With an aim to escape reality and just enjoy riding all day long, Joanna van den Bos embarks on a journey to satisfy her inner cowboy in Nebraska. Here she tells us all about it:
A Chance of A Lifetime
Wake up alarm calls at 5:30am are not quite the same as leisurely mornings on a beach holiday but the excitement of what a ranch holiday may hold suddenly hits me. Working for a busy equestrian specialist PR and Marketing agency I jumped at the chance to spend a week in America on a working ranch, thanks to Top50Ranches. com to get away from the hustle and bustle of normality.
The Journey Twenty four hours of travelling, three flights and 4319.2 miles from North Lincolnshire to Burwell, Nebraska. Extremely tired, I arrived at Central Nebraska Regional Airport, Grand Island at 10pm. Sitting in a very small plane, I looked out onto a very small airport the size of a cafe, the front was covered in glass windows, with families and friends waving with excitement at the plane and immediately it felt like a really great place to be. The air hostess announced “Welcome to Grand Island the most popular holiday destination in the US.” With the locals laughing, I thought this was exactly the place I wanted to be on holiday!
I spent the night in a hotel near the airport to catch up on a little sleep. With a very welcoming smile, Marty dressed in the obligatory cowboy hat, checked shirt, jeans and cowboy boots from Rowse’s One Plus One Ranch had come to take me to my holiday destination and I couldn’t wait. The hour and a half drive saw the sun rise and allowed me time to sit back and take in the beautiful scenery.
Rowse’s One Plus One Ranch Rowse’s One Plus One Ranch is owned by Jerry and Tammy Rowse and their son Kyle. Jerry does most of the work on the ranch and takes the rides whilst Tammy helped by Erin, her niece, demonstrated their wonderful culinary skills.
At the ranch, Tammy greeted me at the door. So warm and friendly, this place was very special. The moment I set foot in the kitchen, I immediately felt at ease, it felt like home. Jerry soon walked in, followed by one of the guests, Karla from Switzerland. We all sat around the big kitchen
table, drinking coffee and eating toast and muffins, whilst talking like we had all known each other forever.
It soon became clear Tammy and Jerry welcome everyone like a part of the family. The day was quite unusual at the ranch as a friend’s son was getting married so all the guests at the ranch were also invited.
The morning job was to put out salt and minerals for the cows. The ranch covers more than 7000 acres of prime land, with over 800 cattle and more than 70 Quarter Horses.
Jerry, Karla, Aggie the dog and I set off in the truck providing a great opportunity to have a look around. Up and down sandy tracks, the scenery was lovely with such wide open spaces and Jerry explained all the history of the ranch in a fascinating way. Jerry is very easy to talk to and interested about all the guests and their cultures and backgrounds, it was clear from the start how much Jerry cares about the cows on the ranch; after all, they are their livelihood.
Karla had already been on the ranch a week and was to stay another two, chatting along, she explained how she had always wanted to visit a ranch, but had struggled to find one suitable as she hadn’t really done much riding. Rowse’s was better than she had dreamed of.
The lodges that guests stay in are incredible, each completely unique. Created in wood, my room had two huge double beds with an en-suite and was beautifully decorated to provide luxury whilst experiencing the true west.
The wedding reception was an informal occasion with lots of food, drinking and dancing held in Burwell, 10 minutes drive from the ranch and the attire in Burwell is definitely how I imagined, cowboy hat or baseball cap, checked shirt, jeans and cowboy boots, with a big sparkly belt. A small American town where everyone knew each other, no one locked their cars or house and all the guests were so friendly and really enjoyed the dancing. After a late night I was really looking forward to breakfast and my eyes lit up when I saw a delicious array of home-made blueberry muffins, cinnamon twists, fresh fruit and yogurts.
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Jerry and Kyle practice Roping on Sunday afternoons and Tuesday evenings along with their friends. Roping was a completely new experience for me and I was unsure what to expect. Roping is done in pairs, there is a header to rope the cow’s head, and a heeler to rope the cow’s back leg. Both riders set off as soon as the cow is released.
Four friends and their horses arrived and Karla and I were in charge of making sure the cows were in the right place. We had to ensure the cows were lined up then released when the header nodded his head to indicate for the cow to be let go. The pressure was on but thankfully everything ran smoothly and it was brilliant to watch and be a part of.
Roping is also quite a social occasion and afterwards we all enjoyed a cold beer, having to work hard in 85 degrees, it tasted so good!
By this time, two other guests had arrived, Nadine from New York State and Shelly from Michigan.
The Rowse family are extremely hospitable, always making too much food, in case anyone drops in. For supper a feast of beef burgers, corn macaroni cheese, pasta, salad and chocolate brownies, some of the friends that had been roping also stayed for the meal with conversation and laughter filling the room.
Riding Up at 7am for a seven hour ride, it was time to check the cattle following a large breakfast of eggs and pancakes that set us up for the day.
Sept 29th 2011
Jerry allocated everyone a horse for the week and I was delighted to have Jessie, a 14.2hh Palomino Quarter Horse. She wasn’t quite the 16hh chestnut Thoroughbred I am used to, but after a quick groom I knew we were going to have fun.
For me this was the start of the holiday, the idea of riding all day long was heaven compared to catching an hour at night after work. Kyle and Erin showed me how to tack up western style and we were ready to go.
All tacked up, we headed for our rooms to use the toilet, seven hours is a long time not to go, and to get in to our riding gear. I had brought along a cowboy hat, which I wasn’t completely sure about and put on riding boots, jeans, a Tottie Uma shirt and Edie gilet just in case it turned cold.
I had to laugh and was surprised how much I looked like a cowboy - I was ready to start the part of the holiday I longed for – riding!
Jerry explained the main difference between English and Western riding is that English riding has close contact with the horse’s mouth, whereas in western riding they try not to touch the horse’s mouth. The reins aren’t connected; you hold them both in the left hand at equal lengths loosely and turn through your leg and body movements.
Jerry and Kyle are willing to share their years of ranch experience and cowboy knowledge, they have competed in the roping events at AQHA shows, Amateur and PRCA Rodeos and USTRC Team Ropings. Erin gave excellent advice and told
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