WHR Spring Recap & Summer News
Dear Friends, We returned in May to our Oregon Home Ranch after our great adventure traveling through California to Oregon, visiting horse clients on the way. Our horses are our kids and our clients are our friends, so it was a great way to reconnect on their turf and help those relationships when needed. We are of service! and bring a passion for service with us. As we pretty much have been doing our work from the ranch since 1994 with only a few "teaching" road trips, we found this journey an exciting one. We packed four "good ones" with us and visited great folks and saw their horse set-ups and a lot of beautiful country!
At Aliso Ranch in Santa Paula, California, we had a warm welcome from our hosts Larry White and Jim Koslow, the stable managers. A good time was had there by all at the April 17th Bridle Horse Demo Day, where Wil showed off on his new mount "Rooster", the fancy four-year-old bay we are bringing along. With 100 horses at the ranch's boarding stables, Beverly was swamped with requests for private lessons as the week went along. Meanwhile, Wil was able to sneak away and hit the California oak-laden hills with Larry and Jim.
The Clinic went well the following weekend, and we enjoyed working again with John Ferronato, from Redlands, and Wil's ex-mount "Zorro" (the big black with stockings), in addition to several Aliso boarders. We had stayed with John before arriving in Santa Paula and got to see his beautiful set-up of pristine landscaped barns and covered arena which houses a couple of the nation's top dressage horses and their trainer, Kim. To see these high level Dutch Warmbloods in action was a treat. They are beautiful movers, highly skilled and responsive in their field of performance. However, we were dismayed at the
controlled confinement these horses put up with, which results in some mental frustration and lack of ground manners. We believe all horses, no matter what their value, should be turned out and allowed to be horses rather than cooped up in stalls "for their own protection". Oh well, I guess that is why we live "out" like we do and actually "use" our horses as God intended and give them the freedom of pasture life for the majority of their time.
We ventured on to the Californios Ranch Roping event put on by Dave Weaver & Gwen Turnbull. It was a fantastic event, well-managed and very unique to the California and Great Basin heritage of ranch roping the Vaquero way. It's easy on the cattle and horse, as they are judged on the difficulty of the shot (using 60' rawhide reatas), horsemanship, and stock handling-techniques used in the everyday doctoring of range cattle and calf branding. We saw many friends, and Beverly indulged in what she calls her "overdue 30th wedding anniversary gift"...a beautiful, over-the top, fancy, custom-made, A-fork, fully-tooled saddle that fits her like a glove! Only at the Californois can you find this type and quality of custom cowboy gear. It was fun!
When we arrived home at last, the northwest was hammered by El Nino and we had more rain than we've ever seen--this is supposed to be the desert here in eastern Oregon! We had extreme flooding on Eagle Creek the first week of June, with water going over the highway that leads into the lower valley. Our pastures are now belly-deep in grass and we have a nice new string of geldings enjoying the rich feed. The rain finally ended and summer has arrived at last...
New summer string of Wil Howe Geldings... the "Good Ones" always in demand! We have a sweet-minded, gentle, gorgeous, dark seal brown 8-year-old Cowhorse/Cutter, making a super versatility horse; a go-anywhere, all-business, "trail-cruising" cute little 6-year-old Palomino ranch horse; and a smooth-moving, easy-loping, pleasure trail-type pretty 7-year-old Bay all-arounder. We also have Remedy again, a 12-year-old seasoned and solid working cow horse and awesome versatility ranch/trail horse.
Another newcomer is a handsome, dynamic Shining Spark and Boomeric-bred young four-year-old reining cow horse, very kind, willing, and full of versatility potential. We can't wait to get him conditioned to the Wil Howe Ranch way of working! Look for them on our horse page, or call Wil now for details at 541-893-6535.
Wil Howe Ranch Horsemanship Schools... shorter sessions planned for the fall
We've been busy with our June classes, Beverly's Ladies-Only class, and our students staying for our month-long program. We are now available by appointment for private clinics and lessons, though we do still plan to head for Wyoming in August to cowboy for a few weeks.
As a new service, you may stay at our facility even if you are not participating in a WHR activity. Our location makes a great drop-off point for trail riding in the Eagle Cap Wilderness area--what better way to spend your summer vacation! Click here for details on our Wil Howe Ranch on Eagle Creek Bunk & Corral.
In September and October, we have student openings for our month-long training program, as well as a fall class series scheduled, including two three-day From Foundation to Finished weekends:
From Foundation to Finished, Part 1 September 10-12
From Foundation to Finished, Part 2 September 24-26
Cow Working Clinic September 27-29
Later in October, we'll offer two special opportunities:
Fall Colors Mountain Trail Training Retreat October 18-21
Cow Working Clinic October 22-25
Includes a field trip to the IRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Finals in Boise, Idaho
All the fall courses are set up to be combined or even extended if that fits your schedule better and you want to stay longer for advancement sessions. Returning students benefit from the discounts available and the continued education on their horsemanship journey.
Check your calenders and come join us! And if you can't make it, don't forget our Horse Help Hotline, for all your horsemanship trouble-shooting and advice. Call for a consultation appointment today, and let us help with "hands on" solutions over the phone that work! 15 minute starter session Free!
Call 541-893-6535 for an appointment.
Custom Order Tack Items for Students... Personal WHR Tack offerings coming as well!
Students! We always have a variety of tack available personally at the ranch, so if you can't find online what you bought at school , don't hesitate to call Beverly about any specialty items that Huckleberry's Line Shack doesn't stock. We can special-order our custom silver bits, spurs, and many other items. Beverly will know exactly what you and your horse need from working with you!
Also, watch for a new page soon on our website where Wil is selling some of our used personal saddles and miscellaneous training tack that we have accumulated over the years and are no longer using...like a nice A Fork & an Association tree colt saddle for starters...
We hope to see you this summer or fall at the Oregon home ranch. Don't let life's business take away from the time you spend with your horse! That is the reason you do all that you do, so cherish those times of just "being in the moment" with your horse, at one. Let us continue to guide you on that never-ending journey of true horsemanship! Build, grow, and expand you and your horse's experience level!
Happy safe trails, turn arounds, and cow time!
Beverly, Wil, & the WHR Crew
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