Stampede Ranch

When My Mom and Clint were here she said she wanted a tour to the Stampede Ranch, she knew it was close to us but never realized how close.  Its about 12 miles away.  We have 2 neighbors that work there and so we hear a lot about of it but I too had not been in the yard.  So we phoned up the managers and asked if we could come up.  She said they were at a rodeo that weekend, her hubby is also a pickup man but the other guy Charlie was there and he would show us around.  Sounds good, we had no real big plans just kinda wanted to see it.

(Outside the gate is the graveyard, they don't bury the horses there anymore but they used too)

(The loading chute in the yard)

(I just liked this bridge going across the creek to the barns)

(the gate into the yard)

So we headed up there and he met us at the gate and led us in.  They put up a locked gate this spring just to keep crazy people out.  They spend a lot of time keeping it looking nice, they do a lot of fancy spancy deals there where city people come out and "trail horses" in and then have a meeting.  So they want it to look nice and it does.  There is a lot of pens and this time of year not much in them which we kinda knew but thats when they were out.

(the saddle horses, even the mini under the feeder lol)

(a sore clydeish horse in the pen, he was super interested in us)

(and some bulls)

(the nephews looking at bucking bulls)

(the chute, under a roof, sure be a long day trimming 600+ horses)

(the retired horses halters)

They had some horses, some bulls and a few studs up close and so we toured them and then he took us in to see the chute where they trim feet and brand and then into the tack room and then the boardroom where they have the halters of the retired horses hanging in there.  Neil had been there quite a few times as a kid cause the kids went to school with him and even he said it was changed and updated, looked a lot better.

(Speedy Delivery)

(Wanamaka Rocket, we saw him at the bronc match in Pollockville)

(Shadow Warrior, 

he was an older horse, really calm just stood there eating while we were there chatting)

Kinda a cool day there.  I would like to go when all the mares and colts come in.

Hanna Rodeo All Horse Parade 2015

I'm in a new challenge again this fall, same group as the winter one but this is a shorter one and easier time for me.  Its the 4321 challenge.  so its 43 days and 21 hours horsemanship.  Im in at 3 hours so far.  it goes till the end of October so I have lots of time and doubt I will have trouble finishing this time. I picked Jessie cause I kinda wanted to get her in shape and riding again if I am gonna sell her and get another cutter.  Well I went to the Hanna Rodeo Parade today, perfect its in my challenge time.  They started it a little later than last year I think and so that was handy for me, never had to leave home till 9.  On a Parade day?????? I know pretty spoiled here :)

(I was so worried about her feet since she wasn't shod this year, 

but it was all pavement and didn't seem to bother her, if there was gravel 

I probly wouldn't have gone)

Got up there and brushed her clean, its hard to get her shiney when shes shedding summer hair and getting fuzzy but I did as good as I could, white legs and face.  And then put goop in her hair and realized I forgot a mane and tail brush.  Oh well used my body brush and it worked fairly well.  Was all ready and just sitting around visiting till parade time, that was nice.

(they had this cute little donkey dressed in overalls and a straw hat.  

She woulda gone in the parade but didn't wanna walk that far)

(Jess wasn't sure what that weird thing making a lot of noise was)

(also map my runned it, I love that program)

Its kinda a cool route too cause they go up the  road to the Old Folks Home and all the people sit outside to watch.  Then over to the Lodge, where a lot of them used to use horses so they love seeing that.  Then up to the hospital, we loop around the parking lot and the nurses wheel them out and they get to see it too.  Then down to main street where most of the viewers are.

(Close to the beginning)

(going by the Lodge)

All in all a good morning, a little chilly and cloudy but still warmer than last year.  Its too bad it was cloudy though cause the pictures don't look as good.  I'm hoping someone got a pic of me in the parade since Neil didn't come this year to take one.  I got a few off my go pro but I'm not in any, just my pony.

(Jess gets her goodies in the trailer after we are done)

(her favorite part of getting rode, lol the grazing afterwards)

(Neil thought he would put the cat on Jess, Jess was fine with

 it, the cat didn't want any part of that though.)

Hanna Rodeo Parade

One of the things I've done while I was missing was the Hanna Rodeo Parade.


Again this year I wanted to ride in the Hanna Rodeo Parade.  Its an all horse parade and its always fun.  81 horses in it this year both ridden and in wagons.  I always think its a fun day and everyone's horse behaved well.  I don't know a lot of the people who ride in it but its fun anyways.

(thats the lady who bought Henry)

There was a few things the town or other businesses wouldn't allow which was a bit silly, like the Westview motel has a big gravel/weedy parking lot that is always used for parking and this year even though it was empty wouldn't let anyone park there said they would tow.  So no biggie we all parked in the IGA parking lot but was silly.  And the town wouldn't let them block off main street for an hour for the parade so traffic was still going down it...really people this is Hanna go around a block its not that big a deal, we figure if Calgary can pretty much shut down downtown all morning for their parade it shouldn't be a big deal but I think that might have been the organizers fault.  Even the cop who came to lead the parade had no idea of the route?????  It was weird.  And I know a lot of people who won't eat at the Westview after that.

But it was all good once we finally got going, was a bit slow at first and Jess thinks we should walk faster but she settled in well and we just went along.  Its kinda cool how we go in the parking lot of the lodge and hospital and so the old people who can't get outside can see the parade too.  Same route as last year but the villas and parks.  I saw more riding through town than I usually see when I go to town, lol never go on those streets.

It was kinda cold and that was sad cause I wore such a pretty shirt, but no way was I taking off my coat, I wish I had wore gloves as well, oh well maybe next year will be warmer.  Afterwards the IGA had a free lunch of beef on a bun and coffee/pop for everyone it was good.  The Roundhouse had a spaghetti western, spaghetti meal and then a John Wayne movie afterwards, if it didn't start 2 hours after the parade we probly woulda gone to it, but Neil wanted to get home and get some stuff done so we left.  There was a video of it on Facebook, but I don't know how to get it over here even though I would like to.

Jill's Clinic

After the last clinic I had the a couple days off and then another clinic even closer to home.  Its a neighbors daughter who runs a barn near Turner Valley called Baron Barn and she comes out every year and does a clinic for both kids and adults and so I thought it sounded fun and so I went.  Since I couldn't take Razz being sore, I wasn't ready with Dee I really wanted to take Bailey and so I did but also threw Jess in the trailer.  I was glad I did, I rode Jess cause there was lots of kids there that were pretty young and I was worried Bailey woulda scared them, lol she scares me some days with her excitability.  She scared Tristan when he was out here, she come running into the corral at full blast and run past us and went to turn around and tripped and almost fell and then got up and stood by us like nothing happened.  I laughed at her but the dirt she kicked up had him worried she was wild.

So I rode Jess and she was good as always even though I knew we were gonna do some rodeo stuff and other stuff we dont usually do but it was gonna be good for her anyways, and at that rate I dont need to ride her afterwards cause she would be in shape.  During the breaks I just let her graze, she liked that part ;)

We started out with 14 people which I thought was a lot but it was good, she had us moving lots we hardly ever sat around.  We started with circles, she really likes circles with all they teach.  We used a lot of cones, walked, trotted and loped through them.

We did goat tying, or rather the kids did goat tying on the ground while we rested.  They did 3 days on the ground and then on horses the last day.

On the third day a neighbor lady was watching and so I asked her to take some pics of me, that was kinda cool but I notice my legs are a lot farther forward then they seem like they should be.

This girl has her cute old horse that was so perfect.  I love this pic cause she finally got her horse to curve around the barrel and was listening to Jill and they both look so happy!

And this boy on his cute little paint horse, he just started riding a few weeks ago and wanted to go in this clinic and he loped for the first time ever, he was super happy, his poor horse, lol hes gonna lope all over from now on :)

And this girl come the last 3 days, she was a little young to listen, she mostly just wanted to be there to ride her horse.  She was super enthusiastic and she loves her dog so her mom put him on her horse.

This other girl on her paint, he was a handful and boy was there improvement in her at the end, its kinda cool to see.

And the other kids were cool too, its so cool how enthused they were about learning from Jill, she made it fun.

And the adults from the group.  I learned a lot and I think the others did as well.

The last day we did a mini gymkhana because we planned to do a trail ride but the bugs were just miserable and woulda been worse down by the creek where we were planning to ride out.  It was a lot of fun even though I never do that stuff.  I learned I can ride in a 22 second barrel pattern, and a 34 second pole pattern.  And then the kids did goat tying and us adults did goat undecorating.  We pulled the ribbon off their tails.  It was pretty funny, the first time we got about 30 feet away and that was as close as Jessie was gonna get, lol so that's where i had do run from.  The next time we got closer and the third time super close!  It was hugely amount of fun a lot more than I expected.  All in all was a lot of fun, I wouldn't hesitate to go again and already have planned to go next summer.