Welcome to the FLYING X RANCH.
799 Halleck Canyon Rd
Wheatland, WY 82201
307-322-9626 (p) 307-322-1914 (f)
fxr@myfxr.com
Important! EHV-1 Confirmed in Colorado Horse May, 2012
On Friday, May 11, 2012, a horse located at Castlewood Equestrian Center in Douglas County tested positive for the neuropathogenic strain of the Equine Herpes Virus (EHV-1) and had to be euthanized. You can read the story in the Denver Post HERE.
What this means to the Flying X Ranch:
The Colorado Agriculture Department has not recommended travel restrictions as they did in 2011. All known cases or possible sources of contamination have been isolated. As of right now there are no restrictions coming from the Wyoming Highway Patrol.
At this time the Flying X has no additional restrictions on horse transport or boarding. We will watch the case closely and bring updates as they are available.
The Rock of Memories
Years ago, it was noticed by several Partners and our ranch managers (Sonny & Cheryl), that we were losing and had lost several of our Partners to death. Those of us remaining had burned enough brain cells that our memories were also slipping away. “When did he pass?” “Wasn’t she the one that made the great chocolate cake?” “Didn’t he have that funky old jeep?” “Boy, I miss going fishing with him.”
It was determined to set aside a quiet, beautiful corner of the ranch to place a memorial to our deceased Partners. A lovely place where we can restore our fond memories and share stories of the days when we all were together. Toby SerVoss, a local stonecutter/artisan, had for years worked the Raven Quarries up Tunnel Road on the Kennedy Ranch. At this time, Toby was living on the old “Wonder Ranch” where the Bluegrass meets Highway 36. He and Sonny made a trade – Toby would make the Memorial stone out of black granite and Sonny would do a little dirt work for him with our equipment. Toby had the engraving and polishing done and in the spring of 2000, he and Sonny set the stone on the gentle slope near Olinger.
A few weeks later, we had our first Memorial Day service at Olinger to read the names of the Partners that had previously passed and to attach their names to the stone. Every Memorial Day since, (weather and roads permitting), volunteers have carried the names of our passed Partners on horseback to the service by the lake. New names of loved Partners that passed in the previous year are added to the stone. Stories are told, tears are shed and there are plenty of hugs shared all around. Naturally, the hot coffee and refreshments are always grand.
Toby SerVoss also made the Memorial stone to Doc, our well-loved and long lived burro. That stone is on the left side of the road, near the flag, as you enter the ranch house area just past the gate.
If you are going to be at the ranch over Memorial Day, take the time to join your friends for the service by the lake. It is truly a warm, moving and sharing moment.
-- Gail (Heidbrink) Thompson
Sidebar: Raven Quarries produced two types of granite until 2003. The black amphibolite quarried here, called Wyoming Raven, was used to construct Bill Gate’s house in Seattle Washington. Other uses included decorative accents in federal buildings, church cornerstones, and monuments like ours. A variegated pink granite, first called Fantastico, then Mirage, was quarried until February 2003. (Reference: http://www.wsgs.uwyo.edu/AboutWSGS/stone.aspx)
