Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54Our team of Young Marines was split in two (as was our day). One day we’d spend the morning working the ranch, as regular ranch hands; pulling brush, building fences, picking up rocks out of the corral. The second half of the day was spent riding horses; herding cattle, herding colts, and riding the range.. The next day the teams would switch. The last hour or so of the day was spent working with yearlings…colts who’d had very little human con- tact. This part was perhaps the most rewarding for most of the Young Marines as they were each assigned a colt to work with, and the colts progressed each day from skittish and not wanting any human contact, to following around their Young Marine like a puppy by the end of the week. Each stage brought out different skills and experiences for both the adults and the Young Marines. Many of our Young Ma- rines were not accustomed to work that produced blisters, but they valued the thrill of accomplishment…meeting a measur- able goal or task as a team. A reassuring note for many was that as hard as they worked, the adults worked just as hard or harder right next to them. As far as riding the horses, I was proud of my Young Marines as I watched their confidence build in the way they worked with their horses, and their skills develop day by day. The Cowboy Experience at Montana’s Dryhead Ranch YOUNG MARINES ESPRIT ONLINE 39