Have you ever wondered what goes on at a North Idaho guest ranch during the unpredictable month of March? Through rain, snow, hail or sunshine, the ranch-hands continue their work on the ranch. Follow Emily through her day and learn just what a ranch babe does to help the ranch prepare for spring.
Emily starts the day out by helping Grandma to make beds in the guest rooms. She makes sure the quilts are on exactly the way she wants.
The ladies who come for quilting retreats need some help too. Emily loves to help them sew.
Next, its time to head to the barn to ride horses. This time of year, everyone is riding horses to prepare them for the summer guest ranch season and the young horses are getting a refresher course. All the action takes place in the indoor arena because everywhere else is covered in snow, ice or mud. Emily likes to supervise the riders, dogs, and cats from the hay stack.
The horses stand in the alley, waiting patiently to be ridden. This is Chance sporting Emily’s saddle. Yes, that’s a big horse (16.2+ hh) and yes that’s a tiny saddle (8” seat).
When she is not supervising or riding, Emily is just outside the barn checking the mud levels.
All that work tuckers a girl out! After a quick lunch break, Emily is ready for a nap. Anywhere will do, even the kitchen counter is a good spot to catch some z’s.
After lunch, the sun is out so its back to the haystack to supervise the cat and soak up some much needed vitamin D.
Now its Emily’s turn to ride! She loves to ride with grandma and tell the horse exactly what to do. “Walk, trot, whoooooooaaaaaaaahhhhhhh, walk, whoooooooaaaaaaaahhhhh, trot”, she tells Blue.
Blue is nice, but Chance is warm and comfy. There is no better place to rest your head.
By the end of the day, this ranch babe is worn out. A bag full of horse blankets in the tack room makes a nice place to rest.