Durfee Horse and Cattle

11/22/2024

Yesterday I scrolled ALL THE WAY to the beginning of our page.
All the way to the beginning of our adventures training horses.
Back to when we were just young kids. Still in high school, trying to get a jump on our future. When our, now old, dogs were still puppies. When our corrals were almost more of a hazard to horses than they were safe. When Layne's knowledge and skill set from training horses came from watching westerns, a couple Clinton Anderson DVDs and watching the old timers that did things... the old way.
Back before we traveled thousands of miles, spent thousands of dollars, lived in our stock trailer in North Texas in the middle of summer. Before we spent more to board and feed our horses in a month than we sometimes even made. The only way we ate was from my employee meal at Cracker Barrel and employee discount for Layne's meal that day.
I saw two young kids willing to take on the horse industry together to help Layne become the trainer he knew he could be given the proper amount of dedication.

I sat and stared at the photos of our property, our horses, our gear, us. And I realized how far our program has come, how much we really have sacrificed to be where we are today. I realized again how PROUD I am of my husband and everything he has done to become the trainer he is today.

We still have a lot to learn, a long ways to go to build our property and program to where we want it to be but looking back to the beginning of our story has opened a whole new appreciation for where we're at now.

11/20/2024

❄️❄️Our winter time slots are full and we have booked our first spot or two for our spring time 90 day sets.
We’re only accepting 4 horses every 90 days so be sure to reach out if you want on Layne’s books for Spring time!
Spring slots will run from mid-April through early to mid-July (depending on how long it takes to get your full 90 days in).

11/17/2024

Happy Sunday, friends!
May God bless you and yours🖤

11/08/2024

💥SOLD- PENDING PAYMENT! 💥
Lena is a 3 year old AQHA mare that currently has 45 days with Layne. Her training days will increase until she sells which will reflect in her pricing the longer she is here.

Lena is a super solid filly, never bucked with anyone on her back, never has thrown any serious fits and has a very level temperament. Naturally quiet and sweet and loves to please. She has enormous natural cow sense and could really go any direction. Layne says she does great on the ranch and at the sale barn and would make a really great rope horse prospect.
She’s located at our place in Choteau and would love to have you come see her and ride her.
Message us here or call Layne in the evenings to visit with him directly. 1-406-564-5876

11/07/2024

Lena’s owners decided that it’s not the right time in their life to have such a young horse to try to keep up with. So we’re helping advertise her!
I’m going to get official videos of her today and put together better pictures as well but I do have video of her time in training here so you can see how she has been from the beginning!
Lena is a 3 year old AQHA mare that currently has 45 days with Layne. Her training days will increase until she sells which will reflect in her pricing the longer she is here.

Lena is a super solid filly, never bucked with anyone on her back, never has thrown any serious fits and has a very level temperament. Naturally quiet and sweet and loves to please. She has enormous natural cow sense and could really go any direction. Layne says she does great on the ranch and at the sale barn and would make a really great rope horse prospect.
You can scroll through our page and find a few videos of her in training. I will upload current videos and photos of her this evening as well.

She’s located at our place in Choteau and would love to have you come see her and ride her.
Message us here or call Layne in the evenings to visit with him directly. 1-406-564-5876

11/05/2024

11/04/2024

We’re opening 3 or 4 slots for horses to keep in training over winter. We would like 90-120 days commitments starting beginning of December 2024 to be home April 2025. We charge by the days of work, not by the calendar month. Message us here or call Layne at 406-564-5876 for more information or to book! We’re located in Choteau!

11/04/2024

Happy Birthday, Layne!
Here's to another year of growing, building, and enjoying this wonderful life you've built for our family. God bless you, we love you!🥰

11/02/2024

It's officially, official! Amadeus is looking for his next home!

Amadeus is a 2016 Friesian Sporthorse gelding. (REGISTRATION THROUGH FHH PENDING) He stands 16.3 hands and weighs approx. 1250 pounds, give or take the time of year and his work load! We've had him in our family and training program for going on five years.
Amadeus has been raised and trained in ranching lifestyle and all that entails. Range riding, doctoring, sorting, branding, trailing, calving, shipping, you name it! He's wicked handy in a branding pen and covers country like a freight train. He's used frequently at the local sale barn to back pen cattle. He's been used to halter break babies and mature horses, we use him to start c**ts. He's extremely soft in your hand and in his body. He moves all four quarters, counter-archs, side passes, backs, works gates, loads in the trailer (you can even send him in from 20+ feet away at a trot), stands tied all day long. You can bridle him up and ride him into the bit or ride on a loose rein. He has zero english experience but we had a local gal that rides and does equitation hop on him in a whim, in a western saddle and she said she is confident in his ability to pass a level one equitation test with his current training and handle.

We've used Amadeus extensively in the mountains- Bob Marshall Wilderness and Lewis and Clark National Forest. He crosses bridges, logs and water without a question and will ride trail ALL DAY LONG. He's done multiple 25+ miles a day trips to hunting camp and handles it well. He leads strings of mules without issue. He's packed a pack saddle and a couple beginner loads but I certainly wouldn't consider him a seasoned pack horse at this time. If he isn't sold, he is going to be used as a pack horse through this hunting season to pack harvested animals out.
The amount of things Amadeus has seen while "playing" with our family has made him extremely familiar with new experiences- everything we've thrown his way he has taken in stride and is a quick learner. We have had him pull sleds both with a rider and being driven (never actually harnessed or hooked to a sleigh/ wagon though). We can crawl under his belly, slide off his butt, uses tarps, flags, whips, exercise balls thrown at him and he kicks them around, you can shoot pistols from his back. We've ridden him in parades and used him in grand entries.
You will not find a more loving and attention seeking but RESPECTFUL gelding out there. Amadeus LOVES to be loved. He is used to being bathed and groomed on the regular.

Amadeus is the perfect addition to anyone's pasture or stable and can go any direction you're willing to take him.

Layne can tell you all the "bad" things/ quirks or idiosyncrasies about this horse as he knows him like the back of his hand. We are not willing to hide anything from anyone good or bad, so if you have a question- ASK!

We feel Amadeus is best suited for a confident intermediate or advanced rider due to his BIG motor and movement. He is gentle and very broke but has enormous power and could be intimidating or dangerous to a rider that doesn't have a ton of experience, especially someone who isn't used to riding friesians.

We have a price in mind but we are willing to work on a price to find him a fitting/loving home!

I am currently working on his videos of him working and in action but I am more than willing to send individual videos before they are put into compilation videos too!

Reach out here or CALL Layne anytime (Except Wednesdays and Saturdays through New Years as he will be busy at the local sale barn)! Message me for Layne's personal number!

Send a message to learn more

10/29/2024

Payday is a 3 year old stallion prospect, grandson of the recently passed Peptoboonsmal.
Payday came to Layne with some issues to be fixed. It’s been a struggle to get him to rate himself, he has fought his head carriage (checked and adjusted by chiro, teeth done, bodywork done and cleared by all), walks/ runs through his stops… just kind of an overall argument in every aspect.

As he’s only about 15-20 days into his stay with Layne, we aren’t totally sure where his career will take him yet, but with persistence, trust and faith in our program from his owner, Layne staying consistent in his training, solid team work from everyone involved we’re slowly starting to see some progress in his training. All of our hopes are for him to end up in the show pen over the winter.

10/26/2024

Happy Saturday friends!
Just a couple quick pictures of our horse crazy Adelita 💕

10/15/2024

“Oh definitely, he had no hesitation on anything and rode off like just a nice broke fella. Truly thank you you guys so much. He’s one if my favorites I’ve raised and I’m so pleased he has a solid foundation under him”

Jessie got her gelding back this last Saturday after a 30 day restart (he’d only been rode a handful of times at various other places).
So happy to get these updates! 🤎

10/14/2024

Layne had a horse step on his phone yesterday afternoon. If you need to reach him directly you’ll need to message us here or call my phone 406-591-2184!
We’re going to try getting him a new phone today, or at least one of our old ones until his new one gets here!
Happy Monday! 😉

10/12/2024

Happy Saturday, friends! Just a few quick photos of what’s been going on around here the last week or so since we got home from Billings!