Ranchers have kept as much of the west as they can safe from being turned into urban sprawled wastelands & now fancy coalitions want to remove cattle from the west to “rewild it”. Does this look like it needs rewilding?

There’s nothing quite like the first step up onto a horse. Rye is 2 this year, he’s getting a light starting (meaning I will only work towards riding him and won’t really push him until he’s 3 like we normally do) because I have him and Swift to fully start next year.

I sure wish I had 10 more just like him!

First ride on Rye …

Opal is 5 this year (I started her at 3) and already a great roping horse.

Grazing public lands gets criticized a lot, but the reality is constant movement, dedication to the land, monitoring grass for wildlife grazing as well and praying it doesn’t all burn down (40+ year fire scar).

Is it regenerative agriculture or just good basic land management practices that were implemented because we know if you take care of the land, it will take care of you. Buzz words aside, it’s been around a long time.

5th ride on Rye (2nd ride out and about). I’d live to take the credit but he’s got an amazing mind and remembers every bit of the ground work we’ve been doing since I weaned him.

2 last little lessons (introduction to a bit & fly spray instead of wipe) & then Rye gets to go back to pasture until next year. Bit, no problem. Fly spray, the worst … a reoccurring problem I have mostly with geldings, spray them down with a hose no problem… mist them not.

When we bought this ranch 20 years ago, we sank every penny into getting it & maintaining it. Today marks the end of that & the beginning realizing potential. Which means tearing down old, rotten structures,getting sacrifice ground back into production and a house.

Sometimes the simplest solution takes a few years to see … We’ve been fighting moss build up on our pump every year in late July for a while, but we just tried moving the water stream for the win.

We took in a 10 yo puppy that had been an elderly ladies house dog until she passed … today marks her 1 yr anniversary on the ranch, she still only heels us but maybe someday she’ll try a cow.

I’ve been living in a house that’s sitting on the dirt for 19 years because we bought a ranch knowing that we’d gladly live in a tent if we had to … a tent probably would have kept more mice out … deconstruction day!!!

Newest member of the J Lazy S crew: Sage (4 mo) We lost our puppy Maggie (1yo) due to an unfortunate coyote and horse scuffle a few months ago and this little girl needed a new home because her little boy is moving away.

I used to write pretty words …

I hope we haven’t forgotten that to truly inspire the next generation we have to get them out there ACTUALLY with us.