Last night we were invited up to the Allenspark stables for a cookout. They have been having a lot of people quit recently so we've been doing a lot to help them (picking up their pack rides, loaning them trucks, driving them places, etc) and they wanted to do something for us to say thank you.
So after work on Sunday we drove down to Allenspark and had a cookout! All of us except a few (Lauren, Shelby and Matt) went and we ended up playing horseshoes and badminton and eating brautwursts and hot dogs and a really great potato salad.
It was a lot of fun to do something different and be somewhere new. We all sat around the bonfire to stay warm in the cool summer night. We all brought our own drinks so it was a real party. I left with the later crowd since my day off was the next day and we stayed out until an unprecedented 11:30 (that is SO LATE).
I had a great time and I'm glad we got to do it and even gladder (??) that people actually came. Day off tomorrow and I've got plans so it should be good!
Monday, June 6, 2011
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Day 23: Wrangler Ride
Today, after we broke down the horses, all the wranglers (except Matt) went for a ride. Apparently this is something we occasionally do in the summer. We leave all our horses out and then break down all the others and then go for a ride after work.
Tonight I rode Otis who I've ridden before. He was really good and I'm glad I got to ride him. What I didn't know is that it's essentially a free-for-all gallop up and down our rocky trails. It was a BLAST but I was not expecting to be galloping around those trails. We did it, though, and it was so fun. I really hope we do it again.
One of the new girls, Kim, ended up losing her sweatshirt while we were running so I offered to turn around and help her look for it. The horses really, really don't like going off on their own so I knew she'd need someone to go with her. While we were looking, it was really nice to be out on the trails in the beautiful dusk silence in those mountains. I'm so lucky to be somewhere so beautiful and I'm glad we all got to go out and experience it. When we're giving rides, it's really hard to be able to focus on the scenery since the guests require so much attention. This way we got to get our ya-ya's out by running (ANYTHING but a walk, please!) and got to really see our beautiful trails.
It was a great ride and I hope to encourage them as much as possible.
Final introductions:
Kelli: from Ft. Collins, Colorado; wrangler
Clare: from Columbus, Ohio; wrangler
Tonight I rode Otis who I've ridden before. He was really good and I'm glad I got to ride him. What I didn't know is that it's essentially a free-for-all gallop up and down our rocky trails. It was a BLAST but I was not expecting to be galloping around those trails. We did it, though, and it was so fun. I really hope we do it again.
One of the new girls, Kim, ended up losing her sweatshirt while we were running so I offered to turn around and help her look for it. The horses really, really don't like going off on their own so I knew she'd need someone to go with her. While we were looking, it was really nice to be out on the trails in the beautiful dusk silence in those mountains. I'm so lucky to be somewhere so beautiful and I'm glad we all got to go out and experience it. When we're giving rides, it's really hard to be able to focus on the scenery since the guests require so much attention. This way we got to get our ya-ya's out by running (ANYTHING but a walk, please!) and got to really see our beautiful trails.
It was a great ride and I hope to encourage them as much as possible.
Final introductions:
Kelli: from Ft. Collins, Colorado; wrangler
Clare: from Columbus, Ohio; wrangler
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Day 19: Second Wrangler Day
Like I said yesterday, today was my second wrangler day because Kristyn is taking an 8-hour ride on Thursday and she usually covers for me when I have my wrangler day. So I had it today instead.
The day started out windy and cold like yesterday but got warmer and sunny and really nice. I forgot to put sunscreen on this morning like I did last week on my wrangler day so I ended up getting sunburned a bit on my face, arms and neck. I put lotion on and will try to remember next time.
I had four different rides today: a breakfast ride and three 1-hours. They all went pretty well. Nothing to really note except that the breakfast ride was nice to do. One of the new girls tagged along and it was nice to go on a longer ride and the meal rides always get good tips.
I rode Riggin today, a chestnut mustang mare. She was pretty good. A little spooky, meaning she jumped and got scared at some things (like deer, elk, or invisible things). She was mostly good, though, so I can't complain. Riding a mustang was cool, though, if only to be able to say I've done it.
Nothing much more to note--just hanging out on the porch after work. I've been hanging out with Lauren, Shelby and Jeff the most. Jeff has been here for 2 years but Lauren, Shelby and I kind of all got here at the same time so we bonded. The new girls are also bonding with each other, especially since they all live upstairs together. I have kind of steered away from them because they seem kind of young and college-y. But who knows.
Anyway, more introductions:
Veronica: wrangler; roommate; from California
Kim: wrangler; Asian; no idea where she's from (haven't gotten to ask)
Two new girls showed up today as well and I don't know their names yet or where they're from so I'll introduce them later.
We're gonna have a lot of people in the barn tomorrow morning since all these girls start tomorrow. I might stay in the office and give them their space. I've been helping out during barn call and break down because I want to work with the horses and my help was needed. Don't really know if it is anymore, though. We'll see how it goes.
Stay tuned!
The day started out windy and cold like yesterday but got warmer and sunny and really nice. I forgot to put sunscreen on this morning like I did last week on my wrangler day so I ended up getting sunburned a bit on my face, arms and neck. I put lotion on and will try to remember next time.
I had four different rides today: a breakfast ride and three 1-hours. They all went pretty well. Nothing to really note except that the breakfast ride was nice to do. One of the new girls tagged along and it was nice to go on a longer ride and the meal rides always get good tips.
I rode Riggin today, a chestnut mustang mare. She was pretty good. A little spooky, meaning she jumped and got scared at some things (like deer, elk, or invisible things). She was mostly good, though, so I can't complain. Riding a mustang was cool, though, if only to be able to say I've done it.
Nothing much more to note--just hanging out on the porch after work. I've been hanging out with Lauren, Shelby and Jeff the most. Jeff has been here for 2 years but Lauren, Shelby and I kind of all got here at the same time so we bonded. The new girls are also bonding with each other, especially since they all live upstairs together. I have kind of steered away from them because they seem kind of young and college-y. But who knows.
Anyway, more introductions:
Veronica: wrangler; roommate; from California
Kim: wrangler; Asian; no idea where she's from (haven't gotten to ask)
Two new girls showed up today as well and I don't know their names yet or where they're from so I'll introduce them later.
We're gonna have a lot of people in the barn tomorrow morning since all these girls start tomorrow. I might stay in the office and give them their space. I've been helping out during barn call and break down because I want to work with the horses and my help was needed. Don't really know if it is anymore, though. We'll see how it goes.
Stay tuned!
Day 18: Second Day Off
Today was my second day off. I didn't do much but I did enjoy myself.
I got up at 7 (instead of 5), had breakfast, enjoyed the beautiful, warm weather for a little bit and put my laundry in the washer before catching up on a TV show I like. When I finished my show and went to get my laundry, the weather was still sunny but had turned windy and COLD. Ugh.
I offered to take two of the new girls (arrived the night before) our for a ride to show them around and because I wanted to go for a ride but it was COLD so I held the ride off until 2:30. In the meantime I watched TV and generally relaxed. It was nice.
2:30 rolled around and we went for the ride. It was nice to be out and doing some trotting and cantering (rather than the normal slow walk) but it was still very windy and cold so not ideal. We had a good time, though, and I got to know them. Then I went back to watching TV and having some alone time. After break down, Lauren and I decided to go out for Italian for dinner.
The dinner was ok but was really weird for Italian food. The menu was strange, the pasta overcooked and just generally weird. We came back and watched TV together with Jeff and Shelby.
Introductions:
Kelsey: wrangler; from Connecticut; English rider
Courtney: wrangler; from Massachusetts but goes to school in Utah; English and Western rider
NOTE: There are two girls that came today, one of which is a new roommate, but I don't know much about them so I'm waiting until tomorrow to introduce them.
ANOTHER NOTE: Lauren and I convinced Shelby to move into our room and be the fourth girl in here. We wanted her to live with us because we've been hanging out with her and know she's cool whereas we can't be sure a new girl will be. I'm glad she moved in. Not sure if I'm glad about the other girl but we'll see.
ANOTHER NOTE AS WELL: Kansas is making tomorrow my wrangler day this week because Kristin is going on an 8-hour on Thursday so he needs me to be in the office while she's on that ride. Normally she would take my place in the office when I'm out riding. So tomorrow I'll have another post! It snowed a little while we drove back from dinner so tomorrow is gonna be cold.
I got up at 7 (instead of 5), had breakfast, enjoyed the beautiful, warm weather for a little bit and put my laundry in the washer before catching up on a TV show I like. When I finished my show and went to get my laundry, the weather was still sunny but had turned windy and COLD. Ugh.
I offered to take two of the new girls (arrived the night before) our for a ride to show them around and because I wanted to go for a ride but it was COLD so I held the ride off until 2:30. In the meantime I watched TV and generally relaxed. It was nice.
2:30 rolled around and we went for the ride. It was nice to be out and doing some trotting and cantering (rather than the normal slow walk) but it was still very windy and cold so not ideal. We had a good time, though, and I got to know them. Then I went back to watching TV and having some alone time. After break down, Lauren and I decided to go out for Italian for dinner.
The dinner was ok but was really weird for Italian food. The menu was strange, the pasta overcooked and just generally weird. We came back and watched TV together with Jeff and Shelby.
Introductions:
Kelsey: wrangler; from Connecticut; English rider
Courtney: wrangler; from Massachusetts but goes to school in Utah; English and Western rider
NOTE: There are two girls that came today, one of which is a new roommate, but I don't know much about them so I'm waiting until tomorrow to introduce them.
ANOTHER NOTE: Lauren and I convinced Shelby to move into our room and be the fourth girl in here. We wanted her to live with us because we've been hanging out with her and know she's cool whereas we can't be sure a new girl will be. I'm glad she moved in. Not sure if I'm glad about the other girl but we'll see.
ANOTHER NOTE AS WELL: Kansas is making tomorrow my wrangler day this week because Kristin is going on an 8-hour on Thursday so he needs me to be in the office while she's on that ride. Normally she would take my place in the office when I'm out riding. So tomorrow I'll have another post! It snowed a little while we drove back from dinner so tomorrow is gonna be cold.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Day 17: Busy
Today was our busiest day yet! It got sunny and warm and we had a lot of walk-ins on top of the already busy bookings we had. We even had a group of 28!
It was pretty stressful and busy, especially because the group of 28 got lost and were late which threw off EVERYTHING ELSE. We did our best and ended up pulling in over $7000 which is definitely our record for the year so far.
Since we were so busy and aren't operating at full capacity yet (both horse and wrangler-wise), I got to go on three 1-hour rides. I rode Tux today, an awesome white draft mare. I really like her so far but I'll need to take her out on a ride with the other wranglers so I can really try her out.
My first ride was with a family who had ridden with us a couple of times before. It was a pretty normal ride. No tips.
The second ride had a little 4-year-old girl on it who totally talked my ear off the ENTIRE time. I could barely get a word in edgewise! She was also really sassy--I definitely feel bad for her parents. They felt bad (and thankful) for me since I was taking all of her abuse. They tipped well. It was a pretty long hour but talking to kids does help it go faster. This one was a bit much, though!
The third ride was toward the end of the day and was a Latino family from the area. They were really loud and talked amongst themselves mostly which I was fine with since I was tired and sort of just wanted to get the ride over with--their noise really got to me. They also didn't tip me.
The whole tipping thing is ridiculous. We have signs up that say the wranglers work for tips. And wouldn't you tip the person not only responsible for the information (both riding and local/nature facts) you're receiving on your trip but also your SAFETY and WELL-BEING on the horse? I could totally leave you out there and let you have a bad ride but it's our job to make sure you have fun and shouldn't we be tipped as thanks? People always say "tip the people who handle your food" but, in this case, we're handling your life! I'm always amazed when people don't tip at all. And we VERY RARELY ever get anything close to 20%. Usually it's 10% or less. I've gotten $3 on a $140 ride. People...
Anyway, I'm glad I got to ride so much today since it was BEAUTIFUL out and I really got to enjoy being here. I also got a taste of what is to come traffic-wise and I'm a little worried about getting stressed out but I'm hoping it works out. Once we have all our wranglers and horses, we should be able to handle all the people I can possibly check in.
Hope things are great back in Maryland (or wherever you might be tuning in from) and I'll see you before you know it!
It was pretty stressful and busy, especially because the group of 28 got lost and were late which threw off EVERYTHING ELSE. We did our best and ended up pulling in over $7000 which is definitely our record for the year so far.
Since we were so busy and aren't operating at full capacity yet (both horse and wrangler-wise), I got to go on three 1-hour rides. I rode Tux today, an awesome white draft mare. I really like her so far but I'll need to take her out on a ride with the other wranglers so I can really try her out.
My first ride was with a family who had ridden with us a couple of times before. It was a pretty normal ride. No tips.
The second ride had a little 4-year-old girl on it who totally talked my ear off the ENTIRE time. I could barely get a word in edgewise! She was also really sassy--I definitely feel bad for her parents. They felt bad (and thankful) for me since I was taking all of her abuse. They tipped well. It was a pretty long hour but talking to kids does help it go faster. This one was a bit much, though!
The third ride was toward the end of the day and was a Latino family from the area. They were really loud and talked amongst themselves mostly which I was fine with since I was tired and sort of just wanted to get the ride over with--their noise really got to me. They also didn't tip me.
The whole tipping thing is ridiculous. We have signs up that say the wranglers work for tips. And wouldn't you tip the person not only responsible for the information (both riding and local/nature facts) you're receiving on your trip but also your SAFETY and WELL-BEING on the horse? I could totally leave you out there and let you have a bad ride but it's our job to make sure you have fun and shouldn't we be tipped as thanks? People always say "tip the people who handle your food" but, in this case, we're handling your life! I'm always amazed when people don't tip at all. And we VERY RARELY ever get anything close to 20%. Usually it's 10% or less. I've gotten $3 on a $140 ride. People...
Anyway, I'm glad I got to ride so much today since it was BEAUTIFUL out and I really got to enjoy being here. I also got a taste of what is to come traffic-wise and I'm a little worried about getting stressed out but I'm hoping it works out. Once we have all our wranglers and horses, we should be able to handle all the people I can possibly check in.
Hope things are great back in Maryland (or wherever you might be tuning in from) and I'll see you before you know it!
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Day 14: First Wrangler Day
So we've decided that Thursday will be my wrangler days. This means that every Thursday, I get to be a wrangler instead of work in the office.
Today I got to ride on three rides and had a great time! My horse today was Henry and he was really good. My first ride was just me and a couple. We went on a 2-hour ride and I actually got the whole route correct and we got back right on time.
The second ride I went on I wasn't actually working as a wrangler. Shelby and I rode these two horses that are inseparable. We rode them together at the back of Bob's ride and just made sure they didn't act up. Hopefully we can put some guests on them soon since they were very well-behaved. Oddly enough, I rode behind a guy who actually does the same thing I do for work back home--he's a corporate trainer. So we talked the whole time and it was really nice.
The third ride I went on was the steak ride. There were 9 people and I led the group while Bob took up the back. We had a very good ride and everyone was really good. I got lucky because usually big groups cause a lot of trouble because there are so many people and horses involved that something usually goes wrong. Luckily, we only had a few mishaps and all were easily and quickly solved. Dinner was good and we got back right on time.
All in all, it was a good day. However, I'm gonna be thankful to be back in my quiet office tomorrow. Unfortunately, that quiet office is going to get busier and busier everyday from now on and soon it will no longer be the relaxing escape it is now. Oh well, hopefully I'll get used to it.
Today I got to ride on three rides and had a great time! My horse today was Henry and he was really good. My first ride was just me and a couple. We went on a 2-hour ride and I actually got the whole route correct and we got back right on time.
The second ride I went on I wasn't actually working as a wrangler. Shelby and I rode these two horses that are inseparable. We rode them together at the back of Bob's ride and just made sure they didn't act up. Hopefully we can put some guests on them soon since they were very well-behaved. Oddly enough, I rode behind a guy who actually does the same thing I do for work back home--he's a corporate trainer. So we talked the whole time and it was really nice.
The third ride I went on was the steak ride. There were 9 people and I led the group while Bob took up the back. We had a very good ride and everyone was really good. I got lucky because usually big groups cause a lot of trouble because there are so many people and horses involved that something usually goes wrong. Luckily, we only had a few mishaps and all were easily and quickly solved. Dinner was good and we got back right on time.
All in all, it was a good day. However, I'm gonna be thankful to be back in my quiet office tomorrow. Unfortunately, that quiet office is going to get busier and busier everyday from now on and soon it will no longer be the relaxing escape it is now. Oh well, hopefully I'll get used to it.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Day 11: First Day Off
I had big plans today.
The first thing I did was attempt to sleep until 7 AM. I failed and ended up waking up at 5:40 and sort of laying in bed until 6:40. When I got frustrated enough, I jumped out of bed and immediately did my laundry. Oh man did I need to do my laundry. Eleven days of mud and dust and sweat and almost all of my clothes were dirty and I had worn the same four long-sleeved tops at least twice each. So laundry was at the TOP of my list.
While my laundry was washing, I had a bagel for breakfast and watched some TV on my computer to get caught up on my shows. I finished my laundry, took a shower and got dressed. Then I found Michele and we drove downtown to walk around and look at the shops. Estes Park has a really cute downtown that has this (slightly fake) small town feel. There are a bunch of cute shops and ice cream stores and we walked around for two hours, window shopping. I bought a pair of turquoise stud earrings to wear since the stud earrings I brought are boring. Around 11:30, we stopped by Safeway on our way back to the ranch so I could get some things I needed like hand soap, conditioner, hair ties and carrots to snack on while in the office. Then we headed back to the ranch for lunch.
Lunch was elk burgers and we ate quickly and got back on the road to go visit Allenspark, another Sombrero Ranches location about 30 minutes away in the mountains. We got there and it was dead. There was no one in sight--especially no tourists looking for a ride. Luckily, we found Compass, the manager of the Allenspark location and she had one of her boys take us out on a ride. The country up there was just GORGEOUS. The terrain in Estes Park is mountainous high desert so it's dry and there isn't much flat land to ride on. Most of our trails are steep up-and-down and it's hard to look around you while you ride. At Allenspark, it was wide and open but also forested. There were rivers and rocks and mountains but it was all so much more beautiful. I was jealous. We had an awesome ride and came back just as a big storm was hitting. Michele and I said goodbye and thank you and then hurried back to the ranch.
While it was raining, I relaxed and watched a little more TV. After about 20 minutes, the storm stopped and Michele and I went on ANOTHER ride. This time we went out on the Estes Park trails by ourselves and did some exploring. We took out two of our favorite horses, Mijo and Rueger, and had a great time.
Now I'm sitting in my bed watching some more TV before I go to find out what everyone else is up to. All in all, it was a great day off. Next Monday I plan on asking Lauren if I can borrow her car so I can go down to Longmont and get some more clothes. I feel really limited by my 8 tops... So that will be yet another adventure. Tomorrow it's business as usual!
The first thing I did was attempt to sleep until 7 AM. I failed and ended up waking up at 5:40 and sort of laying in bed until 6:40. When I got frustrated enough, I jumped out of bed and immediately did my laundry. Oh man did I need to do my laundry. Eleven days of mud and dust and sweat and almost all of my clothes were dirty and I had worn the same four long-sleeved tops at least twice each. So laundry was at the TOP of my list.
While my laundry was washing, I had a bagel for breakfast and watched some TV on my computer to get caught up on my shows. I finished my laundry, took a shower and got dressed. Then I found Michele and we drove downtown to walk around and look at the shops. Estes Park has a really cute downtown that has this (slightly fake) small town feel. There are a bunch of cute shops and ice cream stores and we walked around for two hours, window shopping. I bought a pair of turquoise stud earrings to wear since the stud earrings I brought are boring. Around 11:30, we stopped by Safeway on our way back to the ranch so I could get some things I needed like hand soap, conditioner, hair ties and carrots to snack on while in the office. Then we headed back to the ranch for lunch.
Lunch was elk burgers and we ate quickly and got back on the road to go visit Allenspark, another Sombrero Ranches location about 30 minutes away in the mountains. We got there and it was dead. There was no one in sight--especially no tourists looking for a ride. Luckily, we found Compass, the manager of the Allenspark location and she had one of her boys take us out on a ride. The country up there was just GORGEOUS. The terrain in Estes Park is mountainous high desert so it's dry and there isn't much flat land to ride on. Most of our trails are steep up-and-down and it's hard to look around you while you ride. At Allenspark, it was wide and open but also forested. There were rivers and rocks and mountains but it was all so much more beautiful. I was jealous. We had an awesome ride and came back just as a big storm was hitting. Michele and I said goodbye and thank you and then hurried back to the ranch.
While it was raining, I relaxed and watched a little more TV. After about 20 minutes, the storm stopped and Michele and I went on ANOTHER ride. This time we went out on the Estes Park trails by ourselves and did some exploring. We took out two of our favorite horses, Mijo and Rueger, and had a great time.
Now I'm sitting in my bed watching some more TV before I go to find out what everyone else is up to. All in all, it was a great day off. Next Monday I plan on asking Lauren if I can borrow her car so I can go down to Longmont and get some more clothes. I feel really limited by my 8 tops... So that will be yet another adventure. Tomorrow it's business as usual!
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