I got mom to agree to go on a dude ranch vacation. Let the research begin! The options to consider for choosing a dude ranch is overwhelming. Here are some of my findings.
Dude ranches are all about the horseback riding. If they don’t offer horseback riding, then they are just a lodge, not a dude ranch. For my family vacation I should consider a 73 year old who was injured by a horse, and an 85 year old with failing health. They would probably be okay not riding a horse…. so do we even need a dude ranch?
The horses on the ranch are put out to pasture every morning and collected back into the ranch every evening. I guess this is for shelter and safety from nocturnal predators. These two times a day are a sight for the visitor.
A “working” ranch is where visitors get to participate in the round-up of steer. Okay, but not really. I don’t think this is meaningful work, but rather putting a group of steer in a field and letting visitors riding horseback come play cowboy. Still a good experience that I would really enjoy, but don’t anyone think that I would be performing real work.
The “guest” ranch is focused on horseback rides and a few other nature activities like hiking, fishing, and sometimes rafting.
The “resort” ranch has resort-like amenities such as a spa/massage, bowling alley, golf, etc. I consider this more a resort with horses than an actual dude ranch.
Some ranches offer “adults only” weeks, and they are offered in September. Considering that most kids are already back at school in September, wouldn’t any resort be adult-only in September? So if a resort doesn’t label it “adults only”, the chances of having no or few children are still high, so we will go in September.
I used to show horses. I know horses. I also know that after 1 or 2 rides my butt will probably be saddle sore. Because of that I am interested in ranches that also offer ATV rides. I am also interested in this because I will have my big camera and will be concentrating on getting the shot. I don’t want to have to worry about falling off a horse while getting the shot. An ATV seems perfect for the photography outing. Ranches with the ATV option will probably be found on the larger ranches.
Gregor has an affinity for wood stoves. Some accommodations are rooms in a lodge, but others are cabins. I will look for a cabin that has a wood stove… even though it will only be September, LOL.
Most of all for me is the consideration of scenery. Because we used to go on trail rides on our family farm in Maryland, we know that experience already. A simple trail ride through the woods would be nostalgia… but a trail ride through Wyoming or Montana with large, majestic mountains in the background would be more memorable.
