~The South Dakota Cowgirl~

Be My Valentine!

13 Feb posted by ~The South Dakota Cowgirl~

This week, just in time for Valentine’s day, I’m offering a great deal on any of my photos!

Use code: BeMine at checkout, for 25% off any purchase of $25.00 or more! You can use it all week, as many times as you’d like!

And if you’re in the state of South Dakota, or in a neighboring state and you need photos for your senior (or your family), have I got a deal for you!

It’s Wheeler Dealer Auction Week at Dakota Radio Group, and I’m offering some amazing photography packages. If you want a deal- this is your chance!

Don’t miss out on something beautiful!

Happy Trails!

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Filed Under: family, photography, pictures

Weaning Day

16 Feb posted by ~The South Dakota Cowgirl~

Super Bowl weekend we weaned all our equine babies. This past weekend, we weaned the Fridge.

He’s gotten so big, is very handsome, and is going to be gray just like his mama!

I took a couple videos. He wasn’t thrilled with being separated from her, and the feeling, is of course, mutual.

He is the biggest weanling on the place. He’s as big as the three year old mare I’ve got him with so he doesn’t get lonely.

Happy Trails and Happy Thursday!

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Filed Under: horses

Jake the Cow Dog

15 Feb posted by ~The South Dakota Cowgirl~

Yesterday was gorgeous. Though I shared one photo with you, so y’all already know that, right?

But what some of you probably didn’t see was Jake the Cow Dog, or the broodmares. Jake had to be my model, because I didn’t have a person to photograph and the day was too beautiful to waste! I took all of these with my iPhone as I was out looking for more of my escaped horses. I didn’t bother to haul out the big camera.

Isn’t he handsome?

I love this view- I’m looking at it, and so is he!

Jake is really a great subject. He’s as photogenic as the landscape and he sits and stays put!

I took a couple of the horses too.

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Filed Under: art, horses, photography, pictures

The View From Here

14 Feb posted by ~The South Dakota Cowgirl~

Today’s view:

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Filed Under: #Agchat, photography, pictures, ranching

A Day in My Life

13 Feb posted by ~The South Dakota Cowgirl~

Friday morning didn’t start out like any other day on the ranch. I say that tongue in cheek, as there really isn’t such a thing as a “typical” day.

At 6:30, when we awoke, I looked out the bedroom window to find a dozen saddle horses in our yard. That’s never a good sign, but it’s not usually a big deal either, save for that this morning, of all mornings, outside it was in the negative digits, temperature-wise. Add that to the fact that I had a non-negotiable trip to town planned for the morning- which involved taking calves to the sale barn, and well, I knew it was going to be one of “those” days.

I don’t fret over such things, though, as it’s just how life is sometimes. It’s better to just smile and get along than it is to be upset about things that happen.

As I got around and had a cup of coffee, I glanced out the living room window. What do you think I saw when I looked out that window?

If you guessed horses in the neighbor’s pasture, you’d be right.

I went outside and started the pickup.

I came back in, bundled up and got ready for the sale barn.

Then I climbed in the ranger, headed to survey the fence damage. Thursday, a cold front had come through, and the horses just got pushed through a not-so-hot, hot-wire fence.

Gumpy, and about 15 of his partners, were still in the pasture where they belonged, like good horses, and when I headed towards the hole in the fence, he took all his compadres towards the corrals, because he was certain I would feed him or something!

Then I set about rounding up the others.

Here’s some video.

They were in four different locations and it took a little bit of work. It was also discovered Saturday that I’d missed several head in the neighbor’s pasture. So that’s on my list for this week- at least it’s going to be in the upper 40s, as opposed to barely double digits!

Once I got all the horses situated, I went to the corral to sort off a stud horse named Nukie, a bull that isn’t ours, and to whom we don’t know who he belongs, and a wayward mama cow who came home a few weeks ago when we weaned her from her calf. We’ve been too busy to put her back to pasture, so she’s just been in the corral. That little job took a few minutes, and left me with 16 calves in the corral.

Then I got in my now, warm pickup, backed up to the loading chute, and in about 30 minutes had all my calves loaded. Sometimes the babies don’t know how to look for a “place to go”, so it takes longer to load them than it would if there had been cows or bulls that needed to go to town, plus I’m not nearly as handy as a rancher who’s been doing this since they were knee-high to a grasshopper!

Once that was finished, I realized my trailer tires were low. And as the queen of blow-outs, I had to rectify that situation prior to leaving. My fingers got cold.

And then I was off.

The calves got unloaded at the sale barn.
I ran errands and bought wine.
I headed home.

I got home, left the groceries in the pickup.
I started the tractor and watered some horses.
I fed hay to our escaped saddle horses, because the fence wasn’t fixed in their pasture.

I drove home, unloaded the pickup, cleaned the kitchen, and made hot-wings for dinner.

And then I had wine.

I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into my life.

Happy Trails!

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Filed Under: #Agchat, contests, horses, ranching

The Weekend, on the Ranch

6 Feb posted by ~The South Dakota Cowgirl~

This weekend we got all the mares in and weaned the babies, pulled all the stud colts off and put them in with all the saddle horses, and then turned the mares back out. Needless to say the corral has been noisy and there’s mares hanging out on the fence lines chatting with their babies.

I got to take some cool photos of the mares and babies as they came in to the corrals.

Did I mention it was a frosty morning?

One of my favorites:

At some point this week, I’m sure there’ll be a photo or two of a cute, fuzzy baby, but for now, these will have to suffice!

Happy Trails, and Happy Monday!

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Filed Under: #Agchat, art, horses, photography, pictures, ranching

Miss Indian Rodeo 2012

2 Feb posted by ~The South Dakota Cowgirl~

I had the great pleasure of photographing the 2012 Miss Indian Rodeo, Kelsey Knight, this week, and while some of you have probably seen her photos on Facebook, some of you may not have, so I thought I’d share them here as well.

This one seems to be the fan-favorite:

And this one is my favorite, I think:

Oh it’s so hard to choose! I love this one too:

And this one:

And the light in this one is gorgeous!

I’ll admit it. I love them all.

Happy Thursday and Happy Trails!

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Filed Under: cowgirls, photography, rodeo

Winter on the Ranch

31 Jan posted by ~The South Dakota Cowgirl~

Last week we had a thick fog roll in one evening. Whenever that happens and it gets really cold like it did that evening, we get a layer of Hoar Frost on everything. I hurried around that morning so I could get some shots of the scenery, pretty as it was with everything covered in frost. Here’s where I share them with you.

Mile View

Scatter Butte, From the South.

Trees in Scatter Butte Creek.

Camera Shy

Scatter Butte From the East

I hope you’re enjoying your winter!

Happy Trails and much love-

TSDC

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Filed Under: art, photography, pictures, winter weather

Gibbs The Horse

30 Jan posted by ~The South Dakota Cowgirl~

This week we’re having a guest post, and an auction for a needy horse named Gibbs! Natalie is a Good Samaritan and stepped in when she was needed. She’s a fiery, witty, driven and otherwise good human. Here’s the story!

I’m Natalie. I’m a horse crazy kid. I’m 25. Much to my mother’s chagrin I never outgrew this “phase”; I never went boy crazy; I never liked clothes. While other girls planned their weddings, I planned my state of the art equestrian facility. I dreamed of flawless hunter courses and daring jumper rounds instead of prom. When I thought of Prince Charming I wondered what kind of horse he’d ride and judged him accordingly. I have an expensive college degree and I’m (mostly) unemployed (This economy sucks, Natalie. I know how hard you’re trying! TSDC). Though I hate cats, I seem to be one as I always land on my feet.

This is Gibbs:

He is a 22 year old Holsteiner, I don’t know how he got this way, all I know is that he did. I’ve known Gibbs and his owner for nearly 10 years. They happen to train with *Trina The Trainer just like I do. From what I’ve gathered Gibbs just “fell apart” he wouldn’t eat, he got skinny, started acting weird at shows at the same time Owner started having personal life problems. Frankly, I don’t really care how, why (to delve into the why would pry into too many lives that don’t belong on the Internet), or when, but Gibbs was allowed to get into this condition.

I decided to do something about Gibbs.

That being said: I am poor. I say that in a cheery way. When I say poor I mean I qualify for food stamps, I never have more than $100 in my bank account, and I’ve managed to cut down my life bills so that I pay less than $300 a month to live. This includes my own horse Bubba:

(Bubba can be found on Twitter @TheBubba97)

While I’ve gone to college, sold my other horses, sold my truck, sold my car, sold my bicycle, graduated from college with a BS, and 2 years later I’m scrounging up random barn jobs to get by, he’s never wanted nor needed anything. His de-worming schedule might be a few months off, and he gets an annual vet visit instead of a biannual visit (or sometimes we skip a year), he’s never been sick, he’s never colicked, he’s never lost condition (he has had his bout with battle of the bulge once or twice) *lots of knocks on wood.* In my infinite wisdom I decided that this made me the perfect candidate to fix Gibbs. I hadn’t figured out the “how” part, the “why” was pretty obvious.

At this point I could have involved animal control, but since Gibbs is now on Trina’s property that would tarnish her reputation, even though she’s shoving more hay down his throat than he can eat. I also like Owner, she’s not a bad person, but sometimes life happens. Also, if I did report him and he was taken away who knows what would have happened to him. Cue my increasing frustration with the situation.

One day I was completely overwhelmed by his condition, I was angry, I didn’t understand how a horse could be allowed to get into such poor condition. I posted a picture to Twitter and Instagram and an hour later I had a plethora of responses asking how to help. I started the #GibbsTheHorse hashtag on Twitter and have collected over $300 in donations. Which is why Gibbs now looks like this:

-After just a couple of months! I’ve since put forth the idea of adopting him to Owner and she’s agreed. We sign the paperwork soon (as of Sunday night while I got this post ready, Natalie informed me that she was Gibbs’ official owner!)

In the future *Trina The Trainer and I will split his expenses as she’ll use him as a part-time lesson horse. He’ll also be available for half lease once his condition is fully recovered and hopefully, he won’t be too much of a financial burden. However, until then he eats: one bag of All-in-one ($12), One bag of Nutrena Senior Feed ($19), 5 bags of Stable Mix pellets ($60), and one bale of hay ($18) per week. That’s $109 per week and that doesn’t count his SmartPaks (probiotics and weight builder, soon to add flex) which are $25 a month. He’s in dire need of a vet visit for a check up and shots and needs his teeth done to the tune of approx $400.

There are many horses being auctioned off, sold to “killer” buyers, shipped over the borders and slaughtered, there are many horses starving to death because of neglect, many horses being turned loose, and rescues are full. Gibbs is lucky. I decided to save him but I need help to do so.

How you can help:
Donate Donate Donate
We like all kinds of goodies. Money is our favorite with SmartPak gift certificates running a close second, but we also like wither pads, half pads, a gently used bridle, new halter, brushes, etc. If you’ve cleaned out your barn and have some things Gibbs might need give us a shout.

Make donations via PayPal.

Wonder where the money goes? Never fear. The blotter is here!

Now, Natalie is no stranger to this blog. In fact, she’s actually donated a beaded horseshoe for a previous giveaway, and has an Etsy Shop. But this time she’s donated a hand-knitted scarf. I figure we can give it to the person who donates the most money (or goods) this week to Gibbs the Horse! The Contest will run from Monday, through Midnight PST on Friday Night. Natalie will have to get back to me with the results, but I’ll be sure to announce them as soon as I know!

We’ve now upped the ante- for every $75 dollar donation made, we are giving away a custom NatInDesign of your choice!

Here’s the pretty pink scarf:

Taking on a horse is a lot of responsiblity and most people who have trouble making ends meet woudn’t take on the responsibility! So let’s give Natalie some props for being up to the task!

Happy Trails!

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Filed Under: contests, horses

Red Wine Roast

26 Jan posted by ~The South Dakota Cowgirl~

Yesterday I posted “What’s for supper” at our house on my Facebook page, and managed to get everyone all excited, so I figured I’d share the recipe.

I cooked a Home-raised, Sirloin Roast in Red Wine. I should warn you- your house will smell amazing for hours and you will be good and hungry by the time it’s done.

As with any roast, low and slow is the way to go! Now, I cooked mine over the stove, but that’s not to say you couldn’t cook it in the slower cooker, or the oven, after, of course, you’ve seared the meat.

Here’s what you’ll need.

3-5 TBS olive oil
1 large yellow onion, quartered (purple would work too, but I think white might get too mushy)
3 cloves of garlic, peeled.
Salt
Pepper
2 cups of beef broth (or 2 beef bullion cubes disolved in 2 cups water)
2 cups of red wine (or more if you feel naughty!)
1/2 cup water
fresh or canned portabella mushrooms
red potatoes, quartered (optional)

Season the roast with salt and pepper or whatever else suits your fancy. Season all sides. (note- fresh rosemary would be lovely in this dish, but my rosemary bush has, sadly bit the dust in this winter weather).

In a large stock pot, skillet, or dutch oven, heat olive oil over med-high heat. When the pan is good and hot, add onions and garlic. Stir for about a minute. Then place the meat, fat side down into the pan. Cover and cook until seared, repeating on each side, about 2-3 minutes per side. Then add 2 cups of red wine, 2 cups of beef broth, 1/2 cup water, and potatoes if desired. Bring to a boil for about 2 minutes, then turn heat to low, cover, and let cook for 3- 3 1/2 hours (or until roast is tender). You’ll need to turn it a few times to best distribute the flavors. With 30 minutes left, add mushrooms.

And voila- gorgeous, tender and oh so tasty meat!

Now, we’re on a slow carb diet at our house, which is why there are no potatoes in the photograph. But if I were eating potatoes, it would have been even better. It was melt in your mouth tender!

If you wanted to do this in a slow cooker, You could sear the meat in a large pan first, then transfer it, the onions, and garlic to the slow cooker, add the broth, wine and water, place on high for about 1/2 an hour, and then turn it to low and go on about your day.

If you were going to cook it in the oven, I think 300 degrees would get you. It will take about 22-25 minutes per lb. of roast for a medium rare roast. So if you have a roast that’s 4 lbs, about an hour and half will get you. Please keep in mind that a sirloin roast is one of the more tender cuts of roast. If you were using say a boneless-top round roast, it’s about 35-38 minutes per lb to get the desired tenderness/doneness.

No go. Cook. And be merry.

Happy Tails!