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 FLINT--The Schiferl family really got serious about horsemanship after they purchased Flint, the horse in this family photo. Flint was a problem horse but Greg and Jan Schiferl did not give up on him or themselves. Pictured with Flint are Sarah, Megan, Greg, Jan, Tyler, and Tanner Schiferl. (Photo courtesy of WJ Ranch.) Horses and riders come together at WJ Ranch
"It is amazing how quickly things can go along if it is done correctly," Schiferl said. "When everything is peachy, everything is fine, but when things go wrong that is when we get the phone call," Schiferl said. By Doug Rich Usually a problem is a bad thing, but for Greg and Jan Schiferl it was the beginning of a good thing. The problem was a two-year-old grade draft cross horse named Flint. His size and muscling made him a good prospect for a cattle horse. Unfortunately he had been abused before the Schiferls purchased him and they were the recipients of his bad behavior. "Flint could buck like no other horse we had ever seen," Jan Schiferl said. "He would seem like he was doing okay but just the slightest wrong movement would make him feel the need to unload." At one point the Schiferls, who own WJ Ranch near Fordyce, Neb., thought about putting him on the rodeo circuit as a bucking bronc. They decided instead to improve their horsemanship and find a new way of handling problem horses like Flint. Greg and Jan Schiferl began attending horsemanship clinics and met trainers like Tom Dorrance, Harry Whitney and Ray Hunt. "It was Ray who helped send our family on a life-long journey that we are enjoying today," Jan Schiferl said. "The instant Greg saw Ray and watched him ride, he knew that he wanted to work at attaining a level of horsemanship beyond what most are happy to have." Six years ago the Schiferl family, Greg, Jan, and their children Tyler, Megan, Sarah, and Tanner, built a barn and indoor riding arena on their ranch near Fordyce, Neb., so they could share their passion for horsemanship with others. "We enjoy meeting people and their horses and sharing some of what we are learning," Schiferl said. "We want to promote horsemanship and show what it has done for us." What they have learned is that the horse is very seldom wrong, but the rider/owner usually is. Their work involves showing horse owners the right way to work with a specific horse. "Horses are smart, thinking animals, but you can't drive a square peg into a round hole," Megan Schiferl said. Megan said horses are naturally herd animals and accustomed to establishing a pecking order. If you let the horse be on top of the pecking order there is going to be trouble. "It can't be a force issue because the horse will win that contest every time," Megan said. "He is a lot bigger than you." Whenever the Schiferls take in a troubled horse they try to get the owner as involved in the process as possible. "If they just want to drop their horse off and come get him in 60 days we don't do it," Jan Schiferl said. "It is fun to see the results when people realize it can be a partnership." How long they keep a problem horse or a colt they are starting depends on how the horse is mentally. There is no set time. They wait until the horse and the owner can get along pretty well. When they start a colt they are usually on him the first or second day. "It is just amazing how quickly things can go along if it is done correctly," Schiferl said. The Schiferls do a four day colt class in June where people can bring a horse that has never been ridden. By the fourth day they are able to have everybody saddle up and head down the road for a short ride. The Schiferl family will take the rough edges off a horse but they don't do any training for a specific type of riding. When they are done the horse and rider will be fundamentally sound and can go on to anything from there. In addition to working with problem horses they start colts for people. Using the same basic fundamentals they use with the problem horses. Tyler Schiferl started eight colts last summer while he was home from college. "If we had a choice we would rather have something that has not been worked with before," Jan Schiferl said. "Horses might forgive but they never forget." More often than not they get horses that have already been to other trainers but did not show any improvement. "When everything is peachy, everything is fine, but when things go wrong that is when we get the phone call," Schiferl said. Besides working with horses themselves the Schiferl family hosts several horsemanship clinics at their ranch every year. They try to bring in at least one nationally know clinician every year. This June they had Bryan Neubert at their ranch for a clinic. Neubert is from northern California and has spent over 20 years cowboying and riding colts on some of the largest ranches in California and Nevada. He has worked with Tom Dorrance and Ray Hunt. He travels across the country helping people with colt starting, horsemanship, and cow working demonstrations. "Greg believes God created horses to bring people together," Schiferl said. The Schiferl family accomplishes this goal with clinics, ranch tours, concerts, trail rides, and a Cowboy Christmas that they hold at their ranch every year. Every summer they take 10 to 12 people on what they call their "Cowboy Adventure." This trip to Helena, Mont., is designed for people who have never hauled their horse very far by themselves. The Schiferl family makes all the over-night arrangements, feed, rest, and trailering for the horses. At the ranch they do trail rides up into the mountains. "All they have to do is come along," Schiferl said. "If you have trouble on the road it is nice to have a group for support." They found that out the hard way last year when the clutch went out on their truck. "It is a very fun trip, we even have a camp cook," Schiferl said. Greg and Tyler make a second trip to Montana every summer to start colts for a rancher near Glendive, Mont. Every fall for the last four years the Schiferl family has hosted a concert at their ranch. They transform the indoor riding arena into a concert hall that seats about 500 people. There is a western theme and the guys direct car parking on horseback. "We get groups that don't mind setting up in a barn," Schiferl said. This fall, Baxter Black will be making a return visit to WJ Ranch. Riders in the Sky and Michael Martin Murphy have performed at WJ Ranch in the past. "This is what it is all about, bringing people and horses together," Schiferl said. Just in case you were wondering about Flint, the horse that started the whole thing, he is doing well on a ranch in Montana. He became one of Greg's favorite horses to ride on the trail and rope calves. It has been a very happy ending for a problem horse. Doug Rich can be reached by phone at 785-749-5304 or by e-mail at richhpj@aol.com. 10/15/07 Date: 10/10/07
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