Detours

My road to the Derby took a detour to Wyoming for two months. I finally got to quit the boring desk job, get my backpack out again and head back out west. Unlike the past few summers, I wasn't going to be a wrangler. The plan was to join the groups for some stuff but mostly go on long rides and work with young horses. I figured Horseworks would be the best place to ride lots of different horses and get lots of time in the saddle. Nothing could go wrong with that plan right?

Unfortunately it was exceptionally rainy for the time of year, with roads being washed away all over the place. Of course I wasn't going to let a bit of rain stop me, this was Mongol Derby training after all! I got to test my rain jacket (very waterproof thankfully) and realized an extra pair of gloves is not unnecessary. Wyoming is the state with the most sunny days but it didn't seem like it in May. With all the rain, it got really slippery everywhere. Eventually I had to give in and spend a few days inside, or in the Hotsprings.

The good thing about the soil out there is that it dries op quickly so, when it finally cleared up, I was able to go out again pretty quickly. June was actually really nice, it was still cool but that was great for the long rides I wanted to go on. In the mornings, I filled my bag with snacks and set out to explore new trails. I found a lot of new places to ride, including a beautiful 'new' route to cowcamp and some amazing viewpoints. Some days I went riding with the group, some days I was out by myself. Those rides gave me way too much time to think, but were also great for wildlife viewing. I saw loads of pronghorn, deer, elk, birds of prey and foxes but the highlight were the four coyote pups. I watched them play and run around for half an hour and they weren't scared of me and my horse at all.

Besides going on long rides at Horseworks, I also got the opportunity to work with Duaine Hagen, a horse trainer who lives nearby. I spend a few days a week at his place to learn more about colt training and to work with his horses. He had an indoor arena which was perfect on the rainy days. I really enjoyed the horses I got to train there and learned so much. He takes his time teaching his horses from a young age. Because of that and the fact that he divides the lessons into a lot of small steps, the horses learn really quick and it's not too hard, boring or stressfull for them. He does a lot of groundwork to prepare the youngsters really well for the work they're going to do later on. I helped back two youngsters and it was so great to see their progress. We also worked with yearlings and I got to ride a lot of the older horses, all of them very well behaved and great rides. I even got to rope from horseback, so much fun!

It was another few months of beautiful rides, amazing views, great horses and lovely people. I got to reunite with old friends and meet a lot of new ones. My favorite thing about this place is still all the wonderful people that come here and their stories. We went on some great trips, from a Buck Brannaman clinic in Sheridan to hiking in Montana for my birthday. I have learned so much in Wyoming over the years and this year was no different. I feel a lot more confident about the Derby and about myself. I will forever be grateful for all the opportunities I got here. Now it's almost time for my next adventure...









Hunter could probably do the whole 1000 km by himself, in half the time. He is so fast and never stops, he was a great training partner!












Wrangling cows for a few hours, fun and useful Derby training!








The first time I got on the two-year olds, it was bareback. I hadn't heard of this method before but it worked really well. They were so relaxed. Of course they were well prepared and used to being touched everywhere. We took small steps and started with jumping up and down next to them, hanging over them, laying on their backs to sitting up with a leg on each side. When I tacked them up and got on with the saddle on, they weren't spooked by me being on their backs.