The Spirit of the West & Where to Find It
The old west is something of myth to me. I’d grown up with it in books, movies, tv shows, everything except witnessing in person. Living on the other side of the world made this history completely foreign. Allowed only a snapshot in the scenes of my childhood movie Spirit, and in the pages of 1942’s Top Horse of Crescent Ranch. I imagined wide open plains, huge canyons, and a rugged sort of person adorned with an unbreakable bond to their horses.
Never would I have guessed that I’d get the chance to experience it for myself.
I might even wind up in Idaho
And visit a cute little miss
A sweet little someone I used to know
And I might even stop long enough for a kiss
Saddle tramp, saddle tramp
I’m as free as the breeze and I ride where I please
Saddle tramp, saddle tramp
The History of Red Horse Mountain Ranch
Red Horse Mountain Ranch has an incredibly rich history spanning before settled New Zealand had even reached 100 years old. It began in the late 1800s with the establishment of Red Horse Mountain mine, which didn’t last long. However a bunch of homesteading families owned, cleared and farmed the land.
Timber Ridge Ranch was built in the early 1970s, which included two of the existing cabins Appaloosa and Syringa. The activities offered at the ranch were a 13-day pack horse trek into the mountains and cross country skiing in the winter.
The ten years between 1982 and 1992 saw the ranch pass through multiple owners, each with fluctuating levels of plans for the land. One owner even desired the resort to encompass seventy condominiums and a convention centre.
After spending 13 years with Iris Behr and John Muir as Hidden Creek Ranch as a wellness retreat, Red Horse Mountain Ranch was established in 2005. As is today, horseback riding, archery, kayaking, mountain biking, fishing and hiking are offered as activities. Red Horse Mountain can accommodate sixty people within the nine log cabins.
You can read the full history here – all of the information above is courtesy of the Harrison Chamber of Commerce.
Jane’s Got a Gun
jane’s got a gun
and boy does she know how to use it
her eyes behind the scope
size me up
barrel pointed straight at my heart
she knows what she’s doing
whether for her sake or mine
I’ll never know
the land around me is her home, her territory, her rules
her history, her way, her traditions
the wild horses, her spirit.
the flowers her tenderness,
flecked throughout soil of grit and determination.
she’s free, unbroken, and I’ll never call her my own
for I am a stranger to her
foreign blood
allowed a transitory disposition amongst her untamed mountains
and endless plains
jane’s got a gun
and she’s shot me through the chest
she knows I won’t forget her,
how could I?
for she’s taken a piece of me
my heart, my soul, my best.
Capturing the Ranch
I’m incredibly lucky to be able to call myself a part of this place – even for a short amount of time. The people I work with and live with are some of the most wonderful people I’ve ever met. Being able to explore the area on horseback with them is a memory I’ll be keeping close to my heart forever.
Pairing these recent photos with the historical shots of the early days of the ranch is almost like writing a fleeting paragraph in the history book of the area. We may be lost in the middle of it, but right now we are the spirit of the west.
The Wrangler’s Photoshoot
I’d be lying if I put a huge amount of effort into planning these following photos and maybe that’s the beauty of it. When Jessie, Emma, Connor and I went out for our shoot, Connor had asked me what kind of photos we were going to be taking, but all I answered was, ‘i want to craft a story.’
I can’t even be certain that I achieved that. Looking back now to the way that this post has evolved and developed, I believe the story is behind the eyes of those I photographed. The story is in the way these people mean so much to me, as do the horses. Dinero the paint I was riding easily fits into the category of my childhood dream horse, and I know if I’d told myself a year ago that I’d be here, I would have laughed.
Emma Cannon even offered to take some photos of me which was very kind of her. It was awesome to have some photos of myself alongside the ones I took as it’s not something that happens often. Her eye for composition and lighting was so special.
So, if you’re ever looking for the Spirit of the West, try visiting Red Horse Mountain Ranch.
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