By Mike Cuffe
Yes, you can call Gary Salisbury a cowboy. Just as fitting, call him a real deal Back Country Horseman.
He still rides the rough mountain trails, demonstrates and teaches how to rig pack saddles using Diamond and Double Diamond hitches; gentles horses and teaches greenhorns to saddle and ride.
Gary Salisbury figures he has probably trained 1,500 horses and still works with problem horses and good horses with problem people. He worked with his brother Max at horse and rider training clinics in Arizona, California, Washington and Montana. In addition, he built his own training corral at his home.
Salisbury enjoys a host of friends and counts among his close circle the likes of Smoke Elser, a living legend, author, and a co-founder of Back Country Horsemen.
Summertime comes, and he puts up hay. Any time or season he inspects brands. He has only been a Brand Inspector for the State of Montana Dept. of Livestock for 46 years.
Winters will find Gary treating friends to a horse drawn sleigh ride one day and pulling a bunch of fish through a hole in the ice the next day. Days are long doing chores, tending stock, keeping the big stove stoked for good heat, and warming a pew in church on Sunday.
His greatest pride covers 25 years of service to Back Country Horsemen. He served on the Missoula Chapter board of directors and chair of the Missoula chapter as well as 20 years on the state board of directors, and he also spent time as a national director.
“There comes a time to step back and allow some younger folks to step up,” says this 75-year-old kid.
Over a good many years, Gary Salisbury put together many fundraising auctions at all three levels of Back Country Horsemen: Local chapter, state and national. He won’t estimate the dollars made at the auctions, saying only that it was a lot of fun to support a cause he loves.
Although stepping back from Back Country Horsemen leadership, Salisbury will continue to offer horse training, workshops on packing, and lead trail rides into the Bob Marshal Wilderness. “I’m not going into hibernation. I am only backing away from leadership positions,” he comments.
Salisbury and partner Tanna Reichel live on 20 acres near Florence, MT. At any time, you will find horses in the corral, maybe alongside cows, calves, hogs, chickens, dog and cat. Ice fishing draws them to many lakes during frigid winters, and they often lend a helping hand on ranches in Idaho and Montana. He loves to help with gathering and branding.
Once he wore red hair under his broad brimmed hat, but he has earned the white hair he sports today. He spent the better part of 30 years as maintenance superintendent and safety supervisor for Missoula Parks and Recreation Department.
“The city farmed a lot of acres of grass, flowers, bushes and trees,” he grins. “We fed a lot of town deer, too.”
Look back down his trail and you will find years of a successful auction business. Salisbury pulled in big money for many charity auctions including Ducks Unlimited, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, UM Grizzly football, Lady Griz Basketball, Back Country Horsemen, sick friends, and more. Like Watson Children’s Shelter (Missoula) and Special Olympics. That was in addition to estate auctions and ranch liquidation sales.
With two older brothers and an older sister, Gary cut his teeth in Michigan, learned to ride and chase cows in southeastern British Columbia, before his family moved a few miles south to Eureka, MT where he graduated high school.
Endeavors earlier in life included felling timber, cutting Christmas trees, working livestock auctions, managing feed lots, and riding the mountain range. Not to mention developing his father’s knack as “Mr. Fixit.” Wear it out or break it, and he can make it better than it was originally.
So, what brought about this old cowboy’s successful run? Start as a little brother in Canada running to keep up with his older siblings. Add in months of recovery from broken bones and battles with cancer, spice with a streak of strong-minded determination, balance with a very positive outlook on life, then top it off with a strong faith in the Great Almighty. You won’t sit down to a meal at his home without a strong prayer of thanks to the father above.
“I don’t claim to have been a perfect guy,” this old cowboy says. “But I done as good as I could. Mostly I feel pretty good about things, sometimes I wisht I’d done a little better. But the good Lord has looked out for me, a lot. I thank Him and praise Him.”
Gary Salisbury may not have done it all, but he did a lot. And at age 75 he is still rolling out early to do his chores. “Daylight is burning,” he says. “We have trails to clear!” MSN
