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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
December 1, 2021
Jenn Zeller
“And indeed, a horse who bears himself proudly is a thing of such beauty and astonishment that he attracts the eyes of all beholders. No one will tire of looking at him as long as he will display himself in his splendor.” -Xenophon
October 27, 2021
Jenn Zeller
“HEARTWORK Each day is born with a sunrise and ends in a sunset, the same way we open our eyes to see the light, and close them to hear the dark. You have no control over how your story begins or ends. But by now, you should know that all things have an ending. Every […]
October 26, 2021
Jan Swan Wood
My son turned 31 recently. Time has sure flown. It seems like yesterday he was a little boy. Now he has boys of his own. I remember when his fourth birthday was coming up and I asked him what he wanted for his birthday. To preface this, his Dad and I, with him in tow […]
October 24, 2021
Jan Swan Wood
When my little son was almost four years old, we were helping a friend work his cows in the fall. His old trusted horse Lobo had passed away a few weeks before, so for the later fall work, I was leading Colin on my top horse Kelly. Kelly was gentle and liked Colin and was […]
October 12, 2021
Jan Swan Wood
There were six of us kids, strung out over 14 years, and I was the youngest. Dad had his own homegrown crew every time there was any job to be done. My oldest brother was gone to college by this time, but I think everyone else was still home. I was quite a bit younger, […]