No More Empty Saddles
Bosler, Wyoming
Written by Cyd Hoefle
Photography contributed by NMES
Wyoming, Alaska, and Montana rank as the top three states for the number of suicides per capita in the nation. According to reports released by the CDC, farmers and ranchers are among the most likely to die by suicide when compared to other occupations, and suicide rates overall have increased by 40 percent in less than two decades.
Sheryl Foland of Rawlins, Wyoming has a master’s in social work and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (MSW, LCSW). She specializes in meeting with farmers and ranchers and even makes house calls in Carbon County, Wyoming.
“There’s so much fear that agricultural people face,” Sheryl said. “Fear that they won’t be able to support their family, fear of finances, fear of prices and nature’s elements, droughts, grasshoppers, fires. Fear is the biggest driver to anxiety and depression. Ag has so many variables that no other industry has to contend with, it’s no wonder there’s anxiety.”
Substance abuse, especially involving drugs, is becoming more prevalent across the country, including in small towns and rural areas, and when combined with mental health issues, it’s taking a toll on folks.
Sheryl said the uptick in suicide and substance abuse is the result of many factors, but one of the most prevalent is the fear of vulnerability preventing requests for help.
“I came up with No More Empty Saddles because an empty saddle on top of a horse at a funeral symbolizes that the rider has passed away. I don’t want to see anymore empty saddles that belong to guys who should still be here. There’s got to be a way for us to help them out. If we can get them to talk about things, maybe they won’t be so quick to turn to drinking or doing drugs.”
Rand Selle, who owns and operates Selle Rodeo Producers, gets that. He raises and trains bucking horses and roping steers and hosts the recently established Tom Horn Days, a three-day ranch rodeo held each summer on his ranch near the town of Bosler, Wyoming.
“I’m a rugged, hard-headed cowboy,” Rand said. “I think I can get through hard times on my own. But that’s not the way it’s supposed to be. We have to change our mindset and ask for help.”
As a rodeo producer, he was aware of the impact the pandemic had on the rodeo community. Cancelled rodeos not only meant shutting down their livelihood, but also their social lives. It was during COVID, that Tom Horn Days, named in memory of the legendary local cattle detective of the early 1900s, was born.
“We go from the first rodeo to the last, every weekend,” he said. “When it all shut down, there were a lot of guys alone for a long time.”
Sheryl agreed and noting that often, the lifestyle of not only rodeo cowboys, but farmers and ranchers is such that days can go by without communication with another person.
“They are independent because they have to be,” Sheryl said. “They are used to being alone and figuring out things. They don’t ask for help.”
Rand was saddling his horse on a fall morning one year ago when he heard about the death of yet another friend, a Tom Horn Days bronc rider, too young and too soon, to a fentanyl overdose. He recalled thinking to himself, “this is happening too often, we’ve got to do something about it.”
And that’s what he set out to do, haunted by the death of another young cowboy. He’d hosted two Tom Horn Days when the No More Empty Saddles idea came about in November of 2021.
“I came up with No More Empty Saddles because an empty saddle on top of a horse at a funeral symbolizes that the rider has passed away. I don’t want to see anymore empty saddles that belong to guys who should still be here,” Rand said. “There’s got to be a way for us to help them out. If we can get them to talk about things, maybe they won’t be so quick to turn to drinking or doing drugs.”
Sheryl was introduced to Tom Horn Days when Rand saw her photographing another rodeo and approached her about capturing his event. It’s a hobby Sheryl enjoys when she’s not providing mental health therapy.
“I feel blessed that it happened that way,” Sheryl said. “I’m supposed to be involved.”
“We all need a pickup man in our lives. Someone you know will be there for you.”
The unique coupling of her career and hobby made her the perfect fit to assist Rand in developing his idea for No More Empty Saddles. Sheryl also has personal experience with the loss of someone to suicide as her brother took his life seven years ago. She has since been a major advocate for seeking help for mental health issues and substance abuse.
“You can’t win the battle on your own,” she said. “I call addiction long-term suicide. Left untreated addictions will eventually lead to death.”
It’s a sobering thought and the very reason the No More Empty Saddles team is so determined to assist those who may be suffering.
“People really don’t want to die,” Sheryl continued. “They just want the pain to go away.”
“Sometimes, all someone needs to do is unload on someone who cares,” Rand added. “It can get really lonely at times.”
Rand understands that as he single-handedly operates his ranch.
“There’s times I don’t talk to a soul for days on end,” he said.
At Tom Horn Days 2022, No More Empty Saddles was formally introduced when a bucking bronc left the chute with a riderless saddle. The horse was the last one Jonn Beer, a Columbus, Montana cowboy, rode at the previous Tom Horn Days held a year ago. Jonn had since lost his life to accidental fentanyl poisoning and was the one who struck Rand with the need to act that fall morning. Rand asked Jonn’s parents for permission to memorialize him during the organization’s official inauguration and his ashes were spread as the horse bucked around the arena. The rodeo announcer discussed Jonn’s impact on the lives of those around him and offered up a challenge to both rodeo participants and the audience to seek help with substance abuse and suicidal thoughts. Jonn’s family and friends were in attendance for the heart wrenching moment.
We’ll drop what we’re doing to help. All you have to do is give us a call.
-Rand Selle
“It made an impact,” Rand said. “It hit too close to home to be ignored.”
Currently those seeking more information can connect with the organization through their Facebook page, “No More Empty Saddles.”
People are starting to reach out in private messages to the organizers and some are even publicly sharing their stories and the steps they took to overcome their struggles. The posts of success are as important as the ones seeking help.
“It’s important to know that you’re not alone in this,” Sheryl said. “I tell guys, ‘in all the John Wayne movies, The Duke never worked alone, someone was always there with him.’ They don’t have to be alone, either.”
From the beginning, the moniker of No More Empty Saddles has been a “pickup man,” riding alongside cowboys, being there for assistance and safety, and giving the feeling of protection and understanding.
“We all need a pickup man in our lives,” Sheryl said. “Someone you know will be there for you.”
“We don’t have a problem asking for help when we need it on the ranch,” Rand added. “We don’t even think about it. We have to be more open about asking for help when it really matters.”
When someone reaches out to the organization, a team of volunteers takes the first step. If there is a need for a professional visit, Sheryl makes contact, and connects the caller with help in their community. The concept appears to be making an impact as hundreds of new followers are finding their way to the site from all over the country.
Rand promised that those reaching out will find help.
“We’ll drop what we’re doing to help,” he said. “All you have to do is give us a call.”
Facebook: No More Empty Saddles
Phone: 307.337.5454
Email: nmeswy@gmail.com