We are thrilled to team with the Wyoming Business Council to feature a Wyoming First business every week on our blog! Wyoming First is a program that promotes Wyoming member businesses. Visit their website (click here) to learn more about this service — and if you are a Wyoming business who’s not a member, be sure to inquire about membership! There are many benefits!

This week we are featuring High Country Horse of Laramie, WY

Oliver “Ollie” Hill, High Country Horse Laramie, WY 307-745-4553  Ollie_wy@hotmail.com  www.highcountryhorse.net

Ollie Hill got started because of his love for horses and hunting and fishing trips in the back country of Colorado and Wyoming.  His first high country experience was during a high school graduation fishing trip with his brother.  Ollie’s will to take a horse on this trip out weighed his knowledge on how to do so.

Ollie participated in Al Richardson’s noted Packing and Outfitting course during graduate school.  He became inspired to teach others how to enjoy riding, packing, cooking and learning survival skills for high country adventures.  This is when he became interested in sharing this experience and information with others to help them learn.  Packing schools and demonstrations are very much hands-on, with a custom arrangement with tack and saddle shops and with universities and colleges.

Ollie began authoring books and teaching credit courses, as well as teaching one day packing courses and demonstrations.  There are now five “how to” books that are on the market in over 40 states and over 20 countries.   These “how to” books provide information on animal packing and outfitting:

• Packing and Outfitting Field Manual
• Dot It Yourself Plans for Rawhide Panniers
• Do It Yourself Plans for Mini-Pack Horse
• A Do-It-Yourself Guild to Improvements, Repairs and Complete Rigging of Crossbuck and Decker Pack Saddles
• Do It Yourself Plans for Deluxe Portable Camp Table

The newest product is an educational game for kids and their horses–”Kid’s Arena Horse Play Game.”  This game was created to provide a fun learning experience for kids and their horses.  Kids complete the arena course by successfully answering horsemanship questions and performing riding skills required to move on to each station.  The questions address both Western and English riding and cover a wide range of horse health, anatomy, tack and equine knowledge.  The game is for three age groups.

To order any of High Country House books or the game, visit their web site: www.highcountryhorse.net.   Customers can also order by phone or mail.