SuzAnne Miller is the owner of Dunrovin Ranch. A fourth-generation Montanan, SuzAnne grew up roaming the mountains and fishing the streams of western Montana. Her love of nature, animals, science, and education prompted her to create the world’s first cyber ranch where live web cameras bring Dunrovin’s wildlife and ranch life to internet users across the globe. See more at daysatdunrovin.com
What does it take to be a seasonal wrangler at Dunrovin Ranch? Horsemanship skills are a must, of course. People skills, ability and willingness to work long hard hours, a keen sense of humor, staying calm in emergencies, handling large trucks and trailers, and a love of animals and nature are just as important. It takes a special person to work on a guest ranch and we have been incredibly lucky to attract just such special people.
Let’s hear directly from our new wrangler, Meghan, and what she has to say about her first day on the job at Dunrovin. Thank you, Meghan, for sharing!
Day One of the Dunrovin Way
It was a chilly and clear first morning in Montana and I had to break out my heavy jacket, but I warmed up quickly with a rake in hand and the flustered feeling of not knowing what I was doing or needed to do without specific directions. That “first day of school” feeling.
I’ve worked at many barns. Since I was a teenager, I rotated through stables as I moved and aged and entered into college — and each stable, barn, ranch has its own way of doing things. Day one was insight into “the Dunrovin Way”: what amount of what feed to give to whom, where each horse went in the evenings, how to tie each of the knots necessary to keep a horse to a post, a saddle to a horse, etc. Now, I’ve never been an adept knot-tier. I was definitely not a sailor in a past life. Poor Jamie had to repeat each knot a few times over, and it still took me a few days after that to have them down pat.
The feed shed chart taught me that these boys (and ladies!) are treated like kings and queens, with their own customized amounts of different feeds and alfalfa cubes and whatnot. And speaking of feeding, I learned that the horses here are very talented. They can hear hay rustle, or the feed shed door unlock, from a mile away and strike up a chorus of whinny and whickers even if it’s three hours until dinnertime. Maud and Gertie always take up the lead with big loud brays.
I like to think I know my way around multitudinous piles of you-know-what, but what I didn’t anticipate was that mucking out pens and stalls would be the easy part of my first day at Dunrovin Ranch. For instance: shooing back the ponies while trying to fill hay nets taught me very quickly that I needed to duck and cover into the hay barn and stuff a flake in ahead of time or I’d be re-enacting a scene from Jaws. Those little guys swarm in chomping.
On my first day I was able to take out my first ride, too, on Romeo and with Jamie in the lead to teach me the ranch ride route (otherwise I’d likely bring the guest in loop-de-loops all over the property until we wandered our way home).
A few weeks in, and I’m beginning to adjust. I still have a hard time backing up that enormous six-horse trailer. Lots of “no, the other way… no, the other way,” directions needed. I’m getting to know all of the animals, too. Like dogs, they all have their own distinct personalities. Charger seems to be the wise old man, Whiskey makes “stink faces,” Mickey is the hungriest of the bunch and makes sure we feeders know it by pacing and whickering and making cute expressions. As a new wrangler, it’s a good feeling getting situated and getting to know your co-workers: human and animal alike. I know I’m in for a truly fast-paced summer with lots of happy children, mountain sunshine, hard work, and this herd of unique horses that I’m already learning to love.