During the past three months, being a part o
f the Montana Conservation Corps and working for the United States Forest Service, I have seen a steady growth both mentally and physically. Meeting new people each day and learning from them has been overwhelmingly positive in helping me develop new skills.
One of the most memorable moments of my MCC experiences was learning that we’d be working in the Shoshone National Forest and working with a herd of U.S.F.S. horses. The excitement shared was mutual among the crew. Overly anxious to embrace the historical lore and nostalgic landscapes of the Shoshone National Forest, our nation’s first national forest set aside by Teddy Roosevelt as part of the original Yellowstone timber reserve, we took it all in with an open mind. We were then introduced to our horse trainer, Scott Le Fur. Now Scott was a very experienced rider. Having grown up riding horses, he spoke in a vernacular similar to the Duke and explained the ins n’ outs of wrangling with the fastidiousness of a college professor. Teaching eight green seasonal members the know-bout’s of riding in three days would have seemed nearly impossible, but not for this stoic cowboy.
During our training, both Scott and Bill Oliver, our sponsor for the summer, were very patient with us. They knew we weren’t going to be able to soak every bit of information all at once so they provided us with a setting that made the experience tough, but very stress-free. In order for us to get the essentials down, like dancing the double dutch, Scott had us repeat each step countless times. “Saddle on? Good. Now take it off and saddle him up again.” By the time we had it down, we were in silent competition with one another to see who could saddle up their horse faster. Any time either Scott or Bill sensed a struggle, which could be done a mile away, they were there lending a hand. No matter the question, they answered them…even if they were just asked the same question by 7 other people in the past 10 minutes. Neither of them got frustrated or allowed themselves to lose touch with the group.
Now before riding, we had to learn how to become the dominant figure in the horse-human relationship. Scott was positive we’d pick up sooner or later that it wasn’t going to be very easy. It definitely proved to be difficult, but possible. From cleaning out their hooves, to getting the cinch around them we would experience a few kicks and many head jabs. Eventually, after a couple of hours and many tugs on the lead rope, they give into their own stubbornness and yield to your authority.
The sun was rising, and as we emptied out of our cabins, wearing our finest cowboy attire, carhartts and an MCC shirt, we walked down to the barn, saddled up our steeds, climbed up, settled in, and took a deep breath. Today we were going to do some riding. First and foremost, we had to get the feel for our horse. From across the corral, Bill and Scott instructed us step by step. Within time, we began to feel comfortable. So Scott and Bill stood back and examined our riding skills as the inner cowboy in all of us emerged and we began to yip and yee-haw our way around the corral, consciously or sub-consciously mimicking all those western movies we had watched as kids. We certainly received a few well deserved chuckles and grins from them as they took note of our Hollywood horse commands. Watching from atop his mule, Scott snickered and said, “You know, it never fails. Each year I run this course and people begin feelin’ comfortable ridin’ around this here corral. They start gettin’ all wild & western with their horses, and forget every thing I taught them about commanding their horses.”
We did it though. We were certified horsemen. It was time for us to put on our best pair of chaps, get our selves a fine-lookin’ Stetson hat, saddle up our steed, and ride off into the sunset just as our hero’s of the old west once did.
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