Though a reluctant purchase, George blossomed into the ultimate all-around using horse, and has found his forever home.

For this fourth-generation rancher, the path back to her family’s Oregon cattle operation was lined with detours, uncertainty and plenty of tests.

Montana rancher Darrell Stevenson teams up with two Russian cattlemen to export an entire cow outfit to the Russian steppes. In the first of a three-part series, the author rides along with the Stevenson cowboys to the land of borscht, fallow land and the $75 steak dinner.

Parts 1 and 2 of the three-part feature, “Comrade Cowboy,” appeared in the July and August issues of Western Horseman. The story chronicles how a Montana rancher is working to establish a large-scale, Western cattle operation in Russia. Darrell Stevenson sent more than 1,400 cows to the former communist nation last January. Relying on a crew of American cowboys and a string of seasoned ranch geldings, Stevenson contends with a multitude of challenges in starting his Russian ranch.

Wanted: Day worker. Long hours, difficult tasks, unpredictable schedules. Pay not always commensurate with experience. Benefits include freedom, family time, opportunity to be horseback. “ I work all over, for whoever needs me. It’s the worst way in the world to make a living, but it’s the best way of life.” —DUB METCALF