Welcome to Awe, Nice! where we highlight moments of wonder while working outdoors. My name is Maddy Butcher and this week we are giving a nod to the 2026 Lunar New Year. It's the Year of the Horse.

Jeremie Forman returns with a story that's fitting to the celebration. Aside from his work in law enforcement and his running a horse facility, Jeremie is mayor of the small town of Francis, Utah. Population about 2,000. Every year for many years, Jeremie has run the town's summer rodeo.

One year, as he recounts, he wanted to do something special as a presentation to open the rodeo. For his idea, he needed a lot of horses and riders. So, he put the word out on Facebook. But, Jeremie told me, he had to be a bit secretive about his plan. Their rodeo is the last one of the summer in the region. It follows the Summit County rodeo. There's a Fourth of July rodeo and a Pioneer Days rodeo. He's found that if he has a good idea and shares it openly, other rodeo planners have copied it and done it before the rodeo in Francis.

So, on the QT, Jeremie recruited dozens of volunteers to be part of this production. He borrowed scores of American flags from a local church and made sure everyone could be safe with carrying a flag and riding their horse. His son, Jayce, who stands about 6'6'', rode a big Percheron gelding and carried an extra large flag.

I know there may be listeners for whom patriotism is a challenging idea at a moment when our country is so fractured, but I hope you all listen with an open heart.

I was thrilled to hear Jeremie mention Joel Nelson's poem Equus Caballus, which Wylie Gustufson crafted into the song of the same title. Joel is a horseman from Alpine, Texas, a Vietnam vet, and in 2009 received a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. He was also nominated for a Grammy in the spoken word category some years ago.

Watch and listen to Joel perform Equus Caballus here.

The line Jeremie mentions is this:

I have suffered gross indignities from users and from winners,
I have felt the hand of kindness from the losers and the sinners.
I have given for the cruel hand and given for the kind.
Heaved a sigh at Appomattox when surrender had been signed.

Awe, Nice! welcomes interviewees. If you have a moment you experienced while working outside and would like to share it, contact us here.

Our music is by my friend, Forrest Van Tuyl. You can find a link and a donate button here.

We'd like to thank Redmond Salt and Kershaw knives for their generous sponsorship. Keep your eyes, ears, and mind open. Until next time.

Welcome to Awe, Nice! where we highlight moments of wonder while working outdoors. My name is Maddy Butcher and we are fast approaching our first year anniversary of being on the air. I want to thank KSJD for taking a chance with me as well as Kershaw knives and Redmond Salt for extending some help with sponsorship.

This week, we return to a recollection with Jeremie Forman of Utah. Aside from his work as a police officer. He and his son run a stable facility and an fledgling outfitting operation. Last week, he told us about a wicked lightning storm in the Uintas. This week, he recounts what followed.

Just a bit of help on vernacular, if listeners need it:

A pack string is several animals, in this case, horses and mules, that a rider leads. Usually all the equines that aren't being ridden have big, heavy loads on them.

High lining is one way that horses are tied in the back country. It involves running a tight, high line (highter than the horses) and then tying individual horses to that line with another section of rope.

A bell mare is like the leader of the pack. She may not be the strongest or biggest, but she is the one who other equines respect and are most bonded with.

We pick up after Jeremie, his friends, family and his stock have all weathered a high mountain storm near Red Castle, elevation about 12,000 feet.

One of the joys of interviewing people about moments of awe is to hear them reflect on not just that particular experience, but the bigger picture. Zooming out.

Jeremie told me for him, backcountry time is just normal. And there are lots of guys, he remarked, who are out there more than he is. But he also knows that lots of people never get to have those kinds of experiences and for some that do, it can be life-changing.

Awe, Nice! welcomes interviewees. If you have a moment you experienced while working outside and would like to share it, contact us here.

Our music is by my friend, Forrest Van Tuyl. You can find a link and a donate button here.

Keep your eyes, ears, and mind open. Until next time.

Welcome to Awe, Nice! where we highlight moments of wonder while working outdoors. This is our 40th segment since this little project started last year.

This week, I talked with Jeremie Forman of Francis, Utah. Francis, population around 1,800, is 50 miles east of Salt Lake City and sits near the foot of the Uinta Mountains. The Uintas are unusual because they run east-west while most mountain ranges in the US run north-south. In fact, the Uintas are the highest east-west range in the lower 48, with peaks between 11,000 and 13,000 feet.

Jeremie is a busy guy who's managed to combine and juggle police work with horse work. We couldn't talk last week because he and his Summit County Mounted unit were patrolling the streets of nearby Park City, while the Sundance Film Festival played out.

This segment is the first of two parts as he recounts time spent mountain goat hunting in early fall, near Red Castle, a stunning mountain and lake at about 12,000 feet elevation.

In our next segment, Jeremie will recall what unfolded next during that trip, so I hope you tune in.

Awe, Nice! welcomes interviewees. If you have a moment you experienced while working outside and would like to share it, contact us here.

Our music is by my friend, Forrest Van Tuyl. You can find a link and a donate button here.

Keep your eyes, ears, and mind open. Until next time.