Activities
Variety is the spice of life and at The High Lonesome Ranch that sentiment carries over into our equestrian program. On the ranch you’ll find a tremendous number of options that will satisfy a child, a first time adult rider, or an incredibly skilled horseman.
We take particular care to match our guests’ riding ability with the perfect selection from our string of paints and Quarter horses. We then work through a thorough orientation in the form of an easy trail ride to make sure that the choices are still good ones. Guests ride and take care of their horses for the entire week with assistance from our skilled wranglers. Our riding instructors are seasoned veterans and are patient instructors. If you’ve never ridden before then come along, we welcome the opportunity to show you the ropes – pun intended!
At the end of each day join us for our Cowboy Mingle. You’ll find a variety of social events in the common areas every evening before dinner. From casual rounds of horseshoes, to roping and round pen events you’ll be hootin’ and hollerin’ like a cowboy. Bluegrass bands and western dance lessons are a perfect end to the terrific day.
Riding Lessons
If you've always wanted to learn how to ride a horse you have come to the right place. If you’re already comfortable in the saddle, you’ll have a great time, too. First of all, our instructors hand pick a horse to match with your temperament and skill level. Most of our strings are of quarter horse stock, and they are kind, gentle, and responsive. Our lessons are custom tailored to every rider's ability. We will teach you how to groom and tack your horse, and how to command him to walk, trot, and hand gallop if you’re ready for that. All of our riding is Western, but our instructors are thoroughly knowledgeable in English, Dressage, and Hunter/Jumper categories, so they are able to speak knowledgeably to a wide variety of riders who come from different disciplines. All of our guests are ensured an excellent experience.
Roping, Team Penning, Reining, Western Obstacle Course, and Introduction to Barrel Racing
All these and more will be among your choices during the week. It is said that families that team pen together, stay together. You'll learn other useful things like how to open a gate without getting off your horse. You can get an introduction to barrel racing if you aren't a pro already. If so, you can challenge our competitive barrel-racing head wrangler and Equestrian Director. She comes from a long line of barrel-racing women. Roping is probably one of those things that you’ve always had on your list. And reining properly is key to being capable of managing all of these skills.
Cattle Driving and Round Up
If you can sit on a horse you can punch cattle. Our talented and experienced wranglers will gladly lead the way. From rounding up individual cows and calves that wander from the herd to roping and branding yearlings, we can use your help. Every cattle drive takes riders through a variety of the most beautiful parts of the ranch. From lush, riparian corridors through sage flats and Aspen stands you will become a part of our Western heritage. Come for a visit in early spring and you can learn to throw a lasso, rope a calf, and slap a brand on it – The High Lonesome Ranch HL quarter circle brand.
Equestrian Geocaching
Finding hidden treasures is always a pleasant surprise, but how about using a horse and a GPS to try the hottest new sport in the Rockies? See if you can beat your family and friends to the various check points and claim your prize. Equestrian geocaching is a fun exercise for riders of all ages, so come on out and work your way through our valleys and throughout our mesas. The views are nothing short of stunning.
Trails
We've got more trails for you to ride than you could cover in a lifetime. Unless you’re a real cowboy, of course. Whether you ford streams or ride through the cottonwoods you will become part of The High Lonesome legacy. Explore a combination of our miles of trails that are cut throughout the 300 square miles of working ranch. Each trail was hand charted and cut with the wide variety of skill sets of our guests in mind. Some trails follow creek bottoms while others venture throughout the alpine mesas and valleys. Our miles of trails range from an hour to a day and you won't even need to cross a public road.
Wildlife Viewing
The staggering size of The High Lonesome Ranch makes for an enjoyable wildlife safari. Enjoy a back-country tour led by our veteran guides throughout the wilderness reaches on the ranch. You'll find black bears, elk, mule deer, eagles, mountain lions, and even moose, antelope or the occasional Big Horn Sheep. Some of the best viewing is enjoyed from horseback or mountain bike, but if you prefer, our fleet of 4x4s will take you to parts of the ranch that very few people see per year, so pack your camera, an assortment of lenses, and come along!
Wild Horse Viewing
If you like, we can arrange a short drive to see the wild horses that are descendants of Native American and Spanish horses from years ago.
