Bert Gildart: Writer and Photographer

PURSUING PHOTOS AND PROSE
With Kayaks, Mountain bikes, Backpacks, Daypacks, Walking Sticks, Fishing Poles—and an Airstream Travel Trailer

By Bert Gildart: “Now here’s a group of cowboys,” said the announcer in his long, drawn out Texas twang, “that won’t disappoint. They’re from north of the border, near Calgary, Alberta, and I want you to watch just how these boys can ride.”

Veteran announcer Randy Schmutz was addressing a sophisticated group, a group of ranchers, Native Americans, and other rural folk from Wolf Point, Montana, another town located along Montana’s Highline, though much further east.

We’d been invited last week by Carla Brunsley of Missouri River Country, and she’d guaranteed us that the 40-mile drive from Fort Peck to Wolf Point would be worth the trouble.

When the first of the Thurston Gang, as this family of riders is called, came riding out, we knew we’d made a very worthwhile decision.

None of the riders were old, and first to gallop into the arena was 14-year old Wyatt Thurston. Wyatt was riding two horses, and he was straddling the two and they weren’t sauntering, rather they were going full speed.

Somehow the young man maintained his balance, and made it look extraordinarily easy.

Next, and perhaps most impressive was Sam Thurston, a young man whom the announcer said was 12, and to Janie and me, his skills seemed the most impressive. Somehow, this young man eased to the side of his saddle, using the strength of his leg muscles to prevent him from falling. But he didn’t stop by just angling to the side; rather he continued to slide to the side until he was at a perfect 90 degree angle to the vertical axis of his horse.

Though we discussed the riders techniques, none of us could provide a better explanation other than to say that the rider somehow used his leg muscles to grip the horse, and that perhaps one of his stirrups was rigged to help him maintain his perch. Moments later he somehow pulled himself erect and back into the saddle—accomplishing all this in about a half swing around the arena.

Later, we watched this same young man and an incredible demonstration of trick roping. During this performance, he created a huge loop into which he then jumped, both in and out. But that was just for starters. A few minutes later he came riding back into the arena on a horse, and this time he was standing on the saddle, twirling a rope. As he rode, the loop progressed.

Then he stopped and as the loop grew yet larger, he eventually encircled both himself and the horse into a loop. This really brought the announcer to his feet, who exclaimed, “Well folks, what do you think about our friends from just north of the border.”

Then the announcer went on to tell us that Jeri Duce got the Thurston Gang started exactly two years ago and has coached them in a whirlwind ride into fame. “At home,” said the announcer, “I’m told they’re regular kids who play hockey in the winter and attend to their chores.

“Now let’s hear it for the Thurston Gang.”

But the evening was young, and this was just the prelude to what Wolf Point appropriately calls its wild horse stampede. The “stampede” is part of an evening filled with action, from bull riding and bronc riding to barrel racing. “Something for everyone,” intoned Schmutz. “But don’t go away; next event will be the stampede.”

The stampeded begins with the release of 33 wild horses (appropriately) into the arena. Eleven teams consisting of three wild-eyed cowboys, ran after the horses carrying saddles and swinging their lassos.

The object, of course, was to put a rope around the neck of one of the horses, and control it enough so that one of the other team members could saddle it, and then climb aboard.

The event has its share of humor, for although several teams managed to lasso a horse, horses still had minds of their own. In one case, a frantic horse pulled a determined cowboy the full length of the arena on his stomach. Stubbornly, the cowboy clung to the rope. It was quite a scene, as you can imagine, with 33 cowboys and 33 horses racing in all directions around the arena.

Meanwhile, members of one of the other teams were having a bit more luck, and before the bell sounded an end to the event and signaled a “No score,” one cowboy managed to ride a saddled horse the designated length, and then control it sufficiently so that it would proceed to the judge’s corner.

What more can be said? The cowboys succeeded, and we felt we succeeded, returning home to our Airstream with a series of high-res digital images that tell a story about a way of life and a group of young men, who, we’re sure, will always be commanding a respectable audience. But there’s more yet to this posting.

I’m posting one more photograph specifically for our good friends and neighbors, Rand and Linda, who have just joined the RV community with the purchase of a new travel trailer. They have been farmers much of their lives, and we thought they’d appreciate seeing a portion of the largest John Deere collection in the world, located just north of Wolf Point.

Note: See comment below which I received 2/14/2012. The note provided a link to a great web site explaining  some techniques about trick ridding.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 17th, 2006 at 7:08 pm and is filed under Montana Photography, RV Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.