Learning opportunities unique at Range Practicum Feb. 20 in Denver

The Range Practicum, set for Thursday, Feb. 20, is a hands-on land and livestock training at the National Western Complex in Denver. It will begin at 8 a.m. and end at 4 p.m.

The highlight of the day is a low-stress livestock handling workshop led by Whit Hibbard of Montana. He is a Bud Williams protege and a decades-long student of low-stress livestock management. This includes horsemanship, ranch roping and facilities design. Hibbard brings critical thinking, evidence-based wisdom and practical research skills to working livestock.

The practicum also features a Women in Ranching Forum. This keynote event highlights leading women in ranching across the West. The diverse panel includes women with nonranching backgrounds and those whose families have been ranching for many generations. Topics will range from “Betting it All” to “Using Bison to Regenerate Grasslands” to “Regenerative Ranching.”

The Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service and Mantle Ranch of Wheatland, Wyoming, will host a day-long wild horse training demonstration. Topics include handling fresh trapped horses, first touch and halter starting the untrained horse. Wild horse and burro issues will be addressed along with other topics. At the end of the day there will be a trained wild horse auction.

There will be several horse and mule packing sessions. This hands-on class is introductory through intermediate packing. Advanced packing demonstrations will also be given. The class will be flexible and focus on Decker-style packing and sawbuck-style packing demonstrations. Class participants’ requests will guide the discussion and demonstrations.

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