Universal Ranch

by Steve & Jemma Copley

Question by bunnieee :3: Horse Riding holidays in Montana?
Hey, so i’m looking for horse riding holidays in montana, but i’ve no idea where to start, so basically i’d like to know if you’ve been on one there, would you recommend it? Was it worth the money?
Links and names of places would be greatly appreciated, as well as rough prices and details of the holiday.
Are there any search sites to look on for riding holidays?
I’m living in England so i’d have to fly there (I can’t take my own horse )
It’s been a dream of mine since forever!
Thanks!

Best answer:

Answer by BLW
In the western USA, horse holidays usually occur at “Guest Ranches”, also sometimes called “Dude Ranches.” The emphasis is on a western experience, usually trail riding in the mountains, and the important thing is basically to find a place that has the level of amenities that you feel you need. Some people like to take a primitive, 10-day pack trip into the wilderness, sleep on the ground, and eat beans from a can. Other people want to take a 1-hour trail ride each day, then hit the hot tub, the golf course, and the bar! Some people want to do some sort of cattle drive, like in the movie “City Slickers.” There are all sorts, with costs to match.

The biggest trick is getting the level of riding you want, because most of them, by necessity, have to cater to people who barely know how to ride, or don’t know how to ride at all. So mostly guided trail rides on very gentle horses, mostly at a walk. However, there are some places that will offer a bit more if they get to know you and know you can ride.

I happen to live in this area, so you can activate the email link and drop me a line if you want. However, because I DO live out here, I can’t say I’ve actually done a vacation here! (LOL, I go to places like England for a holiday!) But I can give you a sense of how to spot a place that’s a real fly-by night as opposed to some place that’s been in the business for decades.

One place to start is with the trade associations. There is the Montana Dude Ranch Association, http://www.montanadra.com/ and they usually have members who are professional, insured, and won’t leave you in a mouse-infested cabin!

A couple of places I know to be reputable and long-established are the 320 Ranch http://www.320ranch.com/ and the Lone Mountain Ranch http://www.lmranch.com/ I believe both still offer horseback riding, though I know both of them have needed to cater to a more “yuppie” crowd. Both are south of Bozeman, Montana.

I also found a book that may help you: 100 Best Ranch Vacations in North America: The Top Guest and Resort Ranches … By Gavin Ehringer (they mention Lone Mountain) It’s in Google books at this link:

http://books.google.com/books?id=OFovsUhUTYwC&pg=PA81&lpg=PA81&dq=montana+guest+ranches&source=vrt&ots=iSHHWCcMGz&sig=kl2kSpeXWvlU80wTEVK28NGPdZ8&hl=en&ei=YT-xTMK3FcKclgfHk6SXAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=13&ved=0CEwQ6AEwDA#v=onepage&q=montana%20guest%20ranches&f=false

By the way, July and August are the busiest months, and if we have a dry year that becomes a bad forest fire year, it can be smoky in August. (One year, they even closed off the national forests due to fire danger) Early July is, in my opinion, the prime time, though also the busiest time.

However, if you go “off season,” you can often save a lot of money, but I STRONGLY recommend if you go off season, pick Autumn (meaning September) rather than Spring. Spring is the rainy season, and because Montana isn’t a very wet state, rain = cold, muddy and miserable. And in the high country where a lot of the ranches are, they still can have at least some (old, wet, yucky) snow on the ground through the end of May.

Yes, you sometimes also get an early snow in the fall, but at least the sun will shine most of the time, the animals will be fat and sassy, and you won’t be dealing with mud. However, any time after October 1, and you are risking some serious cold…we aren’t cold ALL the time in October, but the weather becomes VERY unpredictable, we can have a 50 degree temperature swing within 24 hours.

Good luck, and as I said, I’d be willing to chat more via email

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