Day Two at the Windmill Cattle Ranch

 

Scott, the owner, offered that we could ride in the cow pastures since there aren't any trails nearby, so this morning we went into the cow pasture. We figured we would just ride along the perimeter by the fencing and stay out of the way of the cattle. We have ridden through herds before and most of the time the cows ignore us. This time a bull decided we were on his turf and decided to charge us. Our horses were not happy about being charged, so we skedaddled out of the pasture to safety.

So, we decided to ride on one of the side roads just to get the horses some exercise.

The mountains here are gorgeous.

There actually was a small side trail one of the homeowners had made to ride on with a sign called Artesian Trail. It was a lovely trail that ended at a small fish pond. It was maybe a quarter mile trail, but it was a nice diversion.

The ranch has it's own trout pond you can fish in and it is really beautiful.

On Tuesday and Thursday evenings, the ranch hosts a roping clinic so the locals can practice their skills. Ari & I set out lounge chairs and watched the action. These cows are so used to being used for roping practice they are not really concerned at all. Ari & I cheered on the cows. We weren't allowed to ride since we don't rope, but we enjoyed watching.

Windmill Cattle Ranch - St Ignatius, MT

 

Another horse motel as we work our way down into Utah.

Windmill Cattle Ranch is a very nice place for a layover. The owner even mucked out the stalls for our horses and the stalls are super clean.

Mercy and Lennox are in adjoining stalls with their own shelters. The stalls are good sized. Plenty of room and very nice.

We have water and electric hook-up for our trailer and the wifi is excellent. We were able to play bridge on-line with our friends for the first time in about a week. 

There is an issue with the water connection, but not sure how to fix it yet. Water comes into the trailer, but doesn't come out of the tap.

Of course, when provided with so much nice cushy sand the first task is to take a good roll in it.

The horses are getting used to  having cows near by. No more Scottish Highland cows, just good ol' American cattle. Windmill hosts a roping clinic on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Not sure if we will join in tomorrow. I tore my rotator cuff a few weeks into this trip and my right arm is still not 100%. Even when I am 100%, I am lousy with a lariat.

On Monday,we took a drive to the nearby Bison Reserve hoping to see some wild bison. We were not disappointed.

How's that for up close and personal? We also saw our first wild elk on this trip.