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The Nature, Wildlife and Pet Photography Forum Presents:
The Old “Wild West” Still Exists! by Daisy Gilardini

Edited by James Morrissey

In the land of “Buffalo Bill” the icons of the old Wild West are still very alive and everything seems to have stopped a hundred years ago. While on assignment in Shell, Wyoming, I had a great opportunity to witness the everyday life in one of the biggest working ranches in North America which covers an area of 300,000 acres.

Hidden among the Big Horn Mountains, the ranch is in a great location: only one hour from Cody, two hours from Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Tetons but still away from the mainstream tourist area. The region offers an unseen variety of sceneries from half desert to rocky and green canyons, alpine forest, mountain pastures and lake country.

In this idyllic landscape, the ranch manages more than 3000 Angus Beef and 200 Quarter horses.

The definition of cowboy in the dictionary is a man on horseback who herds and tends cattle. Among other qualities such as courage, physical endurance, ability to cope with fatigue and exposure to challenging weather conditions, horsemanship is the most important of all.

The relationship between cowboys and horses is unique and profound. Trust, respect, care, love and passion are the basics of this relationship today as it was a hundred years ago.

A photographer among horses and cows

Horses: my first big love! I started horse riding well before I started travelling or taking pictures. Unfortunately, I had to give it up due to the frenzy of the modern world and consequent lack of free time.

For my 40th birthday, I really wanted to do something special and the idea of matching in one trip the two biggest passions of my life – horses and photography really excited me.

It is 7am when the alarm starts ringing… it is nice and cozy under the soft sheets in the log cabin where I am lodging. There is an unreal calmness outside and I soon realize that it is snowing. With a huge smile on my face, I jumped out of bed ready for breakfast!

The white landscape is magnificent. The orange leaves of the Aspen really stand out in the snow. In the pasture I can see the deer grazing and the horses running around. It appears they are also happy to see the first snowfall. After a hearty breakfast of egg, bacon, toast and fresh fruit, I am ready to join the cowboys and cowgirls to herd the cattle in the high mountain pastures.

The terrain covered with 15 cm of fresh snow is slippery and dangerous but the horses are incredibly agile and they seem to know perfectly well how to cope with these conditions.

Even if the work is not easy and the cows seem to prefer rough ground, I am enjoying one of the most memorable days of my life. Being among these real men and women, observing them working in and with nature, respecting the old traditions and living in simplicity, takes me back in time; a time of real values that have fortunately survived our “civilized” era.

To learn more about Daisy and her work, you may visit her website: www.daisygilardini.com

Just a friendly reminder that the text shared within this article is copyright 2010 and the property of James Morrissey and The Nature, Wildlife and Pet Photography Forum. The photographic images contained in this article are the property of Daisy Gilardini and have been licensed to the NWP Photo Forum. Neither the text nor photographic images may be re-distributed without explicit written permission.