Horses, ranching, rodeo stories and tips

Fire Fly; Ranch Bred, Raised and Trained Makes NFR

January 4, 2022
Ruth Nicolaus

A ranch-raised and trained horse was among the barrel racing mounts at the 2021 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Frenchman Fire Fly, “Fire Fly,” was bred by B-P Quarter Horses, Bob and Peggy Welsh, Gillette, Wyo., and is ridden by their daughter, Amanda Welsh. Bob got Fire Fly’s grandmother, Special Rocket, whose bloodlines included Idaho Special […]

Apollo the Badlands Rising Star Horse of the Year

January 3, 2022
Ruth Nicolaus

Summer Kosel has a horse that she says is “blessed by the blood of Jesus.” FirewaterFrenchFame, “Apollo,” a seven-year-old gelding, carried his jockey to her first Badlands Circuit Finals Rodeo qualification in October, and to a top 50 finish in the WPRA 2021 world standings. Raised by Carol Warren of Oregon, he was purchased by […]

Saddle Horse Daycare

December 20, 2021
Jan Swan Wood

Raising kids on a ranch is, to me, the perfect environment. They learn so much about the lifestyle, the facts of life, responsibility, and reality. I’m sure glad I got to raise my son the way I did. I worked outside always and as soon as he was big enough to go in a backpack […]

Puckered Up Learning

December 9, 2021
Jan Swan Wood

Returning from a fairly short day of riding, I had time to go catch a fresh horse that had been turned out to heal up from an injury. This was a mare I’d raised, started and ridden a lot and she was about a five year old. It was time to return her to the […]

Death Defying Cowboying Day

December 6, 2021
Jan Swan Wood

It was a cool winter morning cowboying in northeastern New Mexico. It was unusually damp too, as there was fog hanging above headquarters, shrouding the surrounding mesas and hiding them in the early morning light. Six of us loaded our horses into a couple of trailers to head to the Top, as the country above […]

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