Let’s face it – most horse riders at some point have wanted to work on a ranch. There is something intoxicating about the Western way of riding and incredible skill that is tempting to the horse world.

What does it really take to make a wrangler on one of America’s most popular ranches? We catch up with the unstoppable Steph Kuenast, head wrangler at Vista Verde ranch in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Vista Verde is 40km from the nearest traffic light, so it is the ideal post-Covid retreat.

Steph oversees 100 horses as part of her job, and recently she began the annual cattle round-up that sees her (and guests) take the horses out across 16,000 acres where the cattle are hiding and round them up for the northern hemisphere winter. Like a gigantic game of hide and seek, this week includes early starts, and lots of riding – traversing hills, through meadows and over logs in an effort to get the cattle all tucked up for the cold months ahead.

Steph has been leading rides at Vista Verde for over two years now, and each day she’s pinching herself that she gets to ride horses across the stunning countryside of Colorado for a living. “I started riding when I was four, and I grew up riding all different types of horses,” she begins. “I always had a place in my heart for horses, but never thought I would have the opportunity to have a paying job working with them. After being immersed in competitive riding during my formative years, I discovered the world of ‘dude ranching’ (ranches that accommodate tourists) and fell in love with ranch riding.

“I really love how much horses can teach us, and every day I learn something new from them. Working with a herd of 100 horses gives me the opportunity to observe and work with a variety of personalities and each horse brings their own mix of gifts and challenges. Being able to communicate with a creature that doesn’t speak the way we do and be able to work together is incredible. And I feel very fortunate to be able to teach that to our guests,” she says.

ANNUAL HIGHLIGHT

Steph explains that cattle round-up week is one of the highlights of the year at Vista Verde. “After seeing the cow/calf pairs grazing out in the National Forest all year (in parts of America’s west, ranchers are allowed to graze cattle in National Forests and pay a fee per head, per month), the time for us to round them up is exciting and high pressure. We need to teach our guests in a couple days to do the work that cowhands take years to learn.

“We are on a deadline to get those cow/calf pairs in before October 1, when we need to have them off the forest according to the arrangement with the US Forest Service. Some days the gathering is easy, as the cows are all gathered up and willing. Other days it’s like hide and seek to find them, and we’re happy just to bring in four pairs.”

As you can imagine, with cattle spread across 16,000 acres of National Forest the terrain is varied and at times challenging. “The riding is rugged and independent, so the guests need to have enough confidence to be sent out on their own to one side of a meadow and handle their horse and the cows without a wrangler right next to them coaching them. And they need to trust their horse as we are on trails just some of the time, but more often bushwhacking through fallen trees, down and up ravines, and crossing water. It’s not for the faint of heart.”

FINDING THE PERFECT PARTNER

Before guests are paired with their steeds, a great deal of groundwork and preparation takes place to ensure the right matches are made. “Every horse has their own personality and style, and so does every guest,” explains Steph. “My job is to understand what the guest is showing up with as far as skills, expectations, and the complex mix of their personality, and then match that to one of our horses who will help guide them through the learning process.

“Some guests just want to be a passenger and not have to work, so those guests need to be paired with a horse that will be happy to just follow the leader. Some guests are interested in learning more and being more of an active rider; with those guests the tricky part is to sort out how much are they willing to be challenged, and how much do they need to succeed? Horses are teachers, and they give us exactly what we need and are adept at pointing out our blind spots. Some guests are open to receiving this message and some are not.

“The goal is to pick the horse that gives the guest what they need, knowing that no horse is perfect. The hardest guest to match is one who wants a horse that works like a car, and our job is to help them see that doesn’t exist and help them embrace the process of learning to work together with their horse and be a leader to their horse. At the end of the week, we want our guests to be madly in love with their horse and enjoying the feeling of having connected and formed a partnership with their mount. We have guests who request the same horse year after year, and that is always a good sign that we paired them up well!”

LONG DAYS IN THE SADDLE

The annual cattle round-up involves relatively long days in the saddle, especially for staff, with days starting between 5-6:30am depending on the day. “The day begins by saddling up one of our round-up horses, going out to the pasture and gathering the equine herd to run them into the corral. Once they are in the corral we saddle anywhere between 50-60 horses,” says Steph.

“Our typical day with the guests involves a morning and afternoon ride, typically about two hours each. Then we unsaddle, run the herd back out, finish chores, and start scooping the corral. Actual time in the saddle is about 4-5 hours each day. During our round-up weeks it’s more like 6-7 hours.”

LEARNING THE ROPES

“This year was special as we have a high percentage of guests who have been coming to do the round-up for years,” says Steph. “They’ve figured out what they are capable of and have learned how to work with each other, and they understand the flow of the round-up – so it was easier to get everyone organised and lay out the plan with this year’s group.

“We have a group of women who have met up at the ranch for over five years to round up, and we were able to witness some really powerful moments of them celebrating their friendships, working through challenges and some really profound personal struggles, and lifting each other up.

“We also had one of the prettiest falls we’ve had in a long time, so the weather and the colourful aspens (deciduous trees) were just perfect. That sure helps when you’re out on the trail all day to have stunning views! For next year we still have some things we are working through with our cattle partner, so we can’t announce any news yet, but there’s a lot to navigate in the cattle business with drought and fires, so that has opened up some conversations about interesting changes that we could implement.” EQ

If you’re dreaming of a ranch holiday, consider spending the next southern hemisphere spring at Vista Verde in Colorado and experience their autumn cattle round-up! For more enquiries on a once-in-a-lifetime holiday, please visit www.vistaverde.com.

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