In many areas of the state, Wyoming Game and Fish Department biologists and game wardens spend time in the backcountry as a routine part of their jobs.  Often, this fieldwork occurs in remote settings and is accomplished with the help of horses and mules.

Because of this aspect of the job, Game and Fish hosts a unique and highly specialized horse training for employees every three to four years.  The four-day training, led by Game and Fish staff that have years of experience working with horses and pack animals in a backcountry setting, took place in Meeteetse this year at the Fiddle Back Ranch and attracted 24 participants from around the state.

“Essentially, the training is preparing both horse and rider to work both effectively and safely in remote backcountry settings,” said Meeteetse Game Warden Jim Olson, lead instructor and organizer of the training. “Participants and their horses learn how to deal with hazards or obstacles that they might encounter in everyday situations like making contact with an ATV rider, backpacker or other horseback riders. They also are put through their paces in an obstacle course where horse and rider learn to work through obstacles and become desensitized to potential dangerous scenarios.”