20 Nebraskaland • May 2019
Saddling Up
Out West
Story and Photos by Justin Haag
he Panhandle of western Nebraska's rugged buttes,
sweeping grasslands, rolling hills and ponderosa pine
forests spur an urge of exploration for countless visitors
each year. For many a seasoned cowpoke on down to the
greenest of greenhorns, their most memorable experiences
while visiting this region have been atop a mode of
transportation that has been popular for thousands of years.
That would be the effi cient, nimble, high-powered Equus
ferus caballus, better known to most as the horse.
Visitors to Fort Robinson State Park near Crawford soon
realize they are in horse country. A sign at the entrance of
the park's headquarters evokes visions of the park's history
as a 19thcentury U.S. Cavalry post: "Through These Portals
Passed the World's Finest Horsemen."
With Fort Robinson's expansive 22,000 acres, horsemen
and horsewomen of all skill levels revel in a landscape fi t for a
Western movie. Deb Kennedy, assistant park superintendent,
said the park off ers something for riders of various skills.
"Riders don't have to stay on the trail. However, for those
not-so-adventuresome people, we do have marked trails,"
Kennedy said. "They can ride leisurely on the prairie, quietly
along the river, or into the buttes for a little more challenging
ride with awesome scenery."
Kennedy said horseback riding continues to gain
popularity at Fort Robinson, where weekly rodeos entertain
visitors. Annual gatherings of horse enthusiasts, such as
T
For exploring the rugged and
spacious public lands of the
Panhandle, it is tough to beat
a mode of transportation that
has been around a while.
