Longtime East Glacier outfitters know the lay of the land

Shaylea Tatsey eases herself onto her horse Houdini, bareback, with just a rope to hold onto. They moved around a small round pen with ease as she gestured him along with a shift in her seat or pressure of her leg.

It’s the Native American way — no saddle — just horse, rider and the unspoken connection between them.

“They become like a part of you. They can sense when you’re in any kind of mood. I think that’s what attaches me to horses, I have that connection with them,” she said. “I used to talk to my horses all the time…I used to tell them everything. I still do.”

Tatsey, 25, is a guide at her family’s horseback-riding tour business, Glacier Gateway Trailrides in East Glacier Park. They offer rides through Glacier Park ranging from two hours to all-day adventures.

Tatsey said horses are in her blood.

Her grandfather rodeoed and so did his six sons who still break their own mounts despite being over 60 years old. Tatsey herself is an active rodeo competitor, participating in everything from pole bending and goat-tying to Indian relay races.

Her relative, Joy Hall and husband Truman “Mouse” Hall, have owned the riding operation for the past 20 years. “Mouse,” as he’s most commonly known, has a longstanding reputation in the rodeo world as both a rider and bucking horse breaker. In 2014, he was inducted into the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame.

In addition to the Halls, the current Glacier Gateway Trailrides team also includes five guides who take groups of as many as 10 through some of the most beautiful country in the Crown of the Continent. A popular spot is Baldy Butte for shorter rides, although they’ll delve deeper into the park for longer excursions, heading toward Mount Henry.

“There’s a lot of things to see out there — buffalo jumps, Indian burial grounds,” Hall said.

Their clientele ranges in ability, with the majority being novice or first-time riders, which can provide a little comic relief now and then.

One woman felt her horse shiver and was convinced she was getting bucked off; another little boy bonded with his steed and would say a hearty “Bless you” each time his horse sneezed.

“They’ll say ‘oh [this horse is] 10, I don’t know if he’ll make it,’ and I’ll say, ‘he’ll make it, I don’t know if you will,’” Hall said with a laugh.

But a lot has changed in the past two decades, according to Hall.

Competition has increased — Glacier National Park offers rides that originate within the park’s borders, departing from Apgar, Lake McDonald, and Many Glacier, and other outfitters also operate along the fringes of the park.

“We used to have just about every ride had 10 people on it, now it’s down to 2, 4 ,5 something like that. We’ve lost a lot,” she said.

But Hall is confident that her operation still provides guests with a one-of-a-kind experience and both she and Tatsey enjoy meeting the variety of people who walk through their doors.

“I’ve met lots of different people from all kinds of places,” Tatsey said. “One of the guests asked me last week: is this pleasure or work? And that kind of made me think. It’s not really work. It’s pleasure, because I get to be on the horse all day, every day. We’re going back into the trees and the mountains — there’s no people, no cars, nothing.”

To learn more about Glacier Gateway Trailrides, call 406-226-4408 or stop by 520 Third Ave., Montana 49.

Reporter Mackenzie Reiss can be reached at mreiss@dailyinterlake.com or (406) 758-4433.