Tag Archives: horsemanship

Comrade Cowboy, Part 3

Posted on by Ryan T. Bell
3

When a horse goes missing from Stevenson Sputnik Ranch, the cowboys’ quest to find it becomes a matter of life-and-death in a way they least expected.

Story and photography by Ryan T. Bell

A rumbling sound came from the direction of Shestakovo. Low at first, it became earsplitting as a MiG-29 jet appeared on the horizon. It flew a high G-force circle so close overhead I could see the serial numbers stenciled on its fuselage. Wayne Walter, my partner for the summer, and I sat our horses and watched the plane make four thunderous passes. Either the ranch was under surveillance, or the rumors were true that a regional MiG squadron would perform an air show at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. The attempt at tracing Olympic rings in the sky looked like the loop-de-loops you draw on a piece of paper to get a ballpoint pen’s ink to flow. Good thing they had three years to practice. Continue reading →

Comrade Cowboy, Part 2

Posted on by Ryan T. Bell
3

For seven Montana cowboys working in Russia last winter, a one-hour shift during the peak of calving encapsulated everything they struggled with: the language barrier, the cultural clashes, the terrible weather and the challenge of teaching Russians a lifetime of cowboy knowledge in only 60 days.

Story and photography by Ryan T. Bell

Hell broke loose on schedule at Stevenson Sputnik Ranch. We called it the “witching hour,” every night between 6 and 7 p.m., when a dozen expecting cows dropped their calves at once. To deal with the onslaught, Darrell Stevenson, the boss, assigned two cowboys to ride through the cow herd searching for newborns. They would shuttle them to the calving barn where the rest of us, three Montanans and a crew of Russian villagers, bedded them down in warm hay.

This would be hard work under normal circumstances, but on the night of January 23, 2011, a raging blizzard dumped a foot of snow on top of the two-foot deep blanket already covering the Russian steppes. Any calf born that night didn’t stand a chance if we didn’t get to it fast. Continue reading →

Joel Nelson: The Horses and the Words

Posted on by Ryan T. Bell
Reply

Story by Ryan T. Bell/ Photography by Ross Hecox

West Texas horseman Joel Nelson reflects on the poetic life and how it feels to be a man who has willingly submitted to his muse.

On an unseasonably cool July morning in the Davis Mountains of southwest Texas, Joel Nelson drives through a pasture of Corriente cattle. He recently drilled a well in the pasture, so he’s checking to make sure that water is flowing properly before the heat of the day arrives to parch the cattle.

Maybe it’s the repetitive nature of the chore, but Nelson is in a pensive frame of mind. He recites a favorite quote by the poet Stanley Kunitz:

“If we want to know what it felt like to be alive at any given moment in the long odyssey of the race, it is to poetry we must turn.”

“Boy,” he says, “that nails what poetry means in about as few words as you could hope to get it said in.”

Continue reading →

Backcountry Blaze

Posted on by Ryan T. Bell
Reply

When wildfire strikes, follow these 5 tips to escape the backcountry unscathed.

Fact: Wildfire can outrun a horse.

Fact: The temperature of a grassfire can reach upwards of one thousand degrees.

Fact: Smoke inhalation is the greatest threat wildfire poses to equine health.

If these fire facts don’t grab your attention, here’s one that will. 2010 is forcasted to be one of the worst fire season in recent history. Bizarre weather patterns, drought, and forests ravaged by pine beetle infestation will make Smokey a nervous bear this summer.

I spoke with five experts to learn what steps a horseman should take if a wildfire breaks out while he is  in the backcountry.

Continue reading →