The Gather
The Gather After a long winter, the horses have come home! Yesterday, they thundered up the Mesa in excitement for the 2019 Paradise Ranch summer season! Are you ready to #rideforFUN with our #PRbarncrew?
Wrangler Memories
Wrangler Memories I have been at the ranch for almost 6 weeks now, 5 of them I have been lucky enough to ride winter pasture with the guys. Normally when you ride out somewhere the first impressions you have of a spectacular view or unforgettable experience tend to fade each time. Well, it’s still all new out here for me. With snow drifts during March, excitement for greener pasture at the beginning of April, and coyote happenings I have made plenty of new memories thus far. Yesterday was no exception. The weather was beautiful, 70 degrees. This was a needed reprieve from the pounding of bad weather and snow we had last week. I took this picture on the drive to Sheridan. If you'll notice how far down the snow is packed on the mountains, you can see how much snow we had last week. Spring time will be a little later for us but we are fortunate for more precipitation. We had to gather up the horses from two separate fields, around 600 acres of hills, and then push them into another pasture. Before this could happen we had to push out 35 head of cattle out on the new pasture. It's nice to be able to shout "HEY COW" and slap your leg and not be in an enclosed arena. I hope you can imagine the distinct difference between an enclosed rodeo animal and one that wanders free in open pasture. Mommas and their newborn calves trotted right out without much hassle. Let's just say they were way more cooperative than our horses. The horses were certainly feeling their oats, or rather the beautiful tiny shoots of GREEN grass they have been waiting on for months. They ran us all over all three pastures. It wasn't easy but...
Season Finale - A Ranch Rodeo
Season Finale - A Ranch Rodeo If you dig a little into the history of Americas rodeo’s you will find it has evolved from the Spanish vaquero influences, followed by the tails of the Wild West Shows, including the real deal Annie Oakley. Soon ranchers began to show off their own brand and skills at local ranch rodeo’s. A ‘non-cowboy’ might question the practicality of chasing cows and running around cans. Really it’s a statement that says, my ranch works harder, my horses run faster than yours, or I can ride that bucking animal better and longer than you can. I became a part this history last season… well, if you count wranglers producing their own rodeo as becoming a part of history, I’ll certainly count it in my books at least. Paradise has a few complete ranch rodeos at the end of the season during the adult only weeks. Personally, this was one of the highlights of last summer, second only to roping my first steer. As a side note, when that happened I really did ride around the arena saying, “I roped a cow, I roped a cow!” Growing up, the only four legged creatures we had were horses and dogs. I learned to throw basic loops last summer and to call a steer, a steer. Now I can see why the guys laughed at me so much. Oh, good times, good times. We began the rodeo loping our horses in one at a time and lined up in the middle. Quannah rides in on Maximus. With our hat in our arms we sang the national anthem while Jace presented the flag at a lope around the arena. We got down to business right away with timing events. Here is Morgan racing through the dust and poles. Seek...
Now That's a Facebook Page
Now That's a Facebook Page 'Like' the Paradise Facebook Page and follow more ranch happenings. Paradise has access to over a million acres of the Big Horn Mountains. We ride in specific areas known as the Cloud Peak Wilderness, Bud Love Wildlife Management Area. Take a look at some of our trails and fun times If you have any specific questions please contact Paradise at: 307.684.7876 Fun [at] paradiseranch.com
A Week in Paradise
A Week in Paradise The Wilson family, origionally from Maryland, took a chance on Paradise in 2012. After doing several online searches and reading ranch reviews on Trip Advisor for the best family guest ranches, Paradise made the cut. Amy Wilson has been most gracious to share what she called "A really, really great family experience." Abby, Amy Sarah, Doug and Daniel Monday morning starts bright and early with the first ride. Each horse is individually selected and each saddle is adjust for each rider. A nice walk ride is a great orientation to riding horses and to the terrain. On the far right of the picture above Brandon Barnet, the wrangler, is checking in with the Wilsons. This is a great time to answer questions and make adjustments. Mean while, Doug has a great opportunity to snap a few pictures of the family. Throughout the week guests have the option of going on different rides, varrying in speed, time and difficulty. Occasionally, when there are sufficient wranglers, time and encouraging guests we take out special rides, such as my adventure ride and geocashing ride from last season. Every guest is responsible for untacking and grooming their horse, with the assistance of the wranglers of course. Nightly activities include dancing, singing and enjoying western cowboy music. In this picture, Ben Kennedy, wrangler, is teaching Abby how to swing dance like a pro. The Kids prgram includes an all out mud slingin' good time just a short hour horse back ride away from the ranch. Abby and her new friends, are washing off in the creek. Arguably caked in the most mud, Daniel was named "Chief Wanna-Sling-A-Mudpie." Your kids might also find themselves chasing chickens, feeding cows, or even preparing skits for the Wednesday night talent show. What's more exciting than...