RedHorseRanch

As the dry summer heat burns away and signs of a rapidly approaching autumn appear, life on the ranch has also begun to adapt to some expected seasonal changes. Last week marked the conclusion of our Kids Program — a bittersweet indication of the fading summer days. As our youngest guests prepared for their transitions back into school, so did many of our seasonal staff members. For the first time in years, Hilary and Daniel left at the start of August so Daniel could begin his education classes at Idaho State University. Our smartest babysitter, Hope, started her junior year [...]

Things have sure been buzzing around the ranch lately…literally. The ranch has been overrun with bees, like so many other places this year. Horses and people have been falling victim to these little buggers left and right. Two days ago we had to turn our ride around to avoid a nest. The other day I was saddling old faithful, Roscoe, and he started kicking out and stomping. Now with any other horse, I probably would have figured it was just having a bad day, but not old Roscoe. He’s one of the most well behaved horses on the ranch. Just [...]

Coming all the way from the east coast to head the Red Horse Mountain Ranch Kids Program is Rachel Weedon. As a second year wrangler, Rachel knows what it takes to guarantee that even the youngest guests are able to fulfill their dreams of becoming real cowboys and cowgirls — even if it’s just for a week. Although, here on the ranch, Rachel does a superb job of leading the kiddos in activities like shooting rifles on the plinking range or painting ponies at the barn, Rachel is most known for her ability to sing Disney songs at the top [...]

The Zombies are out! And so are the kids. It’s officially summer folks. The ranch is crawling with little balls of energy. Luckily we have the perfect horses for these little rascals. Remember my earlier post about the zombies getting out? Since then, I’m pretty sure that they have escaped at least another three times. I once caught Big Sugar with her front feet on top of a gate trying to make her great escape. These old, gentile, slow moving souls are who we pair with the children. Watch out parents, the zombies may infect your kids with the horse [...]

“Every time I get up into the saddle, I look for a seatbelt”, a guest said jokingly as I tied Tuffy’s lead rope onto the saddle horn. I actually witnessed her reaching behind to try to grab for the imaginary safety gear. I laughed and laughed as I went back to grab another horse for a guest to mount. It was such a funny idea. I guess growing up around horses; everything involving these soft-eyed creatures seems pretty normal to me. So I got to thinking, how do we make our giant beasts safe for beginner riders? Safety is extremely [...]

I am so excited to announce that it is the first day of the 2018 season at Red Horse Mountain Ranch. The guests have arrived! …And so have the zombies? Hold on, let me back up and explain. A group of staff members and I were making our way to dinner at the lodge from The Haven where we live. We make this half-mile trek often and enjoy finding ways to keep it interesting. Today someone grabbed a rope and we were practicing lassoing each other’s feet on our way there. Don’t worry; most of us aren’t skilled enough to [...]

There is always something that needs to be done on a ranch. The world has trouble agreeing on a lot of things, but I would argue that everyone would agree with me on this one. There is a lot of work to do at Red Horse Mountain as we gear up for the 2018 summer season. Over the last week, the staff has been pouring in. Housekeepers have been shining up the place and Wranglers have been legging up horses. It’s important to stay flexible around here. For example, when you are told that a good dozen or two horses [...]

There's always a few things our past guests most likely remember about their stay with us. One is usually the name of the horse they rode for the week. Another is the old “Cowboy” at the campfire with his guitar and cowboy poetry. Tom Lamb is the epitome of western authenticity and we are so blessed to have him. The third is how amazing the meals are as well as the scones, delicious muffins, cookies, fresh breads, and desserts which are always available. It all happens behind the scenes and it is because of our kitchen manager and professional pastry [...]