and mesmeric in all my life; the waterfalls, nature, animals in their natural habitats and everything else, it was so tranquil and peaceful.
We walked several miles and by the end of the day my feet were beginning to complain that they would much rather sit down, but we saw things today that will stay with me forever and what made it even more special was being able to share it with the rest of the group.
Monday
Today was categorically awesome. After two of the group members went out wrangling this morning with Hannah and Jess it transpired that none of the horses were on the property, meaning that the fence we put up last week still wasn't stopping the pesky bunch from escaping.
So, it was back to the hay field to wrangle them home which we all knew would mean an opportunity to have a canter - perfect! The horses almost cooperated and only veered off slightly, but despite that it was fun having to go and fetch them again. I think its safe to say that today we rather went for it and got our chance to give our mounts a good leg stretch. Tina loved it, she never ceases to amaze me as she heads up the front of the herd and manages to keep up, despite being several hands smaller than the rest.
Tina quite literally just went for it. This pony just knows what she's got to do and just does it - no questions asked. You can tell she loves her job and thoroughly relishes in being up at the front herding the rest of the horses. It's starting to hit me that in less than a week I'll no longer be on the ranch and I'm going to have to say say good-bye to this pony I've fallen in love with. There's nothing I wouldn't give to be able to take her back to England, but unfortunately with transportation and quarantine costs so high, it just wouldn't be possible. Plus, she wouldn't have a "job" back home in England like she does here; I'm not sure she's the type to be someones family pet.The moment we began wrangling the horses home we all began to cheer at the opportunity to do something we all could only dream about doing back home. I couldn't help but laugh out loud and smile to myself as the feeling of being in control of all those horses and playing a part in getting them from one place to another in such an old fashioned way is just overwhelming.
The children were split into two groups, with one being the beginner group who we were asked to lead, whilst the others practiced leading the colts and foals. Before they had arrived, Jess and I had been tasked with catching and putting halters on the colts which made for an interesting half hour! None wanted to be caught and thought it was a fun game running around the corral and hiding behind their mum's!
Tuesday
Another important goal of mine on the famous bucket list was to learn to barrel race, so you can imagine my delight when after groundwork Jess started to put some barrels out and promised to show us how it was done. She started by explaining the do's and dont's of barrel racing, when you would get any penalties and explaining the pattern. Surprisingly there was more to it than I initially thought and whilst a friend and I have previously described it as similar to Pony Club games, I was keen to learn it was actually very different, with a high level of skill required.
Once we had all memorised the pattern and gotten our competitive hats on we decided to have a few goes whilst each person took it in turn to take photos on my camera. I was rather keen to have a canter through the sequence but unfortunately the ground was quite slippy, so we had to stick to trot. Nonetheless Tina proved once again what an agile and keen pony she is and took it all in her stride.All too soon it was time to head back to the corral and by this point I was feeling even more poorly and sleepy than I had the day before. I knew what was wrong and after speaking to MaeCile she suggested someone take me into Cody so I could go to the Doctors and get some antibiotics. Hugh very kindly offered to drive and Kathrin as a doctor, came along for the drive and to pick up some bits from town. They were both very sweet with Hugh offering to come in to see the doctor with me, whilst Kathrin went off shopping, however I decided it was best to leave him in the waiting room, but was thankful for the offer of company. As it turns out I did need antibiotics and was sent on my way with a diagnosis of tonsillitis and sinusitis, accompanied by some antibiotics and a $150 bill that I now had to claim back from my insurance. I think it all adds to the experience of this trip and was rather keen to share my experiences of going to an American doctors when back home. Once again, they all loved my very British accent and I lost count of how many times they laughed at the way I say Paracetamol. Unfortunately our wait in Walmart for antibiotics was seemingly a long one, which was frustrating as we were supposed to be going out for a sunset ride. However, after a quick text to Hannah and Jess it turned out they were also running late and this was cancelled meaning I could take my time looking round the shop - with a very frustrated Hugh in tow that he hated shopping with girls!
Wednesday
I am rather conscious that I've started every day off with "today was amazing" or "today was the best day ever". I think for anyone thinking of booking a holiday to stay with MaeCile and Nate who is reading this, you've got to realise that everyday spent on the ranch really is something special - and I'm not just saying that because I've been given the opportunity to write for them, or because I want so desperately to go back (I do, but, that's a different story). Horseworks is a typical working ranch that portrays real life living in Wyoming. You could easily pick to go to a ranch with a hot tub and en-suites in your bedrooms, but would you be getting a real taste of cowboy and Wyoming life? The simple answer to that is no. No two days are the same on Horseworks, but equally no day is boring or mundane or even not worth documenting. It's all been so special for me up until now and each day I learn something new about this beautiful country and the culture around where I am staying.Today was another good day, we were all up bright eyed and bushy tailed ready for early morning chores and the excitement of riding somewhere new. We tacked the horses up and then loaded them into the trailer with the plan of heading over to the Cassie trail for a ride. A beautiful trail, surrounded by stunning scenery and nature at its finest, the Cassie trail is something special. The views reminded me a lot of Cow Camp and I eagerly got my camera out at several opportunities to grab some photos and help remember this extraordinary place.
The flatter land on the Cassie trail allowed for some fantastic canters, both individually and and as a group. It was great to have the chance to canter out as a group as this is something we haven't done much of apart from when herding the horses. I always think there's something extra special and exciting about being able to canter out in a large group. I suppose it's the thrill of hearing the hoofbeats coming up behind you and sharing that moment with those around you. Everyone seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves and it made a nice change to rise away from the ranch a little more.All too soon our ride was over and we arrived back at the trailer just before lunch. The plan for the rest of the afternoon was to finish our chores and then prepare to go out in the evening for our last night out as a whole group as two of the team were leaving on Friday.
We all had a lovely evening out at the Cowboy Bar in Meteetse again. Over the last two weeks I'd gotten several opportunities to have bets with Kathrin and Hugh and each time I'd just say "oh buy me a drink" so I used tonight as my chance to cash these in. The three of us spent the evening playing pool, laughing and joking and watching another of our group member get friendly with a local cowboy. It's not at all relevant but I want tonight documenting as the night I managed to beat Hugh in a game of pool - never in my life have I beat a man at Pool - and if he says he let me win, this is definitely not true!
As I sat down to give my feet a rest it dawned on me that in just a few days we would all be splitting up and going back to our everyday lives. Clare and Charlotte were heading back to England on Friday, I was heading to New York on Sunday and the rest had a couple of days left at the ranch, but were then moving on to different adventures. It was bittersweet to reminisce about the days we had spent together, enjoying our once-in-a-lifetime trip and all the memories we had all created and shared with one another. I would definitely miss this.Thursday
Today we were given the chance to have a small lie-in. When I say lie-in, this means chores and everything must still be done by about 8:45. I wanted to shower before everyone else, so I was up at the crack of dawn again but at least feeling refreshed and ready for our final day as a group.We all were keen to have various photos taken of us donning the cowboy hat and boots, so I offered to be photographer and asked people to pose in different positions whilst I snapped away. Kathrin very kindly offered to take some photos of me and Tina which have come out lovely. I particularly like the more natural ones of us both in the corral - it is going to be a bittersweet and tough time leaving this pony behind.
Several photos and poses later it was time to go out and wrangle the horses back one last time. We had all had so much fun doing it previously that we asked if we could have one last go. Thankfully MaeCile is very understanding of our requests and asked Hannah and Jess to let some horses out the night before, then push them further afield early that morning. Today we were being left to it and it was up to us alone to wrangle the horses back to the ranch. The girls were there if we needed them, but this time we were effectively on our won - yeeha!
Upon finding the horses I could feel Tina begin to pull and I knew that she knew what was coming up. Everything started off well and as a group we seemed to have everything under control - however I spoke too soon and before we knew it the horses found a gap in the fence and made their way up a rather large mountain until we could no longer see them. At this point I knew there was no way Clare would want to go up there and it wouldn't have been fair to expect her to on her last ride. Thankfully Jess and Hannah intervened and some of us began to make our way up the mountain to get the horses. I had ended up at the back and as I watched their horses slip and slide on some rocks I was sceptical about whether we would all make it up there; Hugh was also behind me on Cav and so I made the decision that I'd stay behind with him and leave the girls to it. We stayed at the bottom of the mountain waiting to see if the horses came back down and having a chat. It was nice to have 10 minutes to chill out after such a fast ride previously.
Once the girls had found a route for Clare to head to the hayfield we all began to make our way down. It was still pretty steep and I hope that Clare is proud of her willingness and determination to cover some of the ground we did. I know if I had a fear like hers I wouldn't have attempted half the mountains she did. Soon enough we were back in the hay field and ready to start again. We hoped this time it would go better than before, but unfortunately the horses weren't making life easy and found another gap in the fence, this time making their way to the old ranch. Intervention from Jess and Hannah was required again and before long we were on the right track, until they left us to it again and only three of us were left wrangling. Somehow the rest had gotten left behind and decided just to walk which made for a rather frustrating few minutes as Kerry, Hugh and I realised we were doing this alone and tried to work out the best possible plan. In the end we kept on pushing and the horses ended in a neighbours field which Jess then caught up with us and said we were leaving them there. Phew! A huge part of me was disappointed that we hadn't been able to accomplish something like this alone, but it takes a lot of practice to learn to wrangle successfully and I hope if I return to the ranch in the future it is something I'll be given the opportunity to have a go at again!
Eventually we made it back to the ranch, all rather tired and sad that our time as a group was over. The two were leaving at 4am the next morning and Kathrin, Hugh, Kerry and I were heading off to Montana to go to a Rodeo before I left for New York on Sunday. MaeCile asked if I would consider allowing everyone to look at my pictures on the book screen as a slideshow which I was pleased about. Jess put some cowboy music on and it was nice to sit wedged between Kathrin and Hugh again and watch our adventure as a group unfold once more right from the beginning.*
Part 5 is the final instalment of my Wyoming adventure, but also one of the most exciting as I get to cross yet another thing of my bucket list. I'll be posting it in the next couple of days!
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