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USA, Wyoming - Wind River

Wyoming is not only known for its incomparable nature, but also as the state with the strongest cowboy culture. Between the two magnificent national parks Shoshone and Yellowstone you will find a real western ranch, with log cabins, 150 horses and hundreds of cattle and sheep. Surrounded thousands of acres of protected wilderness, this oasis is the perfect starting point for discovering Wyoming's magnificent scenery in true cowboy spirit. The ranch is a "guest &working ranch" run by Bayard, his wife Mel and their son and daughter-in-law Richard and Hadley. Here you will have a real authentic ranch stay with homemade meals and a family atmosphere. 

Since the ranch is engaged in agricultural activities, you will both view and be part of the daily tasks that belong to a real western ranch. It can be anything from moving livestock to new pastures to finding a cow on the move. It is also possible to take riding lessons if you wish. Of course, however, it is difficult to beat the hour-long explorations of the incredibly beautiful landscapes. It's not for nothing that Wyoming houses several of America's most talked about and beloved national parks!

After a long day's riding, nothing tastes as good as well-cooked, nutritious food, which is something that is the focus here. Most of what is served on the table comes from the ranch, both meat and vegetables, and the bread is of course homemade. A few days a week, it's also cocktail night - a perfect opportunity to get to know everyone on the ranch a little extra. When it's time to sleep, you do it in the cozy log cabins that surround the main house, all with their own bathroom. This is a ranch for those who want to experience amazing nature, Western culture and ranch life in its simplicity, but without compromising on amenities.
 

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Accommodation & Food

Situated on either side of the river to provide maximum seclusion, twelve tastefully decorated but rustic private log cabins accommodate up to 30 guests each week.
The ranch has an interesting history and its cabins have been furnished and updated throughout the 50 years the ranch has been run as a dude ranch, with attention to retaining the authenticity and rustic charm of a bygone era.
All have ensuite bathrooms with showers and some cabins also have tubs. There are several sleeping arrangement options: one double or queen bed, two twin beds, or duplex cabins designed for families with a double or queen bed on one side and twins on the other. Every cabin offers electric heat, and some have wood burning stoves.
After a long day in the saddle, you can relax on your cabin’s porch and soak in the beautiful surroundings. Later, you’ll gather in the main lodge for meals and cozy evenings. The two sitting rooms, dining room, game room with pool table and the well-stocked library offer further options for your comfort and entertainment. There are no TVs in the cabins but wireless internet is available in the main lodge. Cell phone reception can be found only in certain spots on the property.

Cuisine
While the emphasis at the ranch is on horses and horseback riding, they feel that healthy culinary enjoyment is also a vital part of life here. Salads come fresh from the garden, ranch raised beef and lamb are served, and bread is baked in the kitchen ovens. The ranch is also happy to cater to special diets (please inform horsexplore when booking) with their gourmet ranch cuisine.


 

Horses

A Guest Ranch with 150 horses and a Unique Equestrian Focus
Life at the ranch revolves around the horses. Their selection, breeding, training and care are of paramount importance and consume most of the owner’s energy throughout the year so that they can offer you the best possible horseback riding vacation. Many of the horses have been born on the ranch. They socialize naturally in a herd environment and are released every afternoon to roam in a large pasture until they are gathered the next morning. Their careful training and care allow you to enjoy trail riding on responsive horses.
The herd is made up of many different breeds including Quarter Horses, Mustangs, Percherons, Appaloosas and some lovely Welsh ponies as well as Spanish and CMK Arabians that they raise and train at the Ranch. 
For many years, they have bred and raised friendly, sensible, purebred Spanish and CMK Arabians which have proved excellent for trail riding and herding cattle as well as taking jumps on the cross country course.

Tack: Western tack for trail riding (unless a very experienced rider) and English for XC jumping and lessons if desired. Tack is all well-maintained and of a high standard.


 

Program Ranchstay

A typical week at the ranch
Although the ranch itinerary may vary depending on the season as well as your interests and riding experience, each week has a basic structure designed to build your ranch vacation into a unique and memorable experience.

Sunday: Arrive between 2 and 5 pm and settle into your comfortable log cabin. Join your fellow guests for cocktails on the porch at 6.30 followed by a BBQ and bonfire by the river (weather permitting).

Monday: After a hearty breakfast gather by the corral at 9.15 for an introduction to the wranglers and a short demonstration of the riding techniques used on the ranch. Mount up and ride to the ring for a brief evaluation to make sure you are well matched with your horse, tack, and fellow riders. Then it is off on your first trail ride of the week! Return in time for lunch at 12.30, have a bit of time to relax and you are back in the saddle at 2.45, exploring a different area in the vast empty spaces that surround the ranch. Return from your ride between 4.30 and 5.30, which will give you time to shower and change before cocktail hour.

Tuesday: Optional videotaped lessons in the morning. A longer ride into the National Forest for those who are now more comfortable in the saddle followed by a shorter, faster afternoon ride. Cocktails are at 6:00 pm and dinner today is at 6.30 in July and August to accommodate those who wish to join the weekly square dance in Dubois, which starts at 8.00.

Wednesday: Morning and afternoon rides with the possibility for more advanced groups to load up into the horse trailer and go check on the cows grazing deep inside the National Forest. There are endless interesting destinations with varied terrain to be explored and no ride will be repeated during your week-long stay.

Thursday: Optional lessons, morning, and afternoon rides, perhaps fly fishing or hiking. You can choose to spend your time as you wish on this or any other day.

Friday: A long ride in the morning is followed by a friendly team sorting competition in the afternoon (July, August and September). Four team members attempt to drive ten Highland yearlings in numerical order from one end of the ring to the other in 4 minutes. You will find that the cattle will never comply with the best laid plans! Cocktails are at 6:00 and dinner is again at 6.30 in July and August so that you can make it to Dubois by 8.00 to watch the local rodeo.

Saturday: An all-day picnic ride which allows guests to climb high in the National Forest. There is often an opportunity for more advanced groups to herd cattle grazing on the allotment.

Sunday: Depart after breakfast and a sad farewell to newfound friends. 

Program Range rider weeks

The cattle graze on vast open mountain pastures with never ending vistas and the work required to keep everything well organized seems to go on just as long as the views. Activities may include fixing fence, searching for cattle killed by grizzly bears or wolves, putting out salt with pack horses and potentially herding cattle from pasture to pasture (depending on need). Maximum 6 riders

Sample itinerary for illustration only as each range rider week brings a unique experience because this is not a scripted and “created for entertainment” week.

Sunday: Arrive between 2 and 5 pm and settle into your comfortable log cabin. Join your fellow guests for cocktails on the porch at 6.30 followed by a BBQ and bonfire by the river (weather permitting).

Monday: After a hearty breakfast gather by the corral at 9.15 for an introduction to the wranglers and a short demonstration of the riding techniques used on the ranch. Mount up and ride to the ring for a brief evaluation to make sure you are well matched with your horse, tack, and fellow riders. Then it is off on your first trail ride of the week! Return in time for lunch at 12.30, have a bit of time to relax and you are back in the saddle at 2.45, exploring a different area of the vast empty spaces that surround the ranch. Return from your ride between 4.30 and 5.30, which will give you time to shower and change before cocktail hour.

Tuesday: Set off into the National Forest to the East Fork basin section of the allotment. Check the fence along the border with the Indian Reservation riding through groves of aspen, hidden meadows and open pine forest. Ride on into the Alkali section of the allotment. If you wish, venture into Dubois this evening to join the weekly square dance, which starts at 8.00 in July and August.

Wednesday: Two half days of riding today, in different directions from the ranch. After the morning ride you’ll return to the lunch for lunch and a rest, with departure for a faster afternoon outing at 2.45 another enjoyable cocktail hour and delicious dinner.

Thursday: Check fences and cattle movements in the Alkali section, perhaps going up high near the base of Castle Rock. You will be riding through vast open meadows, interspersed with pockets of aspen and pine. The spectacular Wind River Mountain range is always in view on one side with the Absaroka Mountains on the other. Make your way back to the ranch in the afternoon.

Friday: A long ride in the morning is followed by a friendly team sorting competition in the afternoon (July, August and September). After gathering the cattle and driving them to the arena four team members attempt to drive ten Highland yearlings in numerical order from one end of the ring to the other in 4 minutes. You will find that the cattle never comply with the best laid plans! Cocktails are at 6:00 pm and dinner is again at 6.30 in July and August so that you can make it to Dubois by 8.00 to watch the local rodeo.

Saturday: An all-day picnic ride that takes us high into the National Forest. There is often an opportunity to herd from pasture to pasture depending upon cattle movements.

Sunday: Departure after breakfast and a sad farewell to newfound friends.


 

Other activities

The second biggest passion at the ranch (after the riding of course) is fly fishing. There are wonderful opportunities here to fly fish for trout in the ranch's private stream and stocked pond, as well as in neighbouring lakes and rivers.
The East Fork Wind River runs through the ranch lands for over a mile and is home to many Cutthroat trout between 8 and 14 inches long, some having been caught as big as 20 inches. There are also excellent gorges and two ponds which house rainbow trout of up to 5Ibs. Your host has caught trout up to 10lbs and as well as the Cutthroat and Rainbow trout, Brown and Brook trout are also living in local waters.

Hiking in the area is top notch and destinations include a former hideout of Butch Cassidy from the 1890s and visits to the cedar sheep traps made by the Sheep Eater Indians 150 years ago. Other hiking opportunities include trails to old Indian campsites, a trip to Castle Rock and even the chance to see the petrified bones of a coryphodon, a mammal which roamed the lands 45-60 million years ago.

There is a variety of wild flowers and trees on the ranch, the most notable of course being the Bitterroot. This is a nutritious root which was prized by the Indians who dried and stored them over winter. The roots were too bitter for Europeans! Guests can also see Evening Primroses, Larkspurs, Mountain Bluebells, Cushions Flox, Mountain Strawberries, Lance Leaf Stonecrop, Lupines and Indian Paintbrushes. Some of the stunning trees and shrubs which add to the ranch's beauty are Quaking Aspen, Cottonwood, Rocky Mountain Juniper, Limber Pine, Engelman Spruce, Sagebrush, Willow and Silverberry. These plants and the other fascinating wildlife of the area make the ranch a beautiful environment in which to enjoy some top class riding or fishing.

Dubois village
This quaint western town has only about 1,000 inhabitants and the tourist trade is the main business. There are some interesting shops and art galleries. The Dubois Museum has excellent coverage of the history and geology of the area. Dubois is proud to have America’s largest herd of bighorn sheep living just above the town and is home to the National Bighorn Sheep Center which has impressive exhibits of these fascinating animals which were once so abundant in the area and provided a large part of the food for the local Sheep Eater Indians. The wild sheep were nearly wiped out by diseases brought in by domestic sheep, but have now recovered to some extent although they are nowhere near the numbers of 200 years ago. They are mostly in the high country in the summer, but there are some interesting sites in the area. The easiest to visit are the petroglyphs near Torrey, Ring and Trail Lakes just outside Dubois. In July and August there is a rodeo every Friday night and square dances are held on Tuesday evenings.

Travel Information

Ability description: Trail Ride Level 1-3 >>

Included in the price: Accommodation, all meals (wine with dinners), coffee/tea, daily riding (except Sunday), fishing, taxes and gratuities

Not included: Flights, transfers, other drinks, travel insurance & other personal expenses.

Travel: Book flight >>
Flight: Fly to Riverton (Wyoming) or Jackson Hole. We can suggest transport companies to transfer you to the ranch if you prefer not to hire your own car.

Season: May 26, 2024 - Oct. 1, 2024  (Arrive/depart on Sundays)

Single room: Can be booked with a supplement. For price click on” Book on request” under Dates & prices. If there is no one to share a room with, a single room supplement will be added.

Group size: 1-12 riders per group.

Child discount: Children under 12 receive a 25% discount. 

Age limit: None for guests, riders must be 4+ (there are some lovely Welsh ponies).

Weight limit: 90kg / 198 lbs / 14 stone 2lbs

Currency: US Dollar

Accepted Credit cards: Visa and Mastercard

Tipping: Up to the personal happiness of the guest.

Wifi: Yes

Electricity jack: Standard A is the one used in North America for ungrounded outlets. For earthed sockets, standard B is used instead, which has a third round metal pin for the earth. It is possible to connect devices/adapters of type A to sockets of type B, but not the other way around.

Beach: No

Pool: No

Riding equipment to borrow: Helmet. Helmet is mandatory.

Saddle bag available: Some saddlebags.

Special diet: Inform when booking.

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