Great mustang photos

[desperatehorsewife]

More lovely shots! Thanks for sharing.

Lisa, will you be joining us in August?

[stormyranch]

I would really like to. Are you taking horses? There is just one little problem. I can't go without Kevin, he would feel very left out.

[desperatehorsewife]

Kevin...can you not handle life without your lovely wife for just a few days? We promise not to lose her! This is a wild women of the west ride

[lilnagy]

Can someone tell me about the black with the big white numbers on his hip? I thought that kind of brand was only for horses being sent to long term holding facilities. Lil

[stormyranch]

Tracey, it's not that he can't live without me. It's that he couldn't stand missing the adventure! We went out for a week long trip and took 5 ladies with us. He had the time of his life. And he cooked too! His favorite past time is taking pictures of wild horses!!





Bachelors

[kigerfan]

Great pictures. I would love to go out there with my camera and just sit and get pictures. Just being out there in their midst would be a bit humbling I think.

[desperatehorsewife]

Heh heh...we'll have to set up a boy bonding trip for the guys ;D

City Boy is starting to get into the horses more now that he's been to one of the makeovers. Maybe it was seeing all the men rather than only women like he's used to? Whatever it was, since June he's been sneaking out and whispering sweet nothings in the ears of my mustangs. I think he could really benefit from some time with a bunch of men and their horses (but motivating him to go without me would be the challenge!)

[JoanMRK]

Well if he cooks, I sure wouldn't mind him coming along! ;D That's a HUGE advantage for me, plus I think Kevin is a good guy the few times that I've met him... and of course, I'd be using him to visit with Dino. LOL

I am looking so forward to going in August, I hope everything works out to where I can. I'm also thinking I might bring my mare Cali. She is so steady in situations... Just might be what I would want in seeing wild horses. ... And carrying my camera (precious cargo) no less.

[stormyranch]

I have no problem with Lisa going without me; I think she would enjoy going out and driving around to find the horses rather than spend 8-10 hours in the saddle, but then she would not see as many horses ;D. Plus she would miss out on Elk chicken fried steak, Dutch oven beef stroganoff, and Dutch oven apple cobbler. Then there’s the Dino factor, he’s the one that helps find the horses and there is nothing like ridding a stud in the middle of three bands of horses, the mares are wanting to see him and the studs are trying to keep them away from the new boy in town (oh by the way Dino doesn’t go without daddy)
LOL
Kevin

[desperatehorsewife]

LOL, Kevin. I'm glad you can give her up for a bit.

I'm totally planning on this being on horseback. We'll have the base camp at the campgrounds up there, then ride out from there. Ramona mentioned someone who does pack trips and said maybe she'd come along so that anyone who wanted to ride out for a couple of days could do that. I'm hoping to sneak in at least one long ride with a couple nights away from camp.

Here's my question for those who've done this: Is it wise to bring a mare? Jet is such a butterfly brain that she'd undoubtedly take off given half an ounce of encouragement.

[stormyranch]

We take mares and don't have any problem. If you pack out to camp, mares may not be such a good idea unless you have a good place to tie them. And hope she doesn't come into heat. We have had horses come into our camp, especially if you're by a waterhole. I know people you have had there horses get loose and have lost them for a couple of days!
When we went with all the girls that time we just move our camp three times. 2 days at Big Indian camp ground, 2 days just east of the Blitzen River crossing and 3 days at the Kigers. There is just too much land to travel it all by horseback in one week.

[desperatehorsewife]

When I first began to form this idea of a ride, I'd wanted to ride part of the Oregon Trail. I also wanted to be able to head into Harney County to the corrals and visit an HMA or two on horseback. My dream wasn't to use a vehicle to get anywhere. It was just my daughter and myself, plus a few other women who'd been interested.

Then I started mapping out my ride. 600 miles?!? Okay, I'm up for. But my daughter? Not so much. So modifications began to take place. I started to think of riding around the Steens Loop. Andi suggested that we camp at the base camp, then head out for short trips from there. Sounded good to me.

And naturally, the longer you plan, the more people you talk to and before long you've got a couple dozen women who want to come along. And the more minds you have involved, the more ideas and thoughts about where you should ride and how long you should be gone...which is why I want to keep it pretty loose and informal, but still I would like to see it remain a women's ride...and I'd love if it were multi-generational.

I've got a 70 year old great grandma who'd like to come, but she can't handle more than 10-15 miles a day in the saddle. And I told I'm sure there will be others who feel that way as well. Not everyone wants to head out for a few days at a time like I do. So if some folks want to do a couple short days and hang out at camp, and if others would like to do a few full days and return to camp at night, that's cool. And then the crazies like me can take at least one long ride that keeps us away a night or two as we follow the horses or do whatever we do.

So there you have it. My wild women of the west ride...with limited details and organization, but plenty of riding to do. And if some felt they couldn't live without trailering over to the Kigers (don't blame you), then that's what some of you will do.