TEN YEARS LATER - SURVIVING STORM ATLAS (ARTICLE IN CATTLE BUSINESS WEEKLY)

View fullsize

Storm Atlas: Loss of horses touches heart of Rainbow Bible Ranch

By Connie Sieh Groop, Cattle Business Weekly

“After Storm Atlas, we probably asked ourselves a hundred times, ‘What would we have done differently?’ And the answer is nothing,” said Larry Reinhold of Rainbow Bible Ranch located on the Lonetree Ranch at Sturgis, SD.

Knowing a storm was brewing, “We brought the cattle closer as we were in the midst of fall calving. The animals were in a good shelter. We brought a lot of horses closer, too. We put the younger ones by the windbreak and took as many precautions as we could.”

Still, when Oct. 3 arrived, “It reminded us of our mortality. Sometimes we think we can handle things on our own. We realize how human we are, we aren’t as big and strong as we think we are sometimes. We can’t handle it all on our own.”

With a blizzard predicted, the Reinhold family moved down to the Rainbow Bible Ranch Camp building with Larry’s dad. The facility included what they needed in case of power outages, a cistern for water, and propane for heat. 

Unbelievable

At first light after the storm, they saw one of their herd bulls standing on the front patio. “We could see from the snowdrifts that he’d walked in. He was in a pasture a mile away so it was strange that he found his way to the camp.”

As they looked towards the shop, “We saw a gelding who should have been way north. He huddled by the haystack with some other horses who were dead or dying. We couldn’t fathom what was going on.”

As soon as he could, Larry started the tractor and moved snow to get feed out to the animals, never realizing how much devastation he’d find. 

As she headed out, Rachel peeked over a fence and held up her fingers to her dad — nine of the young horses were dead. “I thought, oh my word,” Larry said. “Pushing snow, we found 16 dead. By the time we were done, 60 head of horses were dead. It wasn’t pretty. The storm did not result in any peaceful deaths.”

Larry explained their operation. “We run a lot of horses for our Bible camp. We only lost eleven head of cattle which is really a miracle. The Hereford cows stayed where they belonged. We like our cows, but we build a relationship with our horses. It’s not only our crew at the ranch but the 400 plus kids who visit us every summer.”

The family and crew develop a special bond with the horses. One daughter described it best by saying, “You could pour your heart out to them and they would listen.” Losing so many animals in the storm hit the kids hard. It was difficult to witness the extent of emotional damage caused by the storm.

As the Reinhold family continued to search, they didn’t know where the saddle horses were that were used at the camp. “We hoped they were holed up in some draw and didn’t give up hope.”

Rachel and Molly rode out in the breaks looking for the horses. The snow had partially melted by then. They could see what happened to the 30 really good saddle horses. Some lay at the bottom of a deep draw and others strung out across the flat for three-quarters of a mile.

Belief in God

Even dealing with all the loss, the Reinholds believe, “Life is vulnerable, life is short and we are finite. Our family firmly believes God is our sustaining power. That’s how we can keep going. Many people expressed concern and interest. It touched us with the outpouring of care from all over the country. The saddle horse group was brought together in three or four months with the help of some supporters.”

There were rumors that Rainbow Bible Ranch would not have camp that summer. “When our kids heard the rumors that camp would close, they said, ‘Are you kidding? We’re not going to let some little blizzard stop us.’ That is faith --- they expressed it; God has this. We had camp that year, which was really a miracle that we could put together so many good horses. No matter what, we kept going. This is a perfect example of the sustaining power of God in our lives.”

Building back

Larry said they could have had several hundred head of horses after the storm. Sadly, some were not in good condition for the camp. They were fortunate that, “We had a donation of seven good old ranch horses. A couple from Montana brought over a red sorrel gelding. We could tell it had been near and dear to their hearts, but its owners could see our need. Another young guy who had come to our camp brought us his roping horse.”

The Reinholds went to the Black Hills Stock Show sale that following February. It was a good sale and they bought 13 horses and only had one that didn’t work out. Some needed riding to get ready for the kids, but they were good.

From his experience, Larry finds it takes seven years to make a really good camp horse. Some may think they have better riding and training techniques but, “I’ve trained with wet saddle blankets and find it takes time to get a good horse to use on the ranch or for other people’s kids to ride.”

Larry knows the storm put a lot of stress on cow herds with more open cows than normal. One family that had had bought bulls from the Reinholds brought a couple of nice Hereford heifers. They still have some of her calves in the herd.

From Larry’s perspective, families stayed on the ranch no matter what. And because of what happened during Storm Atlas, they are closer than ever. The ranch will always hold a special place in their hearts. They lost living, breathing creations of God. “I think there will always be a softer heart towards livestock and each other.” 

The storm and aftermath could harden the heart or make it more tender. Larry thinks it made hearts more tender. “There isn't an old guy who wouldn't tear up sharing their story. The brevity of life provides a whole different perspective.”

KNBN - TELEVISION INTERVIEW JULY 2014

The Road to Recovery: Part One
KNBN Newcenter 1
Stephanie Kayser
July 2014

The early October blizzard left a lasting scar on the Black Hills, and months later many ranchers say that they still have a long way to go. The Reinhold’s have a ranch in Sturgis and never could of imagined the devastation Storm Atlas caused. And despite rumors that they wouldn't be able to be open for summer camp, their determination shined through and this is their road to recovery: The devastating early October blizzard is still fresh in the minds of many Western South Dakota ranchers. And for Larry and Robin Reinhold it is very personal tragedy, losing close to 100 horses. "You just build stories with these horses and I think that’s what makes them so special,” said Larry and Robin Reinhold, Owners of the Rainbow Bible Ranch. These horses were used for summer camp that teach children valuable lessons. They are an investment of time, money and energy, but the Reinhold’s say its impossible to put a price tag on the loss; these horses were like family members. "They have a personality and you get to know them and working with them they become pretty close,” said Robin Reinhold. The realization of what happened is still surreal to the family. “When I look at what our kids went through and our neighbor kids went through, it will never be the same,” said Larry Reinhold. Elongating the grieving process as many campers arrive hoping to see their favorite horse at camp this year, but more often than not that answer is no. "There have been some tears shed as the kids come, Larry shares with them what happened and how we found the horses and just how difficult it was and you’ll see some of those campers just wiping their eyes as they just process what really happened,” said Robin Reinhold. It is a hard reality for campers to come to terms with, and a painful memory the Reinhold’s will never forget. Recalling the morning after the blizzard hit and discovering their horses’ buried under feet of snow. “It still is surreal aspects to remember that count, four head, eight head, 16, 36 and the numbers just kept going up,” said Larry Reinhold. Good, reliable camp horses gone in a blink of an eye. The aftermath, brought families and communities across the state together. The rancher relief check they received is the perfect example of people's generosity. “When you look at how many people from all over pitched together to come up with that, people that we don’t even know it touches your heart,” said Larry Reinhold. Jump starting them along the road to recovery. The family purchased new horses at the Black Hills Stock Show and well-trained horses donated to them by strangers. Buying 30 to 40 horses, the Reinhold had to start with the basics, training horses be ready for summer camp. Putting in long hours of riding to be able to match campers up to the right horses, so that both are benefitted. "Every single day so many kids ask did so and so make it, did Kip make it, did Frosty make it through the storm, and no, but at the same time there on these new horses their on Rock and Missy and they are getting along with them really well so there really excited about it,” said Rachel Reinhold, Larry and Robin’s daughter. Making progress and bringing rainbow back to what it was before Storm Atlas. "The blizzard was really hard, it was definitely life changing, not a day goes by that I don’t think about it, but at the same time there’s been so many cool things that have happened,” said Rachel Reinhold. Creating memories with new life long companions. "It was good to just be ready for that because there was a lot of people questioning if we'd be open and my family and I never had any doubt that we wouldn't be open,” said Molly Reinhold, Larry and Robin’s daughter. Now with the first few weeks of camp under their belt, the Reinhold’s are confident and ready for the rest of summer. "We are grateful we are really grateful and we press on,” said the Reinhold’s.

The Road to Recovery: Part Two
KNBN Newcenter 1
Stephanie Kayser
July 2014

Rainbow Bible Ranch provides many valuable lessons to children from across the United States. And rebuilding after Storm Atlas, the Reinhold’s show just how important wading the storms of life are. Rainbow Bible Camp provides a place of hope in the face of disaster. The ranch was devastated by Storm Atlas. Now Larry and Robin Reinhold and their six children are picking up the pieces. "Those were some really hard days definitely during the storm," said Rachel Reinhold, Larry and Robin's daughter. "Just thinking about summer and what's going to happen, are we going to have horses and seeing now what's come through that has been really awesome." But recovery is in the Reinhold’s DNA, it's one of these heartbreaking event that is the very reason Rainbow Bible Ranch exists. It was a dream of Larry and his brothers to turn the ranch into a summer camp. But when a terrible accident in May of 1979 took the lives of his two brothers and a friend, that future was questioned. "My brothers were my best friends, but it was through that storm that we contimplated do we proceed with the dream of a camp in Western South Dakota," said Larry Reinhold. The answer was yes, and the Reinhold’s held their first summer camp in 1980 with 27 children. "Rainbow was kind of born out of a storm and even the name, Rainbow Bible Ranch, the rainbow is significant because God used it as a sign of his promise in the old testiment, but for Rainbow Bible Ranch, the day that my brothers drowned, there was a rainbow over this reservoir," said Larry Reinhold. A reminder through the good times, and keeping the family strong through the hard times. "The new horses has been a challenge, but we feel we are fairly close to being on target, half way back to normal on the horses this year," said Larry Reinhold. And despite not having time to get the word out and with rumors of closure, shutting down was never an option. "The numbers are way ahead of what we even dreamed of," said Larry Reinhold. Campers enjoy time fishing, shooting and riding their favorite horses. The staff worked overtime to see how the new horses would respond to as many as four or five different riders a day. "I have 15-20 people on staff that are just pouring their hearts out, and we have about 40 head of horses that are doing the same thing," said Larry Reinhold. The Reinhold's say training a good camp horse can take up to seven years, however with generous donations and hard work, they were able to cut that time down to just a few month. Caleb Clark has worked at the ranch for seven years, through drought, flooding and now the blizzard. He came back this year not knowing what to expect. "They were like my friends, my best friends too, so it was tough to take it," said Caleb Clark, a wrangler at Rainbow Bible Camp, "But I guess it didn't really hit me super hard until it was the first week of camp and we we're kind of just sitting there talking and stuff and they decided to just show some pictures, I guess seeing those, seeing those pictures and knowing which horse it was and thinking of a memory with that horse, whether it was a camper or I rode it before then it really hit me." The camp will never be the same after the loss, but determined to get back in the saddle, the staff are hopeful about the future. "We're definitely getting to where we know the horses now, so you can look at a kid and say you would be perfect on Rock," said Rachel Reinhold. And the campers are excited about making life long memories on new friends. "I come here, I try to come here each year and it's my favorite camp by far that I go too," said Micah Nelson, a camper at Rainbow Bible Ranch. The Reinhold’s say in a way the kids are helping to heal the ranch and are proving why they opened in the first place. "The neatest thing thats happening on this ranch is what's happening to those kids out there," said Larry Reinhold.

FROM KENDRA PAULTON

From Kendra Paulton’s Blog
A TASTE OF THE WEST

I first attended Rainbow Bible Ranch in 2002 as a horse-crazy teenager.  I went back in 2003 for their two-week long session called Legacy II and my life was never the same.  I was head over heels in love with western South Dakota, the ranching way of life, and the spectacular ministry of Rainbow Bible Ranch.

Rainbow Bible Ranch is a biblically based youth camp situated on a real working Hereford cattle and American Quarter Horse ranch in Meade County, South Dakota.  Every summer for the past 30 years, the Reinhold family has welcomed hundreds of youth between the ages of 6 and 18 to share in their lifestyle as they explore God’s creation, ride quality horses, and learn about ranching and — most importantly — Jesus Christ.

The weeks are filled with laughter, competitions, good food, friends, new experiences, learning, and growth.  I can easily say that my two years as a camper, followed by three summers of being on staff, were some of the best summers of my life.  I loved watching the excitement and wonder of a child seeing a baby deer for her first time; a shy camper opening up while horseback, giggling as we trot across the open prairie.   I could go on and on…

In October, ranchers all across our area were hit by the destructive winter storm Atlas.  Thousands upon thousands of head of cattle were lost, as were numerous horses.  Rainbow Bible Ranch was not unaffected by this storm.  They tragically lost 90 head of horses in this record breaking winter storm, including 30 of their best camp horses.

These horses weren’t just HORSES.  They were friends, comrades, ministry partners.  They were solid, beautiful, sound, genuine equines that faithfully took care of hundreds of campers Every. Single. Summer. without a single complaint.  I could put my shyest, most nervous 6 year old up on one of these gems, and know that young camper was going to be taken care of.  The next week, I could put a daring teen up on the same horse – and that camper could have a grand time cutting cattle out of a herd in winning time at the rodeo.

“So will you have camp next summer?” has been a common question presented to the Reinholds.  The answer is a resounding “YES!”

The Reinholds have been busy working to Rebuild Rainbow’s Remuda of fine camp horses.  Recently they purchased 10 or so quality saddle horses at the Stock Show.  They have had a few superb horses donated, as well.

Now there is an exciting venture in the works called the Dakota Horse Challenge, an equine training competition sponsored by Rainbow Bible Ranch and Lonetree Ranch in an effort to Rebuild Rainbow’s Remuda.  Click on the links above to learn more.

I ask for your prayers for Rainbow, Lonetree, and the Reinholds as they work fervently in the months ahead to be ready for hundreds of bright-eyed, eager campers.  A week at Rainbow is life changing and unforgettable.

Thank you, Reinhold family, for your dedication to God’s work.  Keep pressin’ on!

FINDNG RAINBOW (AMERICAN HEREFORD ASSOCIATION)

By Sara Gugelmeyer

The Reinhold family is no stranger to tragedy. But no matter what fate throws at them, their faith and love for people and ranching brings them through.

---

That beautiful breaky country in western South Dakota, with good grass and the Black Hills on the western horizon is ideal for raising cattle and horses. That’s why Larry Reinhold’s grandfather homesteaded there more than 100 years ago. But it can also be unforgiving.

Larry had just turned 21 when he realized the wrath of Mother Nature. The Reinhold family had branded their Hereford calves that cool Memorial Day morning in 1979. Then in the afternoon, as was customary, the family gathered for fishing and fun on the sizeable reservoir on the ranch.

Larry’s 17-year-old brother Lee, and Lee’s friend Wayne were fishing in the middle of the lake when an unexpected storm blew in. The frenzied gusts whipped the water and capsized the young men’s boat. Larry and his other brother Lyle rushed to their aid only to meet the same fate.

“Lee and Wayne had just competed in the state track meet,” Larry explains with a lump in his throat, although it was 35 years ago. “They were athletes. We were all good swimmers. It was just one of those situations where they were capable young men, but the odds were against them; the water was just too overwhelming.”

Both of Larry’s brothers and their friend drowned that day.

“It was one of those storms of life that prove to not only be a life lesson but a life-changing event, as well,” Larry says. “My brother Lyle had a dream of starting a camp. We had prayed about it and pondered it and thought that it would sure be something that would fit.”

After such a tragic loss of life, Larry’s family that remained – his parents, sister and himself – felt that it was the Lord’s will. That same year they started building the main lodge for Rainbow Bible Ranch, a Christ-centered working ranch camp for youth, right on the family’s historic commercial Hereford and Quarter Horse operation Lonetree Ranch, near Sturgis, S.D.

In 1980, the first campers learned about the working ranch lifestyle and God’s word through real-life ranch work. And for the 35 years since, about 300 kids between the ages of 6 and 18 visit the camp each summer and participate in activities like riding horses, fishing, swimming and moving cattle. They might get a chance to compete in a rodeo, sing around a campfire underneath the starry sky, chase frogs, learn how to rope, teach a baby colt to lead and just explore the wonders of God’s creation. In short, the Reinhold family has given about 10,000 kids from around the world the opportunity to be a ranch-raised kid even if it’s only for a week or two.

But on Oct. 6, 2013, Mother Nature struck again. Western South Dakota experienced the worst blizzard ever. Lonetree Ranch and the camp were at her mercy. Larry, his wife Robin and six children who operate Rainbow Bible Ranch today were devastated to find, after three days of record snowfall and wind, 91 horses and 12 head of cattle dead.

It was a storm unlike any other, Larry says.

“It’s not uncommon for us to get a little snow in September and first part of October,” he says. “But to get a snow storm like that after 80-plus degree weather just days before is unheard of. It rained first, then snowed with that kind of wind, and we could not put them in a ‘right place.’ We lost 60 head of horses within 500 yards of my house. There was just no way around that. There were others that put their best saddle horses in a barn and they all died because the roof collapsed.”

Besides the unfathomable loss of horses and cattle, the ranch and camp sustained structural damage and lost nearly all its trees and windbreaks.

“Our theme for the 2013 summer camps was ‘Just Trust,’” Larry says. “It’s oftentimes easy for us to say we put our trust in God in good times, but so often we end up relying on ourselves more. When we go through these kinds of situations, one realizes how helpless we can be in the face of storms. We realize it’s vital to have that trust in a greater One, because it’s more than we ourselves can handle. God has given us the opportunity to continue life even in the hardest of times.”

Larry explains that out of this tragedy, too, his family and the camp have recognized blessings.

“For example, we heard from a church in Canadian, Texas, that had a heart for those who went through the storm and wanted to help. To have people you’ve never met step up to help and encourage you is overwhelming.”

Larry’s six children –-Rachel, 20, Molly 18, Danny 14, Caleb 11, Julia 8 and Kiersten 6— took the loss particularly hard. Many of their personal riding horses were killed in the storm.

The three older children were the ones who searched for and found the dead horses. Larry was busy using the tractor to pull linemen around the area to restore electricity which was out for six days. They described the sight like a picture of an old Civil War battlefield—dead horses scattered everywhere.

Danny says it’s hard to ride past that area now without remembering each horse that laid there and a particular camper who learned to ride on him. Rachel, who works as the camp’s head wrangler, described those horses as her best friends.

“It takes a long time to make a good horse and we really knew that bunch of horses,” Larry says. “We knew their little idiosyncrasies and what kind of kid could get along with each horse. We basically had to start over on the camp string of horses and it’s critical that we have the right kind of horses so that kids that come to camp have a good first experience horseback.”

It gave the Reinholds the perfect opportunity to launch an idea they had been pondering for awhile: The Dakota Horse Challenge.

“We had this idea for a while, but necessity really put the wheels into motion for the sheer need of needing some good, broke horses,” Robin explains. “Of those that survived the blizzard we had a batch of younger horses that needed to be started. They were all home-raised horses that were halter broke as babies then turned out.”

The Reinholds solicited applications from trainers interested in participating. They chose 15 trainers and each got two horses to work with for 90 days. Then, on June 21, 2014, the trainers brought their horses back to the ranch to compete in The Dakota Horse Challenge. Each trainer demonstrated his or her horses in two phases of competition. The first phase involved required maneuvers like opening a gate, dragging a log and performing some reining maneuvers, among other things. The second phase was “freestyle,” and each trainer got to showcase their individual horses’ talents.

“Some showed more reining capabilities,” Robin explains. “We also had some cattle available to work and some did cutting and sorting, some roped. One gal did some jumping and drug her husband around on a sled. We saw a lot of creativity and it was fun to see the different styles of each trainer and the different strengths of the horses.”

Marty Leggett of Broken Bow, Neb., won the competition. Prizes and money was awarded and at the end, the Reinholds chose one of the two horses from each trainer to keep for Rainbow Bible Ranch. The other horse was the trainer’s to keep as part of the incentive to participate.

“It went so well,” Robin says. “I think in the future we will do more advertising and get more spectators and trainers. But those 15 trainers had a desire to help us and see us get back on our feet again. It wasn’t just about training horses and it wasn’t just about the chance for them to earn money. It was about rebuilding Rainbow Bible Ranch’s remuda. We saw that spirit of community come together again.”

Although those horses won’t be ready yet for campers, they are far enough along that the Reinhold family can ride and prepare them for camp use. Between Lonetree Ranch and the camp, Larry says they use 35 to 40 saddle horses.

“We’ve got the numbers,” Larry says, “but we are still working on the quality. It takes a lot of riding to get horses like what we had, especially good enough for our campers.”

The camp hosts between 35 and 55 kids at a time. There is a charge, but the fee covers only about half of the expense of each camper. Rainbow Bible Ranch is a non-profit organization and the rest is funded through donations.

All eight members of Larry’s family work full-time on the ranch, and that’s not exactly banker’s hours. Plus, the camp employs 15 more people each summer.

“The fun thing about that,” Larry says, “is most are young people who grew up coming to camp here. We really appreciate when a staff member has a sense of ownership. It’s fun to hear them refer to it as ‘my ranch’ or ‘my place’. They feel like this is home.”

Although it is a faith-based camp, it’s not necessarily a vocal thing, Larry says.

“We certainly talk some about our relationship with the Lord, but by living it, it is obvious that’s what our life is about. We don’t have to do a lot of talking about it. Our decisions are based on biblical principles.”

In addition to summer camps, Rainbow Bible Ranch hosts Friday night activities during the school year and a popular living nativity (complete with the real-life barn aroma) in December. Larry says sometimes other ranchers ask how he could possibly get his ranch work done with so many kids around all the time.

“The answer is simple, we don’t always get everything done,” Larry says. “In all reality, when you think about it from an eternal perspective, horses won’t last, our treasures here on Earth disappear, but these kids, that’s where it’s at. If we can introduce them to having a relationship with the Lord, that will have an impact on everything from that day on for them. That’s worth it for us. Our relationship with these kids is such a huge part of our lives. To share our life here on this ranch with kids from all over the world, well, it’s really quite a privilege.”

SOUTH DAKOTA BLIZZARD (AQHA ARTICLE) NOVEMBER 21, 2013

By Alexis Bennett
The American Quarter Horse Journal

View fullsize

Gathering survivors after the South Dakota blizzard in 2013. (Photo courtesy of Betty Dikoff)

It has been a little over a month since a killer blizzard swept through western South Dakota. In less than three days, it left behind 30 inches of snow. Residents clamored to their fields on Sunday, October 6, to count the losses that Atlas left in its wake.

South Dakota stock and residents are a hearty bunch who continually weather even the most challenging conditions – floods, blizzards and the various obstacles that Mother Nature throws their way.

Although it was October, light snowfall is not unusual. But, this storm was of another breed. It was forecasted to be much smaller. So the blizzard warning that came just hours before the cold, heavy rain and 70-mile-per-hour wind caught residents completely off guard.

The end of October into early November is the time that ranchers and cattleman bring in livestock for sales or moved them to winter pasture.

With weather in the mid-80s just days before the storm arrived, many cattle and horse owners still had their livestock in summer pasture. The animals hadn’t even grown their winter coats.

Along with fallen trees, devastated infrastructure, loss of power and a complete halt of daily living; the storm decimated herds of cattle, sheep and horses.

Here are the stories of a few people we talked to:

The Myerses

Lifelong American Quarter Horse owners and breeders Bill and Deb Myers of St. Onge, South Dakota, were among those affected by the storm.

Luckily their stallions, including Colours Of A Lady and the legendary barrel racing sire Frenchmans Guy were housed safely in a barn.

Bill and Deb were able to bring the weanlings safely inside as well.

“We had a two-sided windbreak where the weanlings were,” Deb said.

But, they took extra precautions to ensure their safety; haltering a mare they had in with the herd to lead the weanlings to the barn through the storm. Had they not, the entire crop would have easily been buried, even behind the windbreak.

“The snow swirled around instead of blowing,” Deb said. “It made snow drifts where they don’t normally form.”

The mares were another story. More than 40 of their mares were out to summer pasture. There were pond dams to break the wind, but nothing more. Of those 40 mares, the Myerses lost several mares.

These include French Wild Heart (Frenchman GuyWild Heart Tu), A Hot Toddy (Paddys Irish Whiskey-Hot Brandi N Wine), No Shake For Deb (Royal Shake Em-Miss Shawnee Deb), Redhotrollercoaster (Hot Colours-Decka Seeker), Hot Brandi N Wine (Hot Colours-Fleeting Pie) and Lehi Rose (Special Effort-Six Tiny Roses).

When Sunday, October 6, came around, they were finally able to make it out for a head count in a four-wheel-drive tractor.

The Dikoffs

Betty Dikoff of Hermosa, South Dakota, said that she is lucky to have made it out with her Quarter Horses, but sustained losses elsewhere.

Her daughter, Amanda, a longtime all-around competitor and 2013 AQHA World Championship Show qualifier in ranch horse pleasure, also tends a herd of sheep. Of the 100 head, they lost three ewes and one buck in the storm. They also lost about 10 percent of their cows.

They consider themselves luckier than most.

“If we had them where we normally have them, they would’ve been buried under a drift,” Betty said.

“One of my neighbors lost about 80 to 90 percent of their cattle,” Betty said.

The Brunners

AQHA 30-year breeder, Patty Brunner of Rapid City, South Dakota, grew up in a ranching family, and she knows that November 1 means it’s time to move the livestock from summer to winter pasture.

The same applies to horses. The Brunner family had some of their mares on pasture 20 to 30 miles away. It had plenty of windbreaks, but it didn’t matter.

The snow fell heavily and was wet and heavy itself so it just seemed to smother the animals right where they were.

“All the mares that we lost were show mares,” Patty said.

Of the seven mares that were turned out, they lost five. One was Miss Three Jewels, the dam of one of their best homebred stallions, Executive Flash by Talls Executive

Patty has been breeding for years, her sons have shown and now her granddaughters show.

The loss is a hard hit.

The Reinholds

Lone Tree and Rainbow Bible ranches, owned by Larry and Robin Reinhold, incurred one of the biggest horse losses in the blizzard.

Between their Lone Tree cattle ranch and the Rainbow Ranch bible camp, the family lost 90 head of horses. Of that huge number, 25 of the horses were saddle horses for the camp.

Every summer, the family hosts a vacation bible camp for 6- to 18-year-olds. They have a string of solid ranch horses that can do it all. They work cattle, babysit, trail ride and even get through some rodeo events when they need to. Campers are taught to ride these horses and then the kids compete in a rodeo at the end of the camp. The campers love the horses and look forward to it every year, even picking out their “favorites.”

The horses at the camp are essential to the program, they are “literally priceless,” Robin said.

These horses have weathered plenty of South Dakota storms before, but this one was so intense and with such little warning that the camp horses got lost and drifted out of the draws.

“The camp horses were out in a pasture with a lot of deep draws,” Robin said. “It’s rugged pasture with deep draws and a lot of breaks, so we weren’t worried.”

The family “aggressively” gathered horses and cattle in the worst places and put them up in good shelter and in places with windbreaks along the barn.

Even then, they lost 48 out of that group.

It took several days before anyone could even reach the camp horses by horseback.

Two of the Reinhold girls saddled up and rode out.

What they found was shocking. They counted 31 of the horses that they had grown up with scattered on top of a hill.

“It’s a catastrophic loss,” Robin said, the exhaustion clear in her voice.

They lost six of their up-and-coming horses, too, but “we have a great herd of young geldings that just need to be in the good hands of a good trainer to put the time on them,” Robin said. “This is a three- or four-year process,” though, so it will take time to rebuild the remuda.

Many horse people have reached out to the ranch, making horse and monetary donations in an attempt to make up for some of the loss.

The losses are not limited to horses. Many ranchers lost their cattle and their livelihood in that storm. Due to the government shut-down and the failure to pass a farm bill, many cattleman and ranchers are left wondering what is in store.

Many found neighbors’ cattle scattered across their property. The storm was so intense that the animals just drifted.

A few lost cattle were the least of the problems when some ranchers lost their entire herd.

“One neighbor had 400 head of calves ready for the sale and only 41 made it,” Deb said. “I feel badly for some of the younger guys who have the cattle as their bank collateral. If they lost that, then they don’t have anything to pay their bills with, their lease, they’re going to go bankrupt. It’s really sad. When you lose a crop of calves, it’s a problem that costs a lot. That’s what we’re up against when we have floods, but when you lose the factory (the cows

CATTLE RELY ON ACCURATE FORECAST

by Chris Orr 2003 Rapid City Journal printed November 16, 2003

I enjoy cattle. No, perhaps I have a cattle fixation. A copy of The Stockman's Handbook and raising Beef Cattle are on my bookshelf. I've been a non-voting member of stockgrower and cattlemen's organizations for the better part of ten years. My work as a meteorologist is intertwined with farm and ranch weather. I read the bi-monthly magazines from the South Dakota Stockgrowers Association and South Dakota Cattlemen's Association. News from R-CALF-USA finds its way into my e-mail almost every day. Pop culture Holstein salt and peppershakers, and "Got Milk?" posters have no place in our house. My kind of cattle are Herefords, Angus, Gelbvieh and the like. The only job I've had in the livestock business entailed pushing cows and bulls into buyer's pens at the stockyard. I liked that job. I'm probably destined to be a cattle hobbyist, like Lionel train enthusiasts who will never drive a diesel locomotive. Ranching runs on cycles. Calving season runs about 45 days at the end of winter and beginning of spring, when we get the last couple of heavy snows of the season. Summer is the time for haying, grazing on grass and breeding. During the fall, some of the calves and cows are culled for market, pastures are changed and extra feed is purchased. Winter brings more work on the ranch, bringing feed to the cows and watching their energy level. By late winter, the heifers are close to calving, and the cycle begins all over again. In many ways, winter preparation on the ranch has not changed much in the last 100 years. Getting to town is a whole lot easier, providing the plows are out. A blizzard can still isolate a ranch very quickly. Much of farming and ranching involves preparation for the next season, and weather plays a significant role in planning. Cows are much more efficient during the summer than winter. They can graze by themselves in the summer, but they don't like to move snow and ice around to find grass in the winter. Larry Reinhold of Lone Tree Ranch says that unlike cows, horses winter well. "Horses can run very well winter," says Reinhold. "They can paw the grass and get to it." Cows will go clump to clump, but won't make much of an effort to move snow around. Cows need a lot of energy to make it through the winter. When winter weather is at is worst, they will need to be fed extra corn for energy and alfalfa for protein. Reinhold says that spring rains were timely for growing grass, but that this year's hay crop is "a little better than half a crop." That means that Lone Tree Ranch will have to buy hay this year, as it did last winter. This is the third year, going into the fourth, of dry weather. Next summer's grazing and haying conditions will depend heavily on winter and spring precipitation. Another dry winter will make next summer tough on ranchers once again. Dry winter or not, it is time to prepare for it. Reinhold says the horses will fend for themselves but the cows need to be moved to taller grass pasture. He will monitor the weather forecasts and the cows, making certain that the Lone Tree Ranch inventory is sufficient to make it through the winter. Every other rancher will be doing the same thing because each calf, cow and bull is a product that they sell to make a living. It is an aspect of ranching that hasn't changed over the last 150 years and probably will never change.