Continued >>
Both Sidney and Troy are skilled in the cowboy tasks and ranching chores and help out in the busy times when they aren’t in school.
Feeding the cattle with draft horses runs in the family, and has a long history in this remote valley.
Due to the large amount of snow in the winter, it is actually easier to feed with the teams and sleighs than plow roads every day to get tractors and wagons into the winter feeding grounds. While its nice to have the extra hands, Dennis and Mykal have strongly encouraged their children to see some of the world before they make a choice to come back to the ranch. Mykal states, “This place can be enough of a workhorse that by the time you are 40, it feels like you’ve been here a long while. It is not for everybody and you certainly don’t get rich ranching these days. It is a lifestyle and a choice. We feel very lucky to have raised our kids out here.”
When the Montana Snows Blow
Sidney and Troy Kirkpatrick throwing hay during a winter storm