Anthony with his horse
It’s not yet Valentine’s Day, but this time of year is important for romance among the sheep. I’m not sure if sweet nothings are involved, but we do end up with lambs in the spring. Some of the ewes, and accompanying rams, are in the Powder Wash country, between Baggs and Rock Springs. An area known as “Ace-in-the-Hole” offers great feed and salt sage. This winter has been mild (unlike last winter, when the sheep couldn’t graze) with enough snow but not too much. Anthony herds this bunch, which includes the older ewes and the two-year-olds. He is assisted by several Border collies and Livestock Guardian dogs. Anthony’s father, Edgar, comes every day to bring corn to supplement the sheep. The weatherman is predicting a cold spell.
Anthony’s sheepwagon
sheep at Ace-in-the-Hole
ewes in the headlights
Tags: Ace in the Hole, Anthony, ewes, horse, Powder Wash
Border collie supervising Bubba and Pepe
The ewes and lambs graze on the National Forests in the summer months. They move through a rotation so that they are not in any area for long. Part of the journey for Pepe’s sheep includes several weeks in high mountain pastures near the Mount Zirkel Wilderness Area. He stays in a tent and we pack in his groceries and dog food. When he drops into the north fork of the Elk River, we bring his camp to him. This involves a drive down a death-defying curvy road to a wonderful mountain meadow. Bubba came along, both to learn the way and to provide the muscle.
Pepe’s horse, pine-beetle killed tree
Pepe and Bubba: twins separated at birth?
Tags: Bubba, Elk River, horse, Pepe, routt national forest
Coco and her filly–a half sister to Dirte’s new colt
Meanwhile, back at the Powder Flat ranch…new babies keep arriving. They gladden the heart!
heifers and calves at Powder Flat
Pat with the heifers and ewes
lambs snacking on alfalfa
Tags: calf, colt, heifer, horse, Powder Flat, sheep
Dirte and her new colt
The weather is still trying to make up its mind. Is it Still Winter? Almost Spring? Spring? But Eamon’s mare Dirte made up her mind that it was time to deliver her colt. We still haven’t gotten close enough to determine whether it is a filly or a horse colt. The trees are trying to decide if it is safe to send out buds. In the meantime, the calves, lambs and colts are making their appearance. It must be spring!
Waiting for the green
cows with their new calves in the Big Meadow
Tags: calves, colt, cows, horse, mare, Sheep Mountain, spring, Squaw Mountain
Plata and Diamond
Pat’s mare Plata did not foal in June with the other mares. She is an older mom, and took her time. Maeve called, saying, “Grandpa–Plata had a filly and she is black with a diamond on her forehead!” Pat asked Maeve what she wanted to name the baby and she said “Diamond.”
Tags: colt, filly, horse
Jean Carlos and Tiarnan near Tennessee Creek
Tiarnan and Rhen went with me to move sheep camp on Tennessee Creek in the Routt Forest. Jean Carlos was happy to see the boys and fed them a hearty lunch of spaghetti, vienna sausage and mixed vegetables. They were hungry. After pulling the camp down a very rough and narrow road, Jean Carlos gave Tiarnan a ride. In spite of the bouncy trip, Rhen had somehow fallen asleep, and was mad when he learned he had missed a ride on the horse. We then went on to Clark for some of their famous ice cream.
Jean Carlos, Rhen and Tiarnan at the sheep camp
Tiarnan helps to siphon water
Tags: horse, Jean Carlos, Rhen, routt national forest, sheep, sheep camp, Tennessee Creek, Tiarnan
It’s time to gather the cows from their summer grazing grounds on the Forest. Rhen is getting the crew organized.
Rhen organizing the cattle gathering crew
Tags: Forest, horse, Rhen
Coco with her new colt. It must be spring!
Tags: colt, horse
Ladder Ranch
