OklahomaHorses Magazine November 2023

22 OklahomaHorses • November / December 2023 No Greater Reward Dude Ranch Is a New Way Forward by Kim Redo A fter the loss of several loved ones, I found myself stuck in a place that I did not want to be. Clueless as to where life would lead me or what was in store for this middle-aged widow, my first thought was to get busy. The decision to move forward start- ed with a phone call. A friend who had traveled extensively during and prior to her competitive years in cowboy mount- ed shooting suggested that I contact Rex Portmann, who owned a dude ranch in West Yellowstone, Montana. Continuing to train horses in the high heat and hu- midity of another Arkansas summer held about as much appeal to me as jumping onto a bed of fire ants. I was hooked as soon as my friend mentioned the location. Having lived in Wyoming a lifetime ago, I had always felt that the mountains and wide-open spaces were home. Changing Hands In the past few years, the Wyoming mount- ed shooters had produced a mounted shooting event at the Diamond P Ranch arena. Impressed with the way organizers Lisa Grimsley and her life partner, Willie Lawrence of Afton, Wyoming, ran the event and how they worked with people from contestants to sponsors got Portmann to thinking the couple would be the perfect solution for taking over his business. Un- known to me, that process had begun long before my initial January 2023 interview for a summer job at the ranch. At the time of my initial contact with the ranch, Grimsley indicated that she was assisting the Portmanns (Rex and his wife, Denise) with new applicants and related paperwork. Grimsley and I had competed against each other in prior years. Although we did not know each other well, we were acquainted. She rode good, well-cared-for horses. Little did I know just how involved she and Lawrence would become in my life. Looking back, I can see where all of this was preordained. The interview process began with Grims- ley reviewing applications and résumés. She knew my background. My reputation for hard work and honesty is well known in the industry. The interviews scheduled for me with Portmann got circumvented twice. Guide Albert Kukuchka rides Smitty, a beautiful palomino, at the Diamond P. Photo by River DeLiso.