Darling Creek Livestock was born of the meshing of the livestock and lives of George McQuiston and Kelly Swingruber.  


     George was outfitting in Utah and purchased Wild Idaho Outfitters in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness in 2005, then moved to the Challis area full time in 2012.  George had and has a love for good mules and good using horses.  George has packed literally hundreds of miles in steep and unforgiving country and knows what it takes to make a great pack animal.  He also has put inexperienced clients on miles of steep trails with the animals taking care of them and getting them where they need to go safely.  He enjoys starting young and/or unbroken animals and watching them unfold and become solid gold!


     I, Kelly, grew up in Montana and moved to Idaho in 1995 to ride a cattle allotment on the west side of the state next to Hell's Canyon.  I grew up on ornery ponies and horses and never owned fine horse flesh until I was 20 ish.  I have owned and stood different stallions through the years and have a passion for fine horse flesh.  Bloodlines, conformation, look, and brains are important in the horses in the breeding program.  I don't have a mare in the breeding program  unless I have thrown a leg over the mare and used it.  Nothing irritates me more than people that can't ride a horse so they just breed it, or breed it because it's a "pretty color".  

     The stallions are run together and with the herd of horses and mules unless it is breeding season.  They don't just stay home but go to "The Frank" also and earn their way packing and being rode.  


Together they make a team teaching each other, their children,  the animals they work with, and people around them with their life's experiences.  

  

Click HERE for a cool video!  We hosted an outdoor film school in the spring of 2018 and here is just one of the films they made