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Specialty Weeks 2008
As we learn more about how a horse communicates with the world, we develop a deeper awareness of how we communicate with world. During this retreat, not only will we travel horseback across the Vee Bar’s beautiful Wyoming landscape, but we’ll also journey into the mysterious dimension between the verbal world and the non-verbal world. As writers, we reach out to others through the written word. Yet often our work lacks the energy and vitality necessary to engage the reader. We often fail to trust our instincts when telling a story. A horse is an instinctive animal, and the relationship between horse and human requires an abiding trust and understanding of these instincts. Humans, too, are instinctive creatures. Yet our instincts can easily become subverted by the modern technical world in which we live. It is my hope that by being fully engaged in the immediate, vital, and natural world of the horse, we will reawaken our own lust for life. This renewed passion will fuel our writing because it will strengthen the bond that connects us to the natural world. For 5 days, we will write about, read about, and be about horses!
Here at the Vee Bar, we’d love for everybody to be able to take part in the experience. However, there are a lot of additional responsibilities for the wranglers when there are guests, cattle work, and branding involved. For that reason, we limit this week to guests that have been here before, and to those who are proficient riders and who can “keep up” with the tasks at hand. During the week we will sort pairs (separate some cow/calf pairs from others) and move cattle from one pasture to another. Besides the cattle work we will also have some of our regularly scheduled activities—the hayride, gymkhana, mountain ride, campout, live music, etc. Those who participate in the branding itself will find opportunities to help “wrestle calves” and give a few vaccinations. For those who don’t want to be in the middle of all the commotion, there is plenty to be said about watching, taking pictures, and socializing. After a morning of branding, we’ll be sure to feed you right!
Help us celebrate this special occasion. We will be enjoying our regularly scheduled guest ranch activities, and a few additional evening specials. Call the Vee Bar office for details (surprise events) and ask about our seven night package. Are you celebrating an anniversary? Ask about our anniversary package specials.
Along with our trail riding program, we’ll have instruction on the basics of horse care: grooming, picking hooves, recognizing and treating small wounds, and more. A large part of enjoying horses is understanding them. We’ll take you into the mind of a horse so that you are aware of what your horse is thinking. Also enjoy some demonstrations on training a horse at different levels—yearlings, 2-year-olds, trail horses, and show horses. Take advantage of our riding lessons (private or in small groups) and learn to ride bareback. Along with saddle horses (those that are ridden) we’ll introduce you to our draft horse team, Sunny and Goliath. We’ll show you the basics of harnessing and hitching up a team of horses. If you’re lucky, we may even show you how to drive them (from the ground)! What would a little education be without some fun? Of course we’ll have a great time out on the trails, doing cattle work, on our mountain ride, at our campout and during the gymkhana.
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Branding time is an event as well as a tradition that goes back to the days of the first cowboys. The most popular (traditional) form of branding is to use a hot iron. Each ranch has a branding iron with an end shaped the same as the brand that goes with the ranch. Open fires used to heat the irons but now many ranchers have propane heaters that are much faster and make the process more efficient. Ranchers and their families from all over the valley used to meet at the ranch hosting the branding to lend a helping hand. In return, the ranch hosting the branding would provide a hearty lunch to feed tired helpers. That started a tradition and many ranches to this day have neighbors and friends to their ranch for the occasion, with a big meal to follow.
Carla and Lefty will be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary on July 20th! Anybody that knows them also knows that they are true family people. They have three kids and seven grandkids. Everybody, with the exception of a granddaughter going to school in Iowa, lives on or near the DeerWood Ranch (10 miles from the Vee Bar). They invested in the Vee Bar in 1994 with their son, Kelly. Together they have made the Vee Bar the wonderful, charming place that it is today. They have started many traditions for the family and enjoy simple things in life. It is their pleasure and honor to be able to share such a meaningful, special, pretty place such as the Vee Bar with guests that visit all year.
Engage yourself in this week of guest ranch festivities and become educated at the same time. Have you ever wanted to learn more about what it takes to care for a horse? Have you ever wanted to learn how to saddle and unsaddle your own horse? This week is for you. We will have plenty of hands-on opportunities for you as well as some demonstrations. We’ll also have special groups for kids ages 6-12 when appropriate.
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