Holland Ranch

ROAD TRIP…….I have been saying that it is time for a road trip for way to long so Toni, Keeley, Olive (Toni’s Aussie pup), Bazi and I decided to load up and head to the Holland Ranch north of Elko Nevada. Just a day trip and only 6 hours total on the road but none the less…a road trip it is. Soooooo bright and early (8am…well not sooooo early) we pulled out of Hagerman with 5 horses in tow. I Sayo I Love You, Haidas Smart Sayo, and WhyJamaicinMeSayoThat were all along for the ride to get feet trimmed and two of them got their first set of shoes put on while ThisChicsSmokonNic and FCB Playguns Miss are heading south to work for a living at their “summer job” at the Holland Ranch. So for those of you who have not made this trip come join along and I will tell ya a little bit about the things you see on the way down there……for those of you who have, well just pretend you have not (-:

Crossing the Snake River south of Hammett Idaho on Hwy 78

Once you go through Bruneau and past the Bruneau Dunes State Park you travel through about 80 miles of nothing but wide open desert as far as the eye can see. Toni and I of course are looking at this thinking “boy we could sure get some colts rode out here and give a whole new meaning to putting miles on one.”

As we did not stop in Bruneau for fuel we where all glad to see the Duck Valley Indian Reservation gas station and grocery store as we all know a road trip is not complete without a load of munchables…screw eating healthy on a road trip. lol


Duck Valley Indian Reservation

The Duck Valley Indian Reservation is situated in a beautiful,green valley on the Nevada/Idaho border. Established by Executive order on April 16, 1877, the site for this reservation was selected by Captain Sam, a Shoshone leader who felt that the plentiful wild game, anadromous fishes, wild berries, abundant water and the fertile valley soil held a promising future for our people. In 1886 and again in 1910 additional land was annexed to the Reservation to provide for the Shoshone-Paiute peoples,who later came here from the nearby areas to live. Today approximately 2,300 Shoshone-Paiute hold membership at Duck Valley.


Wild Horse Dam

Wild Horse Reservoir is the result of Wild Horse Dam on the East Fork Owyhee River in Elko County, Nevada and is used for recreation, irrigation, flood control and fish and wildlife protection purposes. Construction was completed in 1969. It has a normal surface area of 4.7 square miles. It is owned by U.S.D.I. Bureau Of Indian Affairs.

Wild Horse Dam


Holland Ranch

The Holland Ranch is owned and operated by Mitch Goicoechea and his wife Jonica along with their two kids Taylin and Teyton. Mitch is the fourth generation on this ranch with his great-grandpa Fernando, a Basque immigrant from Spain, being the first.

And we are here

This beautiful stretch of country currently runs about 3,000 yearlings and about 700-1000 momma cows. Needless to say there is no better way to make a good ranch horse then using them in country like this and around cattle like these cowboys do every day. Since this is where John is spending the summer I am fortunate to be able to send some of the girls of TS Quarter Horses that way to get a “real” education ranging from riding through yearlings, to sorting out pairs, roping yearlings that need doctored and draggin calves to the branding fire.

Miss Sunkist Fisty and John coming in from a morning of checking yearlings that have just arrived from Mexico

After a 4 hour drive south (took a little longer due to none stop stopping to get pictures) we arrived and the work began, for John that is, as he put shoes on the “kids” and trimmed way past due feet. The wind was only blowing about a 100 miles an hour so we all had a great time sitting around the big old time barn and at some point and time I am sure we all could have used some muck boots as the shit got pretty deep from all the BS’n going on after the guys got back from checking yearlings. We had originally planned to get some videos done of Busy Texas Chex to show her progress from her month of ranch work but the wind was so bad that this project will have to wait till I head back down there this weekend to help brand. I am in tears over that one lol.

The trip home was a bit on the interesting side as the weather was dang sure moving in and winds of over 70+ miles an hour are just no fun to drive in at all but thankfully the wind was blowing the way we needed to head and we all made it home safe and sound around 11pm. HA Im On The Go returned home with us after a month of work to get bred back to Little Shining Sun in hopes for a beautiful baby next year. I think she enjoyed her time in Nevada but I have a feeling she will enjoy hanging out with the broodmares a bit better then the every day ranch life.

After a month of work she returns home to be bred to Little Shining Sun

So with all that said I hope you all enjoy the photos below and be sure to join me this weekend as we’ll be heading south again to brand some calves, get more photos and hopefully a good video of “Busy”