Idaho Ranch, USA
Horses
Type of horses:
Ranch- raised Quarter Horses
Nature of horses:
Kind, well trained and possessing great stamina.
Height of horses:
14-16hh
Weight limit:
225Ib (102kg, about 16 stone)
Tack type:
Western
Weather
Current Conditions:
Fair, 28 C
Forecast:
Thu - Isolated Thunderstorms. High: 29 Low: 13
Fri - Isolated Thunderstorms. High: 32 Low: 14
Full Forecast at Yahoo! Weather
(provided by The Weather Channel)
Pricing
Ranch Stay
The price for this ranch stay is:
£849 per person (this includes 6% tax)
There is also a 10% gratuity charge to be paid at the ranch: £80 (10% of price before tax)
Price does not include flights or travel insurance.
Horse Drive
The price for this Horse Drive is:
£849 per person (this includes 6% tax)
There is also a 10% gratuity charge to be paid at the ranch: £80 (10% of price before tax)
Price does not include flights or travel insurance.
Pack Trip
The price for this Pack Trip is:
£849 per person (this includes 6% tax)
There is also a 10% gratuity charge to be paid at the ranch: £80 (10% of price before tax)
Price does not include flights or travel insurance.
Colt Starting Week
The price for this Horse Drive is:
£849 per person (this includes 6% tax)
There is also a 10% gratuity charge to be paid at the ranch: £80 (10% of price before tax)
Price does not include flights or travel insurance.
Availability/Booking Form
Ride Description
This is a rustic ranch destination offering cattle herding holidays, pack trips, horse moving rides and colt training weeks. This is the place to become a real cowboy as you ride ranch-raised quarter horses through this large expanse of Idaho country. This is a family owned and operated ranch which has been in the family for fifty years. You will be welcomed as part of the crew, learning the time honoured skills of these real life cowboys and enjoying a wonderful holiday as part of the family.
The ranch is set in the beautiful Medicine Lodge Canyon on the Idaho-Montana border. The landscape here is diverse featuring high deserts, snow-capped mountains, forests, lakes, meadows and creeks, all of which add to your riding experience and provide a dreamy setting for whichever type of holiday you choose. The ranch covers 120,000 acres which is used by these the cowboys for grazing their 1000 cattle and 100 horses. This is a great chance for you to practice your riding, roping, working cattle and training horses before heading back to the ranch cabins for a hearty cowboy dinner and a good night's rest. The more adventurous can explore the countryside with a pack trip or whilst moving the horses - these guests spend some nights camping out under the stars!
There is a large number of spectacular wildlife in this region which provides great viewing for guests as they ride. Often you can see Deer, Elk, Moose, Antelope, Bear, Badgers, Coyotes, Ground Hogs, Hawks, Bald Eagles, Golden Eagles, Sand Hill Cranes, Sage Hens and Pine Grouse. You may also enjoying seeing the Trout leaping in the various creeks. For the plant lovers there are also plenty of species to catch your eye and which help to colour this lovely landscape - Sage, Wildflower, Willows, Indian Paintbrush, Buttercups, Wild Daisies, Douglas Fir, Lodge Pole Pine, Juniper and Mahogany.
Visit this ranch for a true cowboy experience, whether it be with a pack trip or working the cattle. You could even combine several different experiences for the ultimate ranch holiday! Some knowledge of riding is necessary but come prepared to learn and to experience a more traditional way of life. There is no electricity in these cabins but there are propane lanterns, hot outdoor showers and plenty of delicious food - you'll feel like a real cowboy or girl in no time!
See Programmes.
Food & Accommodation
Accommodation here is in cabins - either a large cook cabin with 5 bunkhouse rooms or a smaller cabin with two full size beds and a loft bed. This accommodation is rustic with old fashioned propane lanterns instead of electricity, outhouses and a hot outdoor shower. All bedrooms are bunkhouse style and it is two people to a room, a maximum of twelve guests at a time.
Food at this ranch is hearty, filling and tasty - traditional cowboy food! For example, a typical ranch breakfast consists of pancakes, bacon, eggs and hashbrowns with hot coffee. During pack trips and horse moving rides, you will eat delicious food cooked over the hot fire - sizzling bacon, hot cakes on the griddle. Trails involve packed lunches to keep you going during your busy day of riding.
Activities
This trip is the time to practice being a real cowboy and after the riding, roping, working cattle and training horses, there isn't much time or energy left for anything besides eating tasty food, relaxing with a drink and enjoying the company of your fellow cowboys and girls. Enjoy warming yourself by the campfire, listening to stories and being entertained by your hosts and newfound friends.
Further Details
Languages: English
Health requirements: Fit & Healthy
Age limit: 18+
Tuition: No.
Included: Accommodation, meals, riding (usually 6-8 hours per day)
Not included: Flights, transfers, alcoholic drinks
Travel Information
Fly to Idaho Falls Regional Airport or Jackson Airport on a Sunday. From here you can get a transfer at 3.30pm (Sunday only) which costs:
Idaho Falls: $100 per person (1 hour 15 mins)
Jackson: $175 per person (3 hours)
If necessary you can spend a night in a hotel at Idaho Falls.
Airport: Idaho Falls
Alternative Airport: Jackson
Programmes
Ranch Stay
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A week ranch stay where you share the life of a working cowboy, taking care of a thousand head of cattle on their summer range. You will spend 6-8 hours per day in the saddle - each day is different, depending on the time of year and the condition of the cattle, but you are guaranteed some fabulous riding and an excellent cowboy experience. You spend this week in rustic cabins at the upper ranch where the cattle spend their summer (June to September). There is no electricity here but there is outdoor lighting, a hot outdoor shower and outhouses. This may sound daunting but the accommodation is nice and cosy, equipped with everything you need to have a great ranch holiday. There is a cook cabin for eating and relaxing and comfortable bunkhouses or cabins to sleep in. Horses and riders are carefully matched to make sure that everyone is happy and relaxed with their horse and tack. Your day as a cowboy typically begins with a large breakfast of pancakes, bacon, eggs and hash browns. A lunch is packed with you everyday and then you head out on the range for a day of rounding up and moving cattle, roping and doctoring the sick calves and riding and looking for stray cattle. There is always plenty of work to be done and at lunch, the group finds a nice spot to enjoy an hour's rest and a good meal. Once the great day of riding is at an end you will head back to the ranch for a hearty and delicious dinner, campfire stories and entertainment around the campfire. The country and landscape of the ranch varies from about 6000 to 10,000 feet in elevation and offers some fantastic places to explore. Not only is this a truly wonderful cowboy holiday but you will be spending a week in some of Idaho's most beautiful country. Everyday is an adventure and your hosts would love to help you fulfill your ranching dreams. |
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| Minimum group size: | 2 |
| Maximum group size: | 10 |
| Ability description: | Strong novice+ - basic knowledge and experience of horse riding is necessary to fully enjoy this trip. |
| Type of ride: | Ranch work |
| Total riding time: | Approx 6-8 hours per day. |
| Departure dates: | 2010: August 15-21, September 5-11 |
| Pricing: | See Pricing |
Horse Drive
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A fantastic week where guests are involved in rounding up and driving horses (usually 40-50) through miles of Idaho country. This trip is for experienced riders as you'll be driving horses 20 miles a day over various kinds of terrain - this is one of the most exciting things you can do on horseback! Anything can happen as this is the real deal, a fast paced cowboy adventure. Guests should be prepared for it to be hot, cold, wet, dry and dusty, fast, slow, challenging and relaxing. Riders should be very capable in the saddle (english riders will be fine in the western saddles) and up for adventure and the ride of a lifetime. Accommodation begins and ends in the simple but cosy ranch cabins with tent accommodation provided during the drive. You can sleep under the stars if you wish. Sunday: You will arrive at the ranch on Sunday evening for a welcome dinner and introduction to the ranch family, crew and other guests. You will be accommodated for the night in a cabin or bunk room. Monday: Meet your mount, riding instructions, spend the day riding through mountain terrain (making sure every rider is confident at a walk, trot, and lope/canter.) Your hosts want you to trust your horse completely before leaving for the horse drive. Spend the night at the ranch. Tuesday: Pack your bedrolls in the chuck wagon, round up and saddle the horses, load them in the horse trailer and head for Deep Creek . You will round-up and drive horses 20 plus miles, through desert canyon country. At the end of the day you will come to Warm Springs. There is not a more welcome site than riding over the ridge with a herd of horses, and spotting the chuck wagon and camp. You're going to be tired and dirty after a long day of riding. There is a natural warm spring here and it's the perfect spot to take a nice relaxing bath. You can end the day with a hot delicious meal and lots of stories of the day’s adventure. You will be ready to retire for the evening to a nice tent or sleep under the stars if you wish. Wednesday: You will awake to the smell of coffee brewing over the fire and hot cakes on the griddle! Life just doesn’t get any better than this! If you would like, after breakfast you can take “another quick dip in the spring.” You will help break camp, catch your horses, and be on your way. Thursday: Awake to the sounds of the horses near by, coffee brewing over the fire and the smell of bacon sizzling! You will have travelled over 40 miles and are now in some beautiful back country. You have got to see this! You will leave the colts and the camp behind and do a little exploring. There is a beautiful mountain lake just 6 miles from camp and with abundant wildlife around you might just get a close look at a moose, elk or even a bear. Another great adventure is just around the corner, and today you will be sure to find it! Dinner cooked over the open fire will put an end to another perfect day. Friday: After a whole day off with nothing to do, the colts are ready and anxious to get going so, after another great breakfast, you will help break camp, gather and saddle the horses, round up the colts, and get them headed to their final destination. This is another great day of riding and moving horses through some of the most beautiful country you can imagine. By now you definitely know what you are doing and feel confident doing it. You are a cowboy! You will arrive back to the ranch in late afternoon ready for a hot shower, a cold drink and a warm cookie, reward for a job well done! After a little relaxation time you will help sort out one of the colts and work with him for a short time before dinner. This requires a little help from some of the newest cowboys (but only if you want). This is very interesting and you will be able to see how your hosts introduce the saddle and turn this young colt into a working ranch horse. You will end the day with a farewell dinner, lots of stories and a good nights rest in your cabin. Saturday: By now you have ridden over 60 miles and are ready for a day off yourself. But if after breakfast you want to take one last ride before you pack your things, you know what to do, and are welcome to do it. At this ranch your hosts will do all they can to make your vacation one to remember, so if there's something that you want to do that you think they may have missed, be sure to let them know, and if it's possible they'll do it! You will have memories for a lifetime. When you return to the fast paced life of the city you will close your eyes, smell the coffee and the fresh mountain air, see yourself riding through the beautiful mountain ranges of Medicine Lodge Idaho, and this will get you through until they see you next time. |
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| Accommodation: | Accommodation at the start and end of the ride is back at the ranch cabins. For the other nights you will be camping in tents (or sleeping under the stars if you prefer). |
| Minimum group size: | 2 |
| Maximum group size: | 10 |
| Ability description: | Experienced. |
| Type of ride: | Horse move (effectively a trail ride). |
| Total riding time: | 6-8 hours per day |
| Departure dates: | 2010: 18-24 July, 1-7 August, 22-28 August, 22 August - 4 September, 12-18 September, 19-25 September, 26 September - 2 October |
| Pricing: | See Pricing |
Pack Trip
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Come and join this cowboy's dream ride where they take a break from herding cattle at the ranch to explore the wilderness and beauty of Idaho country. This week long trip allows you to share that cowboy experience as you explore snow covered peaks, high mountain lakes, abundant wildlife and the starlit nights. This trip begins at the ranch before you head to an elevation of over 10,000 feet to your hosts' camp at Webber Lakes. From here you'll set out daily to adventure through the Targhee and Beaverhead National Forest of Idaho and Montana and the Continental Divide country. You will ride through the same mountain passes that horse rustlers used in the late 1800s as they travelled to Montana. Guests are treated to true western cuisine and are shown some cowboy hospitality. You will thoroughly enjoy riding the beautiful ranch-raised Quarter Horses through this spectacular land. Itinerary Summary: - Sunday pick-up from Jackson or Idaho Falls airport at 3.30pm - Dinner and a nights stay at the main ranch - Next 5 days and 4 nights spent at the Webber Lakes Camp, riding and exploring new country daily. - Friday return to the ranch for farewell dinner and entertainment - Saturday morning after breakfast your hosts will take you to your departure destination. |
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| Accommodation: | Accommodation begins and ends at the main ranch with 4 nights camping at Webber Lakes in between. |
| Minimum group size: | 2 |
| Maximum group size: | 10 |
| Ability description: | Intermediate+ |
| Type of ride: | Pack trip with day trails from campsite |
| Total riding time: | 6-8 hours per day |
| Departure dates: | Please contact office for departure dates. |
| Pricing: | See Pricing |
Colt Starting Week
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This week is spent learning how to start colts the "cowboy way" and is for experienced riders only. Each guest receives hands on training as they are provided with a saddle horse and a two year old, unbroken colt for the week. Each day you will ride out from the ranch and work from there, taking rides into the forests to acquaint the young horses with the area. This week introduces you to the first steps of starting a young colt, a task for which the round corral is important part but only in the beginning. As these horses will be used out in the cow country of the region, that is where the cowboys aim to get them. The colts are handled quietly so that they may get used to people, ropes, saddles and saddle blankets. Lynn, one of your hosts, is an old hand at this, having been training colts for the last 20 years. He has spent the past 8 years travelling to Europe to put on colt starting clinics. This is the experience of a lifetime where you will take part in shaping a young horse for the future. It is also great in combination with the other weeks that this ranch has to offer. |
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| Minimum group size: | 2 |
| Maximum group size: | 6 |
| Ability description: | Experienced. |
| Type of ride: | Based ride with colt training |
| Total riding time: | Varies day to day. |
| Departure dates: | Please contact office for departure dates. |
| Pricing: | See Pricing |