“The other day” (a few weeks ago? a month ago?) Kelly and I had the opportunity to make a trip back home to Ronan, Montana and participate in The Chase Home.
Every year the Cheff Guest Ranch rounds up their herd of horses and mules from Winter pasture and drives them, on horseback, the 24 miles across the Mission Valley back to the ranch in the foothills of the Mission Mountains.
The Cheff family (and friends) have been doing this since 1986 and since it has been a staple event for most of my life, I naively thought I knew what I was getting into when I asked if we could tag along.
So naive.
The herd (and the riders crazy enough to take part) traverse the 24 miles in a little over 3 hours… at nothing slower than a fast trot.
We were there to document the event.
The morning of The Chase Home, a few riders gather the herd from their Winter pasture and hold them until a designated time. Everyone else who will be riding gathers at Sloans Bridge and prepares to join the herd. The ride starts with a jaunt across the bridge and a sharp 90 degree angle, following the road up what is known as Coyote Grade.
Kelly and I decided it would be a good angle for pictures if we rode ahead and caught the herd crossing the bridge before falling in behind to ride drag. Have you ever had a herd of 75+ horses and mules running toward your horse while you’re trying to convince him to stand still so you can get some pictures? I’ll just let you imagine it (while you’re at it, throw in some real good bucking attempts from a certain roany pony).
Because of Spur’s shenanigans, we actually started off WELL BEHIND the herd and had to really push to catch up.
We did catch up though.
The herd moves at something between a fast trot and a lope the whole time and it’s a lot of work for the rider’s horses because there always has to be a group of people in front of the herd, not only for the herd to follow but to peel off into driveways, holes in the fence, open gates, etc. to block the herd from going somewhere you don’t want them to go.
So we “meandered” (very quickly) across the back roads, crossed US Highway 93 (a main drag to Glacier National Park) straight into Kicking Horse Reservoir.
People had been telling me the whole ride that “once we cross the highway, it’s a great time for pictures, it’s so picturesque with the horses all lined out under the snow-capped mountains.” What they forgot to mention was that once we cross the highway, the herd “lines out” at a gallop and may the odds be ever in your favor that you survive the bogs and holes and random t-posts.
We did survive though.
Honestly, this was unlike anything I have ever done before. I was terrified. I was physically ill by the time we unsaddled (still not sure why… altitude sickness maybe?). But it’s definitely something I would do again and I’m super grateful to the Cheff Family for generously allowing us to join them!
Visit the Stetson blog to read more about The Chase Home.
Visit the Cheff Guest Ranch website for more information about them and their business.
Visit the Cheff Guest Ranch Instagram to keep up with their day-to-day.
