My ride through Wyoming was definitely unforgettable. It started with an extreme adventure in Yellowstone National Park and ended with intense fear in the high mountains.
As I entered my last week in this beautiful state, I made one of my loneliest rides so far.
The first night on the road I camped by a reservoir surrounded by mountains. It offered a stunning view and most importantly, water for my horses. Due to the drought the United States is facing, water has been a huge issue here.
After letting the ponies graze and cooking myself dinner, I tied them up to a post and headed into my tent. To be safe, I slept with my boots on just in case something happened during the night and I had to jump out quickly. Well, at about 1am I was glad I did! I woke up to the sound of wood breaking, followed by horses galloping… I almost had a heart attack.
Somehow, I was out of that tent in 2.1 seconds. With my headlamp wrapped around my hand, I saw Texas tied to half of the post, still nailed to the fence, looking at it as if it was a ghost. The other two horses were halfway down the beach looking just as scared. One still tied to the other half of the post he had dragged with him.
I was lucky they didn’t all get loose; otherwise they would have been gone! When horses travel in groups they get freaked out when they are not together. If one gets lose he will stick with the group. If the group gets lose… good luck finding them in these open fields.
After the scare I tied them up again and tried to sleep the rest of the night. Didn’t work. I tossed and turned until the sun came up at 6:30am.
Tired and still a little shaken up, I took the camp down and tacked up the horses. The next few days we climbed this mountain that didn’t seem to end and each day it became harder and harder to find water.
When you ask as much from your animals as I do, the least you can do is give them the basics – food and water. And when you are unable to do so, you feel like a parent who cannot supply for your children. It is the worst feeling ever.
Our second last day was the worst. With no sign of human life and dry creeks, we trekked until 7pm when I finally spotted cattle in a field. Where there are cows, there’s water. We made our way down this abandoned ranch’s driveway and I spotted a water hole. It was like finding gold! I was so happy. Unfortunately, my happiness and excitement were very quickly thrown out the window as the horses refused to drink from it. They each took a gulp and that was it. It was so frustrating, but the water was really muddy and looked like it had sat there for a long time.
As I walked them up to an old corral I felt real fear. What if the horses get coliced? I was in the middle of nowhere with no cell phone reception. In other words, I was screwed.
I let the horses graze only for a little bit and tied them up. The less they ate, the better at this point. Luckily I had some cooking oil and a syringe. I filled it up and poured a little down each horse’s throat. Oil can be used help prevent colic.
Once again I barely slept. Every little noise the horses made shot my heart into a racing torpedo of nerves. It was the worst!
The next morning the most beautiful sunrise filled the sky! As I untied the horses and saw that they were okay, I let out a sigh of relief. I quickly ate, tacked them up, and headed out. We needed to find water quickly!
Around 9:30am, I saw the first person in five days. An old farmer in a truck came up the hill in front of me. I stopped him and asked where I could find some water. He told me I was half-a-mile from a spring – music to my ears.
As we started heading down the mountain, there was a big tractor tire overflowing with clear water to the left. I thanked the heavens and headed towards it. The horse’s played with the water and took large gulps. It was cold and beautiful. After a much needed drink I let them graze for a while before we kept heading down.
At around 2pm we rode into the town of Savery, Wyoming, population: 25! No joke! I think I met all of them.
I survived Wyoming! Bring on Colorado 🙂
Water is life! Never forget it and don’t take it for granted.
