would you go??

I have this opportunity to go to montana to particapate in a cattle drive with my horse... I have never seen one other than in the movies so I don't know what questions to ask.

My dilemma...
I don't know who the person/people are who are hosting the cattle drive

I met them through a different forum and am trying to get as much info as I can before agreeing to anything...

They said I can bring my own horse denny and they would help me work with him before/during/after the cattle drive to figure out what he responds well to...

Its about 31 hours away and I have a limited time off for work... how would you trailer your horse that distance .. how long would it take.. it is worth it...
(my time limit is 1 week possibly can get a few extra traveling days.)

How long do drives last (usually , if that is even possible to guess)

Should I ask to borrow/work on one of there horses?? Should I fly out or drive there??

What questions should I ask them?? I have there cell phone number and can call whenever to discuss. I also sent them an email with a few questions a few minutes ago.

I would love to do this. I have always wanted to see what a cattle drive was like and yes I am sorry this is exciting for me considering we don't have much of these in NJ

Any info you guys think I should know before going would be much appreciated as this is truly a new experience and I have no idea what to say/do/expect...

Thanks :)

I'd love to do a Montana cattle drive, but I wouldn't take my own horse.

I'm sure they have horses trained to do the job that they can let you ride.

For a distance like that, I'd fly. No way would I willingly drive that far.

Call them and ask your questions. If they know you're not familiar with cattle drives, they certainly won't mind answering your questions.

Kait, my main question... Will your horse be able to make it physically? From what I've read (never participated in one unfortunately) it's lots of work for both - horse and rider. I know for sure neither of my mares would be able to participate, simply because they are not fit enough IMO. Plus hauling 31 hours can be quite exhausting for the horse and the driver.

No he wouldn't actually partake in the drive itself... sorry confusing...i am just so excited I left things out once again :( embarrassing)

He will be getting worked by one of the trainers/hands to figure out what he responds to while I work with one of there horses. He is NO WHERE NEAR READY FOR ACTUAL LONG WORK DAYS .. they have heard of the problems I am having through one of my trainers and they want to try working with him.

Oh, then yes, you'll need to have him trailered there if you want them to work with him.

You can send him via horse transport and you can fly. However, if it were my horse I'd probably make the trip with my own rig, and take several days to do it.

Most fun I ever had was going on cattle roundups in Big Sur California......Took a full weekend to move the cattle into pens... It was such fun.
Montana is beautiful country, I live in Wyoming and have done cattle drives here also.
You will love it, if it works out, go for it. One of the thrills in life is riding horses in beautiful country

Thanks everyone. I am going to call them this weekend. Its a family ranch and they really want to see what denny is like and try to figure him out. They do horse and cattle drives and have over 50 head of horses and about 400 or something cattle they mentioned...
So I would have a horse of theres to ride. I don't think I will trailer denny out there though. 31-34 hr not including stoppage time, for only a few days of possible work...doesn't seem fair nor effective in my eyes.. but its a shame bc I think it would help if it was a longer stay for both me and denny.

Hopefully I will learn alot...i can't wait.

They said I could fly out no problem and they would pick me up and drop me off and even will let me help out with chores to see what it is like on a working ranch (this was my idea..so I am extremely excited)...

I can't sit still. They even said I could bring my new puppy I was approved for as a training challenge for her. :) :)

Oh, I see. I just thought you plan on using him there to drive the cattle.

If you want him to get a bit of training and yourself to have some fun (and your time and finances allow it) then why not?