Snow Colts

A big hill and deep snow provide the ideal training ground for young horses on the Van Norman Ranch in Northern Nevada.

My legs were heavy, weighed down by the wet snow that had almost of out nowhere accumulated around photographer David Stoecklein's truck. The cold air made it nearly impossible to catch my breath, despite the fact that the morning's low temperature was above seasonal averages.

We were 10 minutes into digging out the vehicle on a mostly deserted highway in Northern Nevada, and I was experiencing firsthand the benefits of working 2-year-old colts during the region's harsh winter months.

For as long as anyone cares to remember, folks at the Van Norman Ranch have put Old Man Winter to use in training young colts. Even the most rambunctious colt can't put up much of a fight when he's tromping through snow drifts that reach nearly to the underside of his belly.

"If I have a horse that's a little touchy or a little goofy about things, I can take him out in the deep snow and sure get him in the right frame of mind pretty fast," says colt starter Nick Dowers. "When he's sucking wind, he wants to renegotiate the contract. So, yeah, I really enjoy having the snow to ride in."

"It's easy to be a bit more brave when working in deep snow because the horses have to work so hard to cause any problems in that stuff. And if you do get bucked off, at least it's a soft landing."

Snow isn't the only reason colts are started in the winter. Cattle are fed in the morning, usually from December through early spring, and the rest of the day can be spent working with the colts. Considering the ranch is still mostly a family operation with few hired hands, it's important that colt starting comes when time is available.

For seven years, the Van Normans have brought in Dowers for a couple of weeks each winter to assist in starting the colts. He and the rest of the crew will put 10 rides on them... read more!