The first WIR Circle of the year is taking place June 17-20th (it will be here in the blink of an eye)! Our facilitators have put together an incredible few days of hands-on skill building and self-exploration sessions-

Dig deeply into your relationship with self and connection to the land with facilitator Kathy Frisch. This grounding session will explore land stewardship from a life-nurturing perspective with themes of soil health, personal value-based goals, financial well being, long-term resilience, risk management and confident decision making. 

Adventure into new culinary territory, exploring culture, community, and self in a butchery/meat-centered group cooking workshop with facilitator Anica Wu. 

Mindful Movement Practice 

Cheri Trousil has a background in physical therapy and Qigong, and will lead us in movement to discover our center and ground ourselves in the landscape.

Work with April Martin on skills like self-trust, self-acceptance, self-love and standing confidently in your self-worth….plus a livestock auction- It’s not what you think but will be a lot of fun!

Guided, non-mounted work with horses to empower meaningful relationships that you will carry on in your community and out to the broader world, led by Beth Godbey and Cheri Trousil, trained in equine-based coaching and development.

This time is exactly what you would expect! Go take a walk, sit under a tree with a new friend, nap in the cabin, eat a snack, journal, go take a hot shower, you do YOU!! As women we are often doing for others, take this time and do something you enjoy for yourself.

Amber will lead us in conversations to elevate what each woman is most proud of in her life. These are small group exercises that deepen our skills in active listening and learning how to reflect upon and celebrate the journeys of our peers.

Embrace this season of renewal and escape with us to this uniquely beautiful and remote landscape of Wyoming—we’ll dive in deep and have a lot of fun while we’re at it.

 

A great big Hats Off to the Paicines Ranch Learning Center and TomKat Ranch for jumping alongside WIR and matching our sponsorship of the 8 Seconds Rodeo—two years running! It takes a community effort to do anything well!

 

“I was first introduced to horses through storybooks and being led around on an adorable Welsh pony while visiting family in North Carolina. I was hooked. 

 

Growing up in Illinois, I had opportunities to ride in open shows, go to rodeos, and generally learn by watching other children and adults compete. We were a ragtag crew. I rode horses no one else wanted, borrowed every piece of equipment and show gear, and worked the 5 am Hardee's fast-food drive-through every weekend to help pay entry fees (Welcome to Hardee's, where the food's the Star!). 

 

Horses opened a door for me; they introduced me to agriculture, food production, and caring for land. 

 

Ivan McLellan's 8 Seconds Rodeo not only provides scholarships to young people wanting to learn horsemanship skills but also helps us reimagine the future of the West. The mythical and legendary West and the present-day dominant society's representations of ranchers and farmers are both inaccurate and harmful. Ivan's work to construct new narratives and champion black cowgirls and cowboys gives our current and future generations something to believe in. 

 

Women in Ranching acknowledges that there are so many different and wonderful kinds of people caring for our land and rural communities. We are proud to support efforts that deconstruct mythical narratives by supporting and building new ones.”

 

Speaking of learning, read a little more about the history of black cowboys here.

This year, WIR is supporting the Old Salt Festival by sponsoring a stockmanship demo by Dawn Hnatow! Dawn is a stockmanship instructor from Sulphur Springs, TX. 

 

 

Presented by the Old Salt Co-op, the 2nd annual Old Salt Festival is a food & music celebration of Montana land stewardship held June 21-23rd, 2024. Bringing together top chefs, Americana musicians, Montana ranchers, and Western makers to celebrate in high Montana style on the Mannix Family Ranch. 

 

What does that mean? It means that attendees will be eating food grown by Montana producers and cooked by celebrity chefs, dancing to music with a deeply Western soul, and engaging with artists hellbent on keeping craft traditions and handhewn creativity intact. 

 

Their ‘General Store’ will feature nearly 40 vendors with handhewn goods and a few dozen non-profits supporting conservation and education in the American West.

 

They’ll also be opening up their stages and Engagement Tent to a series of educators, podcasts, and speakers. Guests include Ed Roberson of Mountain & Prairie, Hal Herring, Betsy Gaines Quammen, Chris Dombrowski, and others. Topics and experiences will include low-stress livestock handling, a mule packing demo with Chris Ayer, morning yoga with Alexis Bonogofsky, pasture walks on the Mannix Family Ranch, activities planned for kids, and more. 

WIR executive director Amber Smith was recently interviewed for an article in Saving Land Magazine highlighting programs in conservation that are elevating the voices of women, their influence, and thought leadership.

 

 

Tirzah Lane Art is partnering with Women in Ranching to create a calendar highlighting women who are doing the hard work. Submit an image below, and if it is picked by Tirzah, it will be turned into artwork for the monthly 2025 calendar and eventually into a wild rag! 

 

 

Cowgirl Artists of America and the A.R. Mitchell Museum of Western Art are thrilled to announce "Women's Work," an art exhibition featuring women Western artists.
Location

A. R. Mitchell Museum of Western Art 150 E Main St, Trinidad, CO 81082 

August 2-4, 2024 Opening Weekend 

56