I think it’s a bit of the Old West,” says Ron, as the scent of horses and hay, the sound of cattle in the distant pasture brings on a rush of memories, long forgotten dreams, desires and ambitions left unrealized. It’s nostalgia at it’s finest, and it takes me back to my youth.
I’m visiting Ron and Shelley Rosenberger at their ranch – Rocking R Cattle Company – and it’s difficult for me to stay focused on our conversation. Inside, I’m fighting a powerful urge to hop the fence, swing onto the back of one of those horses, and ride off into the timber-lined sunset. At least that’s how I’d always imagined it. Truth be told, I’m not much of a horseman, but that has never smothered the desire for the lifestyle.
The earliest memory I have of myself – I must have been 4 years old – I’m sitting on a handmade, hand painted rocking horse in Pinehurst, Idaho. Then, at age 5, I remember galloping around the living room on all fours as my father played his guitar while he sang his songs of the Rocky Mountains and of growing up as a country boy and cowboy in Idaho. It seems I was rarely without my pearl handled six-guns or my red, felt cowboy hat. You see, my father was a horseman, as was his father before him. Grandpa Jake was a cattle rancher down around Potlatch for a time, and his father before him ranched over into Montana. Ranching is in the bloodline, and as with many such passions, it was passed on to me as well; though I never had the opportunity to live it aside from buckin’ bales on occasion, and riding a horse now and then. I often dreamt of being a cowboy though, of riding out across the prairies on my buckskin mare, duster flapping in the breeze. I’d have a .357 at my hip, a lever action rifle in close reach, and my bedroll tied behind the saddle. I’d find a good pair of cowboy boots, and the perfect hat. I imagined myself as the man from Snowy River. I wanted to be a combination of Steve McQueen, Sam Elliot, and John Wayne. I longed for that life: to join the cattle drive from Lonesome Dove, to ride alongside Gus McCrae and Captain Woodrow Call, to lay out under the stars and be lulled to sleep by the sounds of cattle, and horses, and a crackling campfire. I longed for the smell of leather, and dust, and sweat; what a life it would be.
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I’ve only just met the Rosenberger’s, but as we talk, I realize I truly know these people. They’re practically kin.
In the 1980’s Ron took over what was once the family dairy farm and began ranching feeder cattle. In 1995, Ron and Shelley went to registered cattle. Their operation now winters about 100 head of registered Angus cows, on approximately 700 total acres, and feeds out between 6500 and 7000 bales of hay each year. Shelley speaks fondly of her 4-H days as a youth, and her desire to continue to support the organization. They raised two children on the ranch, both of them 4-H’ers. It’s not only taught them the value of hard work, but it created a powerful familial bond and sense of commitment. Says Shelley, “You’re closer when you have a common bond.” Their son, Blake, still works the ranch, raising his own family in like manner. Their daughter, Chelsea, moved away, but married a good, hard working cattle man of her own. “Once it’s in your blood,” Chelsea explains, “it’s always in your blood. You love it so much.”
“Once it’s in your blood, it’s always in your blood.”
When I inquired about the workload of owning a ranch and a construction company, Ron laughs. “When I’m working on the ranch,” he says, “I’m on vacation.”
One of the amazing qualities of our Coeur d’Alene area is that the romantic, Old West lifestyle is truly not that hard to find. There are a number of locals who own horses – a few are able to keep their animals on their own property. There are also established horse training, boarding, and riding facilities in the area (not a bad place to go to realize an old dream). And many, if not all, of the trail systems used for hiking, dirt biking, running, and mountain biking, are also open to horse traffic – remember, all other trail users should yield to horse traffic.
As for ranching, the Rosenberger family has a saying, “If you’re lucky enough to live on a ranch, you’re lucky enough.” N
By Toby Reynolds
As Featured In: Winter/Spring 2015