North West

This is an area that many people automatically think of when they think about horse ranches. Montana, Wyoming, and Oklahoma frequently pop up in the minds of people whenever someone mentions cattle or horse ranching. Unlike some of the eastern locations there are still ranches here with thousands of heads of cattle that need horses as a means of driving them.

The cattle drives of yesteryear are gone of course. No one drives a herd of cattle from Oklahoma to Montana anymore. However, it has been proven that driving them from a farm to another twenty miles away or to a stock yard of equal or slightly greater distance is much cheaper if they can do so from horse back instead of trying to move several hundred multi-ton animals by trailer.

Some ranchers try doing this from the back of a truck, but that is much more difficult than doing so from horseback considering the quick movements of the heavy animals and a lack of instant communication between wranglers and drivers.

Where horse ranches may be seen as fun and quirky back east they are a vital economic interest in the new west. No truck mounted cowboy or cowgirl will be as efficient as one mounted on horseback. Horse ranches in this area also perform tourism services sometimes and there are a great many working ranches were would-be guests get their hands dirty and are allowed to help with the herding and other typical activities.

There are a lot more horse ranches here than in the east and anyone seeking work whether temporary or permanent would find it here long before they would get hired on back in the east. Most ranchers only require a person to be honest and willing to work very hard.