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Schedule:
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We pick up at the Billings Montana airport at 4:00. Those who arrive earlier and would like to stay in Billings overnight we have made arrangements with the Rimrock Inn for our guests to stay at a discounted rate. Our welcome letter will give more information when you have chosen your week and made your reservations.
On the Sunday of your arrival you can arrange pick up at "the Rimrock" Inn or at the airport. It is a three hour drive to the ranch where we will eat supper and settle into our bunkhouse rooms.
You will ride with us from Monday till Friday.
Saturday is a "getting ready to go home" morning. We eat breakfast as always at 7:00 and have time to pick up some things in our small ranch store as well as exchange goodbyes with the cowboys and other guests. We leave the ranch around 10:00 and have some time to visit several historic sites and get back into Billings by early afternoon.
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Type of riding:
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Adults only. All levels of riding will be experienced during each ride. Good riding experience is required. Trailing horses gives everyone a fast pace when it is needed and also a slower walking pace when things settle down. Maximum guest number for our horse round ups is ten (10). The days can be long and the weather will be variable. We will be riding in all types of terrain: barren badlands, sage brush and rocks, down the highway, mountains and canyons, down dirt roads, grassland meadows and wide open spaces. All types of horses will be part of the herd we move: mares and colts, young stock, studs and fillies, guest cavvy horses and studs with mares. Each will have its own challenges and adventures. Two or three days we will settle the horses
and ride close to the ranch.
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Accommodations:
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During the horse round ups and mini drives
you will stay overnight in our warm and cozy bunkhouse or in our cabins.
Things to bring: a flashlight, walking shoes for around camp, some great campfire stories, your own personal items you will need.
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Activities:
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Experiencing a Horse Round up is our main focus. These drives will cover 15 miles per day on our long days and 6 - 8 miles a day on the shorter days. You’ll be riding between the Pryor Mountains and the Big Horn Mountains along the old Sioux trail or across open grassland prairie like the Indians did 500 years ago. We like to stop and take time to enjoy the historic sites near our ranch so everyone can learn about the buffalo jump or picturegraph writings and old homesteads. We enjoy teaching the lost art of roping and will teach any of our guests who would like to learn how to hold, coil, and throw a rope.
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Departure Day:
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Saturdays are a non-riding day. We leave that time to finish up those last minute purchases in our ranch store. It gives everyone time to say goodbye to our staff and cowboys and pack their bags.
We leave the ranch around 10:00 and take time to stop at any point of interest we haven't seen on the way back to Billings. We get our guests back in Billings between 1:00 and 3:00 PM.
Most guests spend the night in Billings and catch early morning flights on Sunday. The "Rimrock Inn" offers discounts to Dryhead guests who would like to stay overnight in Billings. Those numbers are listed on the Rate Page.
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Each horse round up will move different horses. Sometimes we will trail baby colts with the mares, sometimes we will move young horses in training with cavvy horses who know the way and how to stay together. Sometimes we will move mares and studs to special pastures where they spend the summer season. Often we will move the horse cavvy that we pick our guest horses out of. Each requires a different level of experience and skill. A loose horse can outrun a saddle horse with a rider anytime so we will show you how to control a herd of horses and move them in a way where we can control them and take them where we want them without hurting the colts or running horses out of control. Western movies make it look like horses can run forever and that everyone runs everywhere but responsible horse people know that a walk or a canter are much more healthy and realistic.
Spring Horse Round up Schedule
The Dryhead Ranch Spring Horse Round up begins on April 18, 2010. We will be gathering mares and colts so we can remove the colts and then trailing mares to spring pastures on the Pryor Mountains.
Fall Horse Round up Schedule
The Dryhead Fall Horse Round up is on October 31 - November 6, 2010. We will be trailing our horse cavvy and young riding stock to winter pastures three or four days and about 50 miles from the ranch.
We furnish a pommel bag to keep your camera and gloves and hand warmers in along with other important items you might need as you are riding out all day, like snacks. Most riding days we will take our lunch as most of the time we are riding in terrain that does not allow our lunch suburban to come. We will stop several times each day so you can take pictures or remove a jacket or get things out of your pommel bag or just let everyone get off their horse and rest.
On the rates page we have a list of things to bring.
Horse Round up and Mini Horse Drive Dates 2010
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Horse Round up:
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April 18 - 24, 2010
Oct. 31 - Nov. 06, 2010
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Mini Horse Drives:
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May 23 - 29, 2010
June 20 - 26, 2010
July 18 - 24, 2010
Aug 15 - 21, 2010
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The Dryhead Ranch offers much more than spring and fall horse round ups. We
also added mini horse drives. We have found that our spring and fall horse round ups are hard for beginning riders and so we have designed mini horse drives to attract the beginners to these weeks where we can teach and move slower with our horses so guests can learn confidence and skill so they can successfully join a spring or fall horse round up.
These drives will be one day or two days long. The drives will be at the ranch and we will be moving young stock from pasture to pasture, stud and mare bands out to summer grazing and small groups of the horse cavvy down to Hough Creek for vet appointments. These groups of horses will be small in design for inexperienced participation and learning. Mini horse drives will be a part of the regular ranch weeks with emphasis that week especially on horse moving.
Horse Drives and Round ups in the United States are a rare experience. Dryhead Ranch was featured in the "Cowboys and Indians" magazine in April 2007 article sharing pictures and information on the few places that offer this type of horse experience. We have also been featured on the "Western Horseman" Calendar for 2008 as the January picture of our 2007 Horse Drive over the Pryor Mountains.
We are in the 2010 "Western Horseman" Calendar on the January picture again.
Working with horses is a wonderful thrill. We share this unique love with all of our guests that come to our ranch. All of us and all those guests who come to spend a week at our ranch in one way or another share the common bond of loving horses. The Dryhead Ranch offers some unique opportunities to see horses in their natural environment and work with them in a special way.
Come join us.
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[ Download our Horse Drive Screen Saver ]
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Dryhead Ranch, Montana ~ Office: 1062 Road 15
Lovell, WY 82431, USA
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Phone: 307-548-6688, Cell Phone 307-272-6688
Fax: ---
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dhr@tctwest.net
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