Women in Ranching Horsemanship & Stockmanship Recap
Fine Tuning Skills & Building Connection through Horses
by Hannah Luz Rice
October 20th, 2025
A pleasant and somewhat surprisingly warm day in late September brought together an incredible group of women from all over Montana, Wyoming and even as far as Germany!
The Women in Ranching Applied Horsemanship & Stockmanship Workshop took place September 25th-28th at Wide Sky Adventures in Big Timber, Montana.
This workshop was created with a clear and heartfelt purpose: to offer women a space to build skills, stockmanship, confidence, and community through horsemanship. During the opening introductions everyone was invited to show up authentically and reminded that throughout the weekend, there were no mistakes, only moments of opportunity and to shed any doubts because the hardest part is showing up!
Opportunity presented itself right away as we shared laughter and learning moments while refining our trailer backing skills to get all the trucks and trailers parked. That evening the group sat down for a shared meal of curry soup with red lentils, goat meat, salad and homemade sourdough bread. All weekend long the group was spoiled by the delicious meals that Chia Thrane so lovingly prepared. Healthy breakfast and hearty dinners were enjoyed by all and a crowd favorite were the delicious meatballs made with a blend of Mannix beef and Chia’s own Healthy Meadow’s goat meat.
Friday morning everyone loaded up and went to the arena, eager to begin the day's activities. The group stepped into the present moment and reviewed the importance of individual mindset, attitude, and listening to one’s horse. We trotted circles to warm up and moved into drills that focused on flexion and isolating individual body parts to improve communication and cuing. Not an easy task, but well worth practicing and as Erica put it “developing this feel and timing takes a while – it might not happen right away, maybe not today, this weekend or even fully for years. Be patient and it will pay off!”
Back at Wide Sky the evening conversation lingered around the campfire as everyone shared their favorite moments and learnings from the day’s activities. Tired and fulfilled, everyone turned in for a good night’s rest. The next morning began with an uplifting and warming QiGong session provided by Cheri which prepared everyone for a day focused on cattle work. Moving from individual work in the round-pen to small groups in the field was a great blend of slowing things down and working with the horse (and each other) on techniques of applying pressure to stock, the reward of the release, understanding flight zones, animal behavior and so much more!
By the final morning, the group had settled into a rhythm centered around horse time. Over breakfast each person shared valuable insights of how subtle body movements shape communication, and the importance of pausing to notice frustration and welcoming those moments as teachers. One woman summed it up beautifully: “Learning begins with the experience, but the ah-ha moment comes from the reflection.”
After the cattle drive was accomplished with ease and in a relatively short amount of time the group opted for a little more time in the saddle and took the scenic route back, not wanting to untack and hit the road too soon, it was clear that the weekend had offered more than just a workshop, it had created belonging and deeper connections by way of the horse.
WIR would like to thank everyone who took part in making this workshop possible from the dedicated horse girls that showed up, to the facilitators: Erica Mannix, Cheri Trousel,and Kelsey Nelson, who generously shared their skills and expertise. Thank you Abby and Alex Nelson for hosting us at Wide Sky Adventures and providing such a beautiful and welcoming space that kept us all (including horses) safe and warm at night. The meals that kept our bellies full and bodies nourished all weekend long, Chia Thrane from Healthy Meadows, and to Mariah Gladstone for capturing special moments on and off horseback. Thank you!
