Here at the Rusty Spurr Ranch we hold our horses
in the highest regard. They play an integral
role in virtually every aspect of our business. From
taking care of our guests and showing them the best
our ranch has to offer to transporting our staff
to whatever chore they may be required to complete,
our ranch could not function without strong, healthy
horses.
To ensure that our horses always
remain physically sound and in good flesh,
we give them the best conditions we can offer. When
our horses aren’t working we turn them
loose. We never keep our horses standing
in the same, muddy (or dusty) corral all day. They
roam in vast pastures where they can freely
graze on the plentiful mountain grass (which
tends to have a higher crude protein content
than the average cultivated grass such as Timothy). They
can bathe in a pond if it’s been a hot
day or seek shade, and shelter in one of our
many, lush aspen groves.
In addition to the nutritional gains of this lifestyle, there are a number
of secondary health benefits that our horses reap from this way of life. We
see fewer of the hoof problems that are often encountered in animals kept in
damp or mucky conditions. We also see fewer of the respiratory issues
associated with being kept in a continuously dry, dusty environment.
We believe that one of the keys to having
the healthiest horses around is allowing them
to exist in the way that nature intended for
them. Anything with legs that long needs
space! With over 2,000 deeded acres to
utilize, our horses get plenty. Being
flight animals by nature, the ability to roam
at will helps our horses relax. Combined
with the opportunity to socialize with whatever
horses they choose (or not!) this environment
creates the most ideal situation for our horses
when they are not at work. Just like
any human, quality down time results in a healthier
mind and body. Each of our horses’ dispositions
have a direct effect on the quality of our
guests’ experience, so we don’t
take this matter lightly. In this fashion
we see that not only do our horses benefit
from their quality of life, but so do our guests
and wranglers. To us, it just makes sense.
Living outdoors has another
benefit as well. All of our rides take
place outdoors! Since our horses graze,
socialize and roam around much of the same
land that our rides encompass, they are already
familiarized with the environment in which
they work. This means they are comfortable
with where they work, and that means a safer
ride for our guests because their horse will
be less likely to spook or shy at something
along the ride.
Lastly, we work very hard to prevent our horses
from being overworked. They work very hard
(up to a maximum of 4 hours per day), but there
is a fine line and we watch closely to ensure
that our horses don’t cross it. In
addition to not being corralled any longer than
8 hours per day, our horses average approximately
two days off per week. In fact, this is
one of our reasons for being closed on Mondays. In
this manner we ensure that every member of our
remuda gets a minimum of 38 hours of consistent
down time no matter how busy we get.
Some people ask “Isn’t it a lot
of extra work to round up every morning and run
out every afternoon?”. Sure. But
we believe that our horses are worth every minute
of it. And so are you.
