Sunday

9:30 am. Guest check out

4:00pm, New Guests check in at ranch office. After being greeted by the ranch managers, Guests are shown to their cabin. After dropping off luggage, new guests are given a tour of the ranch and it's facilities.

5:00pm, Guests relax and settle in to their cabins. At this time they can wander around on their own, see the horses, fish, swim in the pool, or go to the trading post for a new cowboy hat.

6:30pm, Dinner in the lodge. Guests and ranch staff enjoy meals together. This is a chance to meet some of the wranglers and other staff.

8:30pm, Orientation out on the huge deck of the lodge. This is where the guests meet the entire staff, and introduce themselves. Then we talk about the different activities scheduled for the week. Guests will then sign up for some of these, such as rafting, fishing trips and the over night pack trip.

Monday

7:00 am, Hot coffee is brought to each cabin for those who must have their java fix first thing in the morning.

8:00am, Guest Breakfast in the lodge.

8:30am, A van leaves for town to pick up items guests may have forgotten to bring such as beer, wine, toothpaste, film etc.

8:45am, Three to five year olds start their own ride with their councilor on the ranch’s black pony, "SPADE".

9:00am, Orientation rides begin. All guests already have a horse assigned to them by the head wrangler. Horses are assigned based on height, weight, age and riding experience. On the first day of riding, families ride together. Each ride will consist of no more than ten guests. Two wranglers will be on all rides. Under no circumstances will guests be allowed to ride without a wrangler. Orientation rides last about two hours, which include an orientation speech about basic horsemanship and safety, followed by some instruction in the arena. When everyone feels comfortable with their new horse, it's off to the trail for about an hour.

12:30pm, Hamburger cookout by the pool.

2:00pm, Afternoon trail rides begin. This afternoon we are offering three different rides ranging from an hour and a half to three hours.

2:00 pm, Basic fishing instruction at the upper pond. This is for all ages. Parents will have to determine whether small fries are old enough.

2:30pm, Riding instruction in the arena. This will last any where from forty minutes to two hours depending on how many people sign up.

5:30PM, Happy hour on the porch of Dad's Old Fart Brewery for the adults. The hay ride for the kids leaves from the brewery.

6:00 pm, The hay ride, drawn by our team of draft horses, Zeus and Apollo will take about half an hour and meet the adults at the picnic area by the lower pond for a steak cookout.

8:00pm, Smores by the bon fire, along with guitar playing and singing old cowboy songs.

Tuesday

Tuesdays rides are centered around a brunch cookout at the top of Indian Head Mountain, where our cooks will meet the rides.

7:00am, Early morning ride leaves for a one and a half hour ride. This is an adults only ride. Councilors will be on hand to watch the kids while their parents are gone.

8:00am, Teens leave with their councilor, for a short ride of their own.

8:30am, The six to eleven year olds head out to the arena for horse games before their half hour ride to Indian Head Mountain.

8:45am, There will be a van going up to brunch for anyone not riding.

9:00am, Brunch is served. "Cookie" is there with the biggest frying pan you have ever seen.

10:00am, Six to eleven's mount up for a two hour ride back to the ranch. Then it's the pool for these guys. The councilors will be with them all afternoon, so mom and dad can do their own thing.

10:15am, The teens head off on a three hour adventure to a little water fall on Poplar creek to try their hand at little panning for gold.

10:30am, Now that we have gotten rid of all the kids, the grown up can choose between a short one hour ride back to the ranch, or a longer four hour ride. On this ride we will do some faster riding along old logging roads.

12:00 For those who don't want to ride quite so much, we are taking a van trip to Little Switzerland for some shopping. This is a very scenic drive through winding mountain roads. We will return to the ranch around 4:00 pm.

4:30pm, All rides have returned. Time to relax before dinner.

6:30pm, All the kids head down to the lower pond for hot dogs and games with the councilors.

7:00pm, The adults will be treated to a fancy dinner in the lodge with candle light and wine.

9:00 Time to collect your kids and head off to bed. The councilors are pretty tired too.

Wednesday

7:00 am, Breakfast in the lodge for all those going rafting.

7:30am, Vans leave for the all day rafting trip on the Colorado River. This trip is for everyone eight and older.

8:00am, Breakfast for all those not rafting.

9:00am, All day ride leaves for Rich Mountain. We will take sack lunches with us. No vans on this ride. Rich Mountain is about an eight-hour ride. This ride is for adults and teens.

9:30am, Six to eleven's head out for Poplar Creek to have a PB&J picnic. And then try their luck at panning for gold. These guys will be busy all day. They will be taken care of until the rafting trip returns around 4:00 pm.

10:00am, For those who don't want to ride all day, we have an easy two hour ride.

12:30pm, Lunch in the lodge for that one guest that is still on the ranch.

2:00pm, Instruction in the arena.
4:00pm, The rafting trip returns. Time for a nap before diner.

6:30pm Dinner in the lodge.

8:00pm, Tonight is talent night. In the lounge we have invited a local Mountain Man to tell some stories and do a little banjo picking. All guest are invited to show off their talent, skits, piano playing or whatever. The staff will be there to show off as well. Who knows, Dad might even show up with some of his special brew.

Thursday

8:00 am, Breakfast in the lodge.

9:00am, Time to head out on the over night pack trip. This is for adults and teens. After a fantastic all day ride, we will meet "Cookie" at our camp for steaks, peach cobbler and a cold beer. This trip is not for wimps. It's a real taste of what life in the wilderness of the Rocky Mountains in the 1880's was like, only with a better sleeping bag and better food.

10:00am, Rides start leaving for a two hour ride to Byrd Creek for a Tex Mex cookout. This ride is for all ages. The Teens will take their own ride with their councilor. On this ride they will get the chance to do some faster riding. Sorry, no adults on this ride. Six to eleven's and their parents will ride together.

11:45am, There will be a van leaving from the lodge to take the three to five's and anyone not riding to lunch.

12:00pm, Lunch is served.

1:00pm, Six to Eleven's head back for games in the arena and then a swim in the pool.

1:15pm, Adults can choose from a one hour ride straight back to the ranch, or a longer three hour ride.

2:00pm,This afternoon we have two van trips. First a short drive to Roan Mountain Gardens to take a beautiful hike. The other van will be going to Georgetown for a little shopping.

5:30pm, Happy hour on the porch of Dad's Old Fart Brewery.

6:30pm, Kids head to the pool for pizza and games.

7:00pm, Adults meet at the lower pond for dinner and some guitar playing by our own wranglers.

Friday

8:00am, Pancake Breakfast on the porch of the lodge.

8:30am, Susan will be leading a rigorous three hour hike to the cliffs of Ball Buster Ridge. This hike is for anyone but it is a tough hike and you should consider whether or not you think you are up for it.

8:30am, Today we are going to take the kids off your hands for the whole day. For them we are going to Georgetown, about an hour away. There they will ride the narrow gauge train and then go to a famous candy store.

9:00am, Lisa will be taking a nature hike. This will last about an hour. Lisa is a famous botanist from Haiti. She will correctly identify every flower, bush, and shrubbery.

9:00am, All day ride for adults and teens leaves for Spivies Gap.

9:30am, We know that at this point some of you are getting a little tired, so we have an easy, short one and half hour ride along Poplar Creek. At about the half way point your wrangler will stop the ride for a break. He will tie up the horses and then spend about half an hour telling you unbelievable lies about his thirty year career as a Texas Ranger.

10:30am, After a two hour ride, the over-nighters return in time for a shower before lunch.

12:30pm, Lunch on the porch of Dad's Old Fart Brewery.
2:00 pm, Rodeo practice for everyone. You don’t have to practice to participate in the rodeo, but your chances of winning a Blue ribbon might be a little better.
2:00 PM, Skeet shooting for teen and adults.
2:30 pm, Two hour ride.
5:00 pm, Kids return from Grandfather Mountain.
6:30 pm, Dinner in the lodge for everyone.
8:00 pm, Square dance. Don’t be shy, anyone can square dance and all the wranglers and staff will be there to strut their stuff.

Saturday

8:00 am Ted has been in the kitchen since 4am making his famous biscuits and gravy. This is the best you have ever tasted but don’t ask what’s in it.
9:00 am, Kid’s rodeo practice.
9:30 am, Last chance for a half day ride with Ted or your favorite wrangler.
9:30 am, Lisa is taking another hike. This one is pretty easy and good for anyone who wants to go.
9:30 am, Skeet shooting again for teens and adults.
2:30 pm, Lunch by the pool.
2:00 pm, Off to the arena for everyone. It’s time for the rodeo, to show off the horsemanship skills you learned this week.
6:30 pm, Cookout by the lower pond for everyone. Beef tenderloin, BBQ chicken, corn on the cob and a home made dessert you won’t soon forget.
8:00 pm, Everyone to the pool for find out the results of the rodeo. Ribbons and commentary from Ted. This is the time for good-bye’s and exchanging addresses. We hope to see many of you back again next year.
Sunday

8:00 am, Breakfast in the lodge.
8:30 am, Vans start leaving for the airport.
Thanks for coming and we hope to see you again.

By Gina McKnight  http://gmcknight.com, http://ginamc.blogspot.com/

 It’s 5:00 am in Cody, Wyoming, a couple of hours before sunrise.  Ted Harvey is awake and ready for his first cup of black coffee.  He’ll go through a half pot of coffee before noon.  Ted is a handsome man and a solid buckaroo; a seasoned rancher and wrangler.  He wields the wrangler stride, necessary mustache, Levis that fit in all the right places and a wide smile. He has a solid history of skilled horsemanship, lasting kindness and engaging friendship.

It’s 7:29 am now. The sun is up and trying to shine. On most days the sunrise is golden, azure and gleaming in Cody.  But today it is gray, perse and rainy, a typical autumn morning in cowboy country; hard, rugged and everything nature.  A climate manipulated and defined by the calloused hands and the sun-baked complexion of weathered wranglers. Ted has just returned from the barn; pulling horseshoes and trimming hooves.  He reaches for another steaming cup of stiff, wrangler coffee.

In 1967 Ted came into this world in Seattle, Washington. His family moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina when he was five years old. At the age eight, he was introduced to a horse for the first time while visiting distant relatives in France.  His encounter with the horse was exciting and humbling.  Ted remembers, “We were on a farm and there was a horse there.  My twin brother and I had gone out in the morning to pet the horse.  The farmer had just fed him his oats. I really wanted to pet the horse.  My brother kept telling me to leave him alone. The horse was swishing his tail and laying his ears back. I really wanted to pet him.  After a bit, the horse had had enough, turned around, and kicked me squarely in the butt.  He kicked me clear over a fence.  My brother is still laughing about that one.”

In 1981, at the age of fourteen, Ted and his family traveled to Cody, Wyoming for a dude ranch vacation.  Arriving at Valley Ranch, a large ranch south of Cody, Ted became fascinated with the ranching lifestyle.  Staying at the ranch lodge, he became accustomed to the aroma, feel and sensations of western living. The horseback riding was exceptional; well-equipped for family vacations and novice riders. “Back then, I don’t remember much in the way of instruction,” says Ted. “They showed us how to go, stop and turn and that was about it.  In the lodge each evening at dinner there was a sign-up sheet for riding the next day.  You could choose between slow, intermediate or advance.  I went on every advanced ride for the two weeks we were there and I was hooked.  I knew then that dude ranching was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.”  Ted’s experience at the ranch would set the course for his future vocation and instill his love for horses.

Returning to North Carolina, Ted dreamed of being back in the mountains of Wyoming, riding horses and meeting new people.  “At that point in my life I knew nothing of horses or dude ranching.  I needed experience.  So, during high school, I worked shoveling manure at local stables. They would let me ride from time to time.  At seventeen, I returned to Valley Ranch and enrolled in their Wrangler School.  This was a six week course and consisted of eight other wranglers.  This was the real beginning of my formal education as a wrangler; I was a boy of seventeen from North Carolina chasing eighty horses across the Shoshone River at 5:30 in the morning with real cowboys who at the time I considered legends.”

While attending Wrangler School, Ted had the opportunity to meet some real western characters; famous wranglers, gracious hosts and lifelong friends. “Everyone has people they have met who have had a profound effect on their lives,” he says.  “For me one of those people was a woman I met at Valley Ranch named Irma Larom.  Her husband, Larry, started the ranch in 1914 with one of the Brooks Brothers as a partner. By the time I got there in the 1980’s he had passed away.  But she was still there.  She was about 140 years old.  She wore full-length formal dresses everyday.  She liked to flirt with the wranglers and tell stories about going to New York City in the 1920’s and staying at the Waldorf Hotel.  They would party in New York in the winter and invite their friends to Wyoming for summer adventure.  Irma said to me once, ‘A well-run dude ranch is hospitality at its finest.’ That has always stuck with me and I have tired to live up to it.  Valley Ranch no longer exists, but for me it is where everything began.”  Ted’s journey to becoming a world-class wrangler was becoming reality.  His hard work and dedication to his dream was coming to fruition.  All he needed was a good horse, fitted chaps and a wide-brim hat. Oh…and a good dog.

 Wrangler.  It’s a tough word, not for the weak of heart.  Being a wrangler is hard work, long days, extreme environments, great friends and the sweet fragrance of horses – a lot of horses. Wranglers have an honorable place in American history.  Ted explains, “Historically, wranglers were teenagers hired on the big cattle drives of the 1880’s – 1890’s to take care of the string of horses the cowboys used to work the cattle herd.  Depending on the size of the herd, a cowboy might have as many as six to eight horses.  On most drives, the cowboys did not own the horses they rode.  They were owned by the cattle company. This was to prevent the cowboys from quitting and riding off in the middle of a drive that lasted for several months.  During an average day, the cattle might only move eight to ten miles, but the cowboys would ride three times that and change mounts several times a day.  It was the wranglers job to make sure the horses were groomed, fed, shod and generally cared for so they were ready for the cowboys. Today, wranglers are people who work for outfits taking usually inexperienced riders on trail rides, cattle drives and arena events.”

 After Wrangler School at Valley Ranch, Ted attended college in Riverton, Wyoming.  He studied the rules of horsemanship, a two-year program including training in overall horsemanship; livestock feeding, colt breaking and training, farrier science, ranch management, English riding etiquette, and team roping. “What I really took away from this experience was a little knowledge about many different equine areas, and it gave me an experience base to land my first paying job as a wrangler,” he states.  “But, if I had known then what I know now, I would have majored in business.”

 Ted’s first position as a wrangler was at Black Mountain Ranch in McCoy, Colorado.  It is at Black Mountain Ranch where he met Rowdy, a bay Quarter Horse gelding. Rowdy’s dam was a Quarter Horse named Joker who belonged to Sam, the manager at Black Mountain Ranch. Ted recalls his years at Black Mountain. “I started there in 1987 as a wrangler. After about a month into my first summer, the head wrangler was fired for let’s say inappropriate behavior with a married female guest.  The manager came to me and said you are the head wrangler now.  The following summer we had a guest named Chuck.  He was a wiry, cocky twenty-three year old from Pennsylvania who, after being a guest like me, wanted to live the dude ranch life.  The manager and I agreed to hire him.  Chuck turned out to be the best wrangler I had ever known.  We only worked at Black Mountain for three years together and went our separate ways. Chuck went to work as a hunting guide for an outfitter on the western slope of Colorado.  I went to Tumbling River Ranch near Mount Evans, Colorado, and became the head wrangler there.”  When Chuck left for his new position in Colorado, he took Rowdy, the bay Quarter Horse gelding, with him. Rowdy has been in Chuck’s family for nearly twenty-three years now. Recently, Chuck was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease).  Ted says, “Chuck and his family now live in Cody. I am honored to keep his horse for him.  My daughter, Wren, who is six years old, is learning to run barrels on Rowdy.  She won’t ride any other horse.”

 While at Black Mountain Ranch, Ted had the opportunity to meet great equestrians from around the world. “In 1988, a group of guys called the Newfoundland Trail Riders came to Black Mountain Ranch.  These guys all owned horses and were good riders.  They brought their own chaps, spurs and saddles with sealskin saddlebags – packed with dried salted cod and Screech rum!” Ted exclaims. “We took them on an all day ride everyday they were there.  We did a 3-day pack trip and really had a lot of fun with these guys.  At the end of the week, their president thanked me for a great week.  He said they wanted to have a pair of custom chaps made for me to show their appreciation.  They were really beautiful and well-made, excellent leather, and stamped, ‘Thanks from Newfs, 1988’.  That was one of the nicest gifts I ever got.”

Ted’s riding tack has grown throughout the years.  He is not partial to a particular saddle maker, but, through experience, prefers custom tack.  “The saddle I ride was built on a wade tree, with a big Mexican horn and a five inch cantle.  I have saddlebags that are actually permanently attached to the saddle,” he says. “I also ride with a custom made leather cantle bag.  With the cantle bag, I don’t like saddles with Cheyenne rolls.  Working on dude ranches, I ride a lot of different horses and find that the wade tree, with its high gullet, fits most horses well.”  A classic ‘wade tree’ saddle is designed for working ranch horses.  The tree defines the shape of the pommel and cantle. Riding horses with diverse physics require a multi-fit saddle that the rider is accustomed to and is appropriate for all horse types.

Between 1992 and 2001, Ted was hired as head wrangler for Tumbling River Ranch in central Colorado.  Located deep in the Colorado high country, this ranch had an elevation of 9,200 feet.  “We rode to 12,000 feet on all-day rides every week during the summer.  One of the rides was a place called Rosalie.  There is nothing quite like riding a good horse above timberline with 14,000 foot mountain peaks all around you.  This was my church.”  The Colorado Rocky Mountains.  Beautiful, breathtaking and a trail riders dream.

 In 1994, while head wrangling at Tumbling River Ranch, Ted meet his sidekick, Spur. “I think everyone is entitled to one great dog in their lifetime.  Mine was a black and tan coonhound named Spur,” Ted says, remembering Spur. “He was a birthday present from my parents.  He was the runt of the litter.  When they went to pick him up he was nine weeks old, had pneumonia, was tied under a pickup truck and the breeder was going to let him die.  My parents got him for $50.  I had Spur for fifteen years.  He spent most of his life on a dude ranch and went on trail rides daily in the summer.  Spur was truly my best friend.  On my 30th birthday, I was on a working ranch in Roy, New Mexico.  This was a 23,000 acre ranch and very remote.  The closest neighbor was about 45 minutes away, if it wasn’t raining.  On my birthday, I was the only human on the ranch and I didn’t get a single phone call all day.  But Spur was there for me.  In his later years he slept about 23 hours a day.  In the end, he died at the age of fifteen on his couch in his sleep.  He lived well and died well.  I will never have another dog like him.” No wrangler is complete without a well-loved dog.  Spur was just that and much more.

 From the Colorado high country, Ted moved to Whitefish, Montana.  There he was the general manager of the Bar W Guest Ranch.  This was another opportunity to meet more horses, more dude ranch vacationers and make more friends. Ted says, “For my 40th birthday the staff gave me a pair of custom boots.  These were really high quality boots with my initials on the uppers.  During a cattle drive on the Blackfoot Reservation, a man offered to take my duffle bag which had a leather vest, a pair of Levis, gloves a fifth of Wild Turkey, and most importantly my custom boots.  I thought he meant he would take them to the truck, but apparently he meant take-for-good.  I miss those boots.”

After leaving the Bar W Guest Ranch, Ted purchased Zeus, an almost-black Appaloosa.  Zeus had been stabled at Bar W for over five years.  Zeus was notorious for his disorderly disposition and bucking episodes. He was originally purchased from Mouse, a Blackfoot Indian.  Ted explains, “Mouse is a horse trader in the truest sense of the word and has some really great horses.  The Blackfeet have always been known as the best horseman of all the tribes. Zeus was the kind of horse that exploded into everything he did.  Because he loved to GO, the wranglers tended to let him go.  Unfortunately, this was not what Zeus needed.  He needed a consistent rider that would help him to calm down.  He now lopes on a loose rein and is a different horse.  My four year old son rides with me on Zeus.”

Ted owns another horse, Comet, who also came from Mouse.  Comet is a fifteen year old Palomino gelding. “Comet was given to me as a gift by the owner of Bar W Guest Ranch when we left there to move to Cody in October of 2010,” Ted says. “At that point Comet was already my horse since I had been, with a few exceptions, the only one to ride him. Comet is my friend and really fun to ride.  He is the kind of horse that will run the barrels at a dead run and five minutes later walk around the barrels with my four year old son, with his head down and a loose rein.  Comet has power steering, power breaks and cruise control.  In my life I have had several great horses, but Comet is the best.  He will do just about anything I ask; cross a deep river, go over the bridge, or jump off a cliff.  He is fun to ride.”  Comet is 15.3 hh and 1,200 lbs.  He is Ted’s all-time favorite horse, friend and confidant.

 Ted’s favorite horse breed? A Quarter Horse, of course. American bred, with the largest breed registry in the world, the Quarter Horse is a wranglers dream.  Quick, efficient, compact and smart, the Quarter Horse is well-suited for American terrain. Ted expounds on his experience with other horse breeds, “I am a believer that after each breed’s basic characteristics, horses are a product of their environment.  In high school, I worked at a couple of Arabian Show barns mucking stalls.  The horses spent most of their time in a 12 x 12 stall and they were always trying to kick, bite or stomp me.  At the time, I hated those horses and thought that was just the way Arabians were.  Since then, I have had numerous Arabs on dude ranches and while they generally are a little more high strung, I have had some that were great dude horses.  I have known mountain trail riders who swear by various breeds, but in my opinion, most of them can be turned into great trail horses if they are treated and used right.”

Working outside, in the elements, with horses, surrounded by sky, streams and mountains.  Wrangler.  A vocation synonymous with chaps, saddles, bits, bridles, manes, tails, and dirt.  What is the difference between a cowboy and a wrangler? Ted explains, “Often the words cowboy or wrangler are used interchangeably, generally representing a man who can ride.  A funny story: On Cowboy Sunday, the kids were at the front of the Church and the Minister asked if they knew a cowboy.  My daughter answered that her dad was a cowboy.  When asked then if I have cows, she said, ‘no, but we might get chickens.’ My three year old son stood up and then announced to the congregation that he was a cowboy…and he had a toy gun, boots and spurs to prove it.  I used to think being a real cowboy was having those things, too, but I have learned it takes a lot more.  When my son crawls into bed at night we always say ‘The Words’….they go like this:

Always tell the truth

Always be honest

Always do the right thing

Always admit when you are wrong

Always do what you said you would do

Always respect others

 Someday, whether my son is riding the range or working in a bank, I hope he will understand that his character and the choices he makes are what make him a true cowboy.”  Ted is currently a wrangler instructor and a dude ranch consultant in Cody. “The thing I am spending the most time on these days is managing Turpin Meadow Ranch in Jackson, Wyoming,” he says.  “This ranch was foreclosed and the bank hired me to run it until a new owner can be found.  My consulting includes caring for ranch horses, legal issues, horse program development and long-term ranch management.  Most likely I will be involved with this ranch for some time, including finding a new string of about sixty horses for the ranch.” Ted is a successful wrangler, businessman, equestrian, family man and friend. If you are considering a dude ranch vacation, give Ted a call.  He’ll provide you with accommodations befitting any want-to-be-wrangler; a steady horse, a sturdy rope, a night under the stars and memories that will last forever.

HISTORY OF DUDE RANCHING

I have worked on dude ranches in Colorado, Wyoming and Montana since the mid 1980s. My business now is dude ranch consulting. One of the things I do is set up horseback riding programs for new ranches. I am certified by the Dude Ranchers Association as a wrangler instructor. I teach Horse Safety Certification courses. Over the years I have trained countless wranglers and taken thousands of guests on trail rides. Probably 70% of the guests I took out were beginners. My percentage of accidents with injuries is less than 1%. My number one goal has always been safety.

If you are looking at places to ride/vacation and are concerned about their safety program start by asking a few questions before making a reservation.

1. Do they allow people to ride on their own without a guide? If they do this could mean a general lack of concern for either riders or their horses.

2. Are guests allowed to run or gallop the horses? If they do offer loping/cantering how is that conducted? Does the leader of the ride just start running in big open fields when he feels like it or does he stop the ride before starting and give instructions about the rules, how far you will go, and when you will stop.

3. How many riders are allowed on each ride? What is the guest to guide ratio? It should be about 4 to 1.

4. Is any thought given to the order of the horses on the ride?

5. How often do they check cinches during the ride. Loose chinches are the number one reason people come off horses.

6. Do they allow double riding or allow a parent to have a small child ride with them? These are big no no’s and a safe operation would know better.

7. Do they have a written orientation speech or if not what does the orientation consist of?

8. What kind of experience do the wranglers/guides have? Are they nonchalant about moving around the horses and mounting people or are they all business. DO THEY HAVE FIRST AID/CPR?

9. What do the horses and equipment look like? Are the horses well cared for or are the skinny and not groomed? A horse that is not in good shape is more likely to have problems on a ride. If the tack is in poor condition it could lead to accidents.

These are just a few things to think about when looking at trail riding operations. Most dude ranch operations will have comments on trip advisor. Many of the ranches that are members of the Dude Ranchers Association are horse safety certified. If it is not a dude ranch but just a trail riding operation I would ask if they have any kind of safety accreditation. I hope you find this helpful to this discussion. Anyone who would like to discuss this with me is welcome to contact me directly.

Question: What are the different kinds of ranches?

Answer:
Working Dude Ranch
These are working cattle ranches. Most of these ranches were cattle ranches before they became dude ranches. Historically ranchers who needed to make more money started accepting boarders to help pay for their ranch operations. Guests get to participate in the work related to the horses and cattle. If you are looking to really experience what cowboy life is then this the kind of ranch for you.

Dude or Guest Ranch
Many dude ranches started as working ranches but moved their business to taking guests which became their main focus. Some still have cattle and guest are encouraged to help work them. Horseback riding is their main focus but most offer a variety of other activities including, kids programs, fishing, skeet shooting, evening activities and pack trips. In my career I have heard countless guests at the end of their stay say that this was the best vacation they had ever been on.

Resort Dude Ranch
These ranches are more luxurious and offer fancier accommodations, dining, and amenities. Tennis, golf, fine wines, spa and shopping are typical. They of course still have great horse backriding. Resort ranches tend to have larger guest capacity and can handle large groups, weddings and corporate events.