Turning up the drive off Marshall Canyon Rd, attendees were met with a bright MSU Extension sign and arrows pointing the way to the equestrian property on the fringes of the Lolo National Forest. They parked and followed the driveway past the hay barn, the fall colored trees, down the hill through the garden, and through the sacrifice area to the indoor arena. Breeders, trail riders, horse show competitors, dude ranch owners, conservationists and even one county
commissioner were greeted by the Harper’s dog, Rusty, and encouraged to peruse the line of tables advertising the plethora of resources sponsored by Montana State University Extension, Montana Farmer’s Union, Missoula Conservation District, Backcountry Horseman of Missoula,
and Montana Forestry Consultants. The crowd grew beyond expected numbers and the first annual Horse Farm Tour and Storytelling event commenced!
The educational portion of the Horse Farm Tour started at the Harper’s sacrifice area well placed on high ground between the hay barn and indoor arena. Three pairs of equine eyes stared back at us from around the geothermal water tank. The audience learned that a well thought out, improved sacrifice area is the very first step towards a productive land management plan. A sacrifice area, appropriately sized for the herd and amount of use, is where traffic is heaviest and nothing grows. Sacrifice areas are central to water, shelter, and hay storage. Natalie explained that she thinks of all horse properties, big and small, as having
three equine friendly areas; a sacrifice area, a “garden”, and a “flex” area. The “Garden” is how she things about the greenest and lushest part of your horse property. This is where land stewards, wanting green grass for their horses 6 months of every year, spend the most time and energy- as you would a vegetable or flower garden. You weed it, water it, and most importantly, protect it from overgrazing. The “Flex” zones are areas where you give yourself some grace. These could be alleyways to greener pastures, pastures that get heavier use due to life and circumstances, and generally are not as productive as the “Garden”. There were many ah-ha moments throughout the presentation.
The group continued out to the Harper’s rotational grazing area where we discussed manure spreading, soil testing results, strip grazing principles, and so much more! It’s beyond the scope of this article to describe all of the principles that the group learned, but suffice it to say that Dan and Natalie were a dynamic duo. Both had used rotational grazing systems for years and had made a lot of mistakes, but had learned from them, and made constant improvements to the health of their horses, land and soil. The major benefit of a well thought out grazing management system is LOTS of green grass year after year after year!
After much Q&A and observation, the group returned to the indoor arena, the fall light quickly fading outside. As dinner plates were being scraped clean, Natalie and Marge Harper went to the front of the arena and settled into seats. Guided by Natalie’s interview style questions, Marge recounted her memories of community philanthropy including acquiring and formalizing the agreement between the Missoula Horse Council and Missoula County for the property now
known as the Big Sky Horse Park. Marge was absolutely central to the development of the Big Sky Park and we are eternally grateful for her work. Next, Dan stood up and told of the time that him and Marge bred their very fancy Arabian mare to a Jack and basically were excommunicated from the Arabian horse club. Everyone chuckled. Finally, our very own county commissioner, Juanita Vero, stood up and, like a pro, told a story titled “Hybrid Vigor”. Much to the audience’s delight, the story wove together Juanita’s demographic story or heiress and ranch hand with her training of a morgan/mustang cross horse on the ranch. The story was magical and at its conclusion was met with wild applause.
The first annual horse farm tour and storytelling event was a wonderful success. The team of local organizations are excited to bring these hands-on, visual learning experiences to Wester Montana next year.
Stay tuned by subscribing to the MSU Extension Missoula County “Light on the Land Newsletter”- LINK HERE.
