Tag: horses

Women in Ag: Rancher and Everyday Agvocate, Linda Rider

Linda Rider and her husband, Robert, live on a ranch 10 miles east of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and have been married 42 years. They have three grown daughters, two graduated from the University of Idaho with degrees in Ag Science and one graduated from Boise State University, and they are married. The oldest, Sharla, lives in the area and is the 4-H Program Coordinator for Kootenai County. She has a son, Jay who is 13 years old. Middle daughter, Cece, lives on the ranch with her two little boys and firefighter husband. She is often her Dad’s helper while Linda enjoys “Grandma duties.” Their youngest daughter, Cassy, lives in Boise and is a graphic designer. Linda is serving as a board member of the Idaho Cattle Association, representing North Idaho.

Linda shares her love of ag and her ranching lifestyle with visitors to her ranch.

Linda shares her love of ag and her ranching lifestyle with visitors to her ranch.

How are you involved in agriculture and/or beef industry today? My husband operates the family ranch where we run a small herd of Red Angus cattle, manage the timber grounds, and put up some grass hay. In 1986, we also started a trail ride business, taking tourists and others on horseback rides through our “horse pasture” and sharing our lifestyle with them for a brief time. This business has grown during the years to include multiple activities such as rides during the day, evening dinner rides, children’s birthday parties, activities for young and/or multiple generational families, interactive farm tours for children, bus tours, family reunions and weddings. The best part of the business is getting to visit with the folks while they are here. Helping them enjoy themselves and taking the opportunities to share about agriculture and the food and products that farmers and ranchers produce. Hopefully they take away an agriculture knowledge base that they will use when they read/hear about issues and perhaps filter out some of the biased flavorings against agriculture and users of the natural resources. “Agritourism” is now a buzzword within our industry, but it is what we have been doing for 30 years.

How has your life been shaped by agriculture and/or beef industry? I grew up in the area close to where I still live. As I grew up we had many folks with 40-80 acre type farms who ran small herds of cattle as part of their livelihoods. My father was the local cow trader who visited up and down the area, buying a cow or two here, perhaps trading it to someone else up the valley, putting it into our herd or taking it to the sale yard. I was an only child and my Dad’s boy, so I traveled a lot with him, chased cows, sorted cows, hayed, etc., from the time I was very small. I married Rob, who’s family lived about 15 miles away, and had land and some cattle as well. Soon afterwards Rob and I began running a combined herd of his family’s cattle and some out of my Dad’s herd. We still run on his family’s place and an adjoining Forest Service allotment. We have raised three daughters who are good “hands.”   When I help chase cows now, I usually have “Grandma” duties and help our grandkids participate.

Who inspires you or serves as a mentor? Those folks that I know who are willing to give

Winter trail rides through timber and pasture for ranch guests.

Winter trail rides through timber and pasture for ranch guests.

time and energy to serve on boards, committees and/or speak up for agriculture.

How do you provide encouragement to others?
I’d like to think that by setting a good example others will follow.

If given the chance, what message about agriculture or the beef industry would you share with a large group of people? I would like to tell them that ranchers produce a quality, healthy food product while being good stewards of the natural resources. I would like them to put the romantic image of the cowboy to the side and understand that we are family businesses run by educated people who use computers, science and common sense as tools to meet each day’s challenges. We deal with lots of rules and regulations, often established by non-ag interests, and are challenged by the weather, but keep on going. I would want people to see we are real and sincere, and provide a valuable service to our land and country.

What are you most thankful for? Freedom. The freedom to pick a lifestyle and occupation that enables us to work as a family unit and work on our own timeline. To live a lifestyle where we can enjoy a grand view of nature every day, whether it is from our kitchen window or the back of a horse. While some days are hard, sad or miserable, they are balanced by the richness of an eagle soaring, elk on the hillside or baby calves playing in the meadow and sharing it with the next generations.

What is you favorite meal to cook yourself or for others? It is always hard to beat a good steak, baked potato, homemade bread, salad and a Dutch oven dessert—a meal we cook for our many dinner ride guests all summer long. As a standby I often cook a “5-hour Beef Stew” that was an Idaho Beef cook-off recipe from the 1980s.

A beautiful view from this North Idaho cattle ranch.

A beautiful view from this North Idaho cattle ranch.

What is the first thing you do when you walk into a grocery store? Marvel at all the junk that people are willing to buy instead of buying basic, healthy ingredients and actually cooking.

What is your favorite childhood memory? All the time I got to spend with my Dad chasing cows, riding in the truck hauling cows, and just being his helper. He always saw the good side of people and the bright side of a bad situation.

Favorite store to shop in? My checkbook book would say that most of my “shopping” is done at Costco and the locally owned Super 1 grocery store. Otherwise I like to shop at thrift stores to look for “treasures.”

You can contact Linda at info@riderranch.com!

Categories: Beef, Blogging, Cattle, Idaho Cattlewomen, Ranch Life

Fall Colors, Cowboy Style

As the leaves begin to turn their beautiful orange and yellow colors, you can begin to feel the chill in the early morning air. Fall approaches us this year with more items added to our “to do list.” Along with our horse and cattle operation and saddle business, my husband Matt, is a rep for Western Video Market. As per the customer’s request, he will travel to the location of where the cattle are, and video calves, yearlings or breeding stock. You can watch the sale on satellite TV or the Internet. When the seller and buyer agree on price and delivery date, the rep will go to location of cattle and help sort and load them. It is the reps responsibility to make sure the trucks are at the location to load, the cattle are the right weight, and all paper work is taken care of.

cattlewoman on horseback

The boys and I have had the opportunity to go with Matt and help. On one of our most recent video sales, we went to a beautiful ranch in Wyoming. It required us to stay the night so we decided to stay at a hotel so the boys could swim. The owner of the cattle asked us to help him gather the critters in a large field above his house. So we loaded our horses, kids and swim suits. It was the later part of the morning as we pulled into the corral, saddled our horses, and put on the extra coat we didn’t think we would need.

Fall gathering on a good horse.

We head out across the field aiming for the pine trees and mountains that lie ahead of us. The cattle are waiting in the mist, slowly milling around. The field turned out to be a rather large one. It took a large part of the day, the sun warming us up enough to take a few layers off. It was a great gather, the calves running and bucking, and cows bawling for their own, and we even got to rope a few stragglers that decided to turn back on us. No complaining here. It was a beautiful day, spent riding with my family, getting our young horses rode, and being reminded how blessed we truly are. We left them in a corral overnight so they would be easy to get to in the early morning to sort and ship. We had a nice evening, and the boys swam until their hearts were content.

The next morning came fast, a rather chilly one in fact! Matt and I sorted the calves from cows, making sure our counts each matched. The truckers were there, waiting patiently for their turn to load. The brand inspector looked the cows and calves over. Matt takes care of the paper work transactions, and we load the trucks. Away they go…

That job is complete, and now we go onto the next one…gathering our own cows. Happy Fall Y’all!

~ Jayme

Jayme lives in Shelley, Idaho, with her husband Matt, and their three sons. She was daddy’s little cowgirl being raised horseback on the family cattle ranch. Matt and Jayme have known each other since their early junior rodeo days. They are both 4th generation ranchers and have a cow-calf and horse operation. Jayme drives school bus, and helps Matt on the ranch in addition to chauffeuring kids. Matt is also a custom saddle maker.

Jayme also blogs at www.cavvysavvy.com where this post first appeared.

Categories: Blogging, Idaho Cattlewomen, Ranch kids, Ranch Life

I Can Learn a Thing or Two…

The sun began to peek up over the hill that sits behind our house, and through Mattson’s bedroom window. He jumped up out of bed, with a smile on his face. This was the day that Mattson had worked all summer for—the 4-H horse show! As he catches his horse, I load the truck with the necessities—water, sunscreen, and of course, a comfy lawn chair that I can take a short, much needed nap in when the excitement of a horse show is too much to bare. As I look in the tack room of the trailer, I am pleased and proud of the organization Mattson has on display. Bridles hung neatly, saddle clean and oiled, floor swept and the water bucket and grain ready for reward for a job well done. I can learn a thing or two about his idea of being tidy and neat.

We pull into the arena, parked our truck and trailer next to the neighborhood girl and unload a blue roan gelding who is truly a part of our family. He goes by the name “Cody.” The sun blazing down on us all, I paint the hooves, brush the main and tail and pin the back number on Mattson’s freshly ironed shirt. The new halter is put on and they begin to show in their first class. Calm and collected, in all his classes, he shows his horse like a true champion. He teaching us the importance of having fun, having confidence, and being proud of who he is and what he has. I can learn a thing or two about his discipline and confidence to tackle everyday life.

As the day goes on it continues to get longer, hotter and dustier. Patience is tested, horses are ridden in patterns and parents are smiling as their child rides out of the arena with a red, white or blue ribbon. I remind Mattson to hold his reins steady, sit deep in the saddle, and make sure his horse picks up his correct lead. He reassures me with a smile and a wink, and tells me to relax. I once again am more nervous than he is.  teamsortingteamsortingwinners

His favorite event has finally come—Team Sorting! Mattson is a member of the team who won the county fair and went on to win the State Fair last year. The cows are placed in the lower end of the arena. Mattson and his team members ride in, cinches tightened, and horses’ ears perked up. The team consists of three ranch raised cow kids who have sorted a cow or two before in their time. They begin to ride toward the cows, getting them sorted in order, one by one, with a total of 5. After the dust is settled, and the numbers are tallied, their team is the county fair champion once again. Mattson congratulates his team and the other teams as well. They are excited to compete at state once again. I can learn a thing or two about his sportsmanship in 4-H as well as life itself.

Now we get ready for State Fair……

~ Jayme

Jayme Thompson lives in Shelley, Idaho, with her husband Matt, and their three sons, Jackson, Mattson and Dawson. She was daddy’s little cowgirl being raised horseback on the family cattle ranch in Mackay, Idaho. Matt and Jayme have known each other since their early junior rodeo days. They are both 4th generation ranchers and have a cow-calf and horse operation. Jayme drives school bus, and helps Matt on the ranch in addition to chauffeuring kids. Matt is a custom saddle maker and a video representative for Western Video Market on the side.

Jayme also blogs at Cavvy Savvy, where this post first appeared.

Categories: Blogging, Idaho Cattlewomen, Ranch kids, Ranch Life