Horse Trail Chicks

Ever since my friend Nicole and I went on a horse camping trip in Canyon de Chelly, Arizona in 2006, we dreamed of going on another similar adventure. Since I had suffered terrible saddle-soreness as a result of not having access to a horse to get myself in shape for that trip, I promised myself I would not go again until I was riding regularly.

Canyon de Chelly

Over the next several years I rode sometimes a lot, sometimes a little, borrowing friends’ horses when I could. Finally, in 2015 I got serious and found a stable, started taking lessons, and leased a horse. I floated the idea of a dude ranch adventure to Nicole and a few other friends and they were interested. We started researching options. There are literally hundreds of dude ranches and riding adventure companies in the US and Canada, and many more abroad. The array of options was dizzying. At some ranches they ride out daily from a base lodge, while at others they move to a new location every day. Some ranches promote themselves as family-oriented with many activities for children. Some include a mini-rodeo or cattle drive. And some even feature swimming pools and tennis courts!

We took a step back and put our heads together to figure out exactly what we were looking for. Several priorities rose to the top. We wanted:

• An exclusive stay. That is, to have the entire place/adventure to ourselves, if possible.
• If we could not have an exclusive stay, an adult-only group.
• Not just nose-to-tail riding, but a ranch that allowed experienced riders to move out.
• 100% focus on riding.
• No gimmicks such as a fake rodeo or a hired “cowboy” to sing songs around the campfire.
• To be in western North America.
• To be based in one location for the entire stay.

Having these criteria helped us focus our search. We narrowed the list of dozens of ranches down to a handful, which we reached out to, telling them about our group and inquiring about possible dates. I am of the opinion that if someone gets back to me quickly with a personal response, this is a person I want to deal with. In particular, if they invite me to phone them or continue to reply to multiple emailed questions, I am sold on them.

Julie Leavens of The Outpost at Warden Rock in Alberta, Canada is a down-to-earth person. When I reached out to her about our group, she let us know that if we had at least 8 people we would have an exclusive stay at the ranch. When I told her that we would all be experienced riders, she said that as long as we could demonstrate this on Day 1, we would not be restricted to only walking our horses. She and her partner, Tim Barton, own a ranch in the Canadian Rockies, bordering Banff National Park. It is very remote with no electricity or running water. She told us that we would each have our own cabin, we would ride out every day on quarter horses and Tennessee Walkers, and in the evening could relax in the wood-fired hot-tub. It sounded perfect  –  all about the riding and no gimmicks…… with one exception. According to the website, they transport guests to the ranch in a stagecoach. This sounded cheesy, but we decided to overlook this because the ranch ticked off the boxes in every other way. And, with a favorable exchange rate, the cost was very reasonable.

We booked a date and sent emails out to our friends, inviting them on the trip. We made it very clear that no wimps were allowed – we would be crossing swift glacier-fed rivers and riding along high cliffs and, since we’d be riding many hours every day, everyone had to be riding regularly. It was also going to be a women-only, adult-only trip.

Within 2 weeks we had 11 friends signed up. I called Julie at The Outpost and she was astonished that we’d gotten so many to commit so quickly. We dubbed ourselves the “She-Nanigans” and even had t-shirts made with a logo that one of our members designed.

Seven months later, we all started making our way from Vermont, New York, North Carolina, Minnesota, Montana, and Australia to Alberta, Canada. I love that feeling, like a gathering storm, when good friends from far-flung places are converging on one spot on the globe; at each leg of the journey the group gets larger until, finally, you are all together and ready to begin the adventure.

At the pick-up spot our hosts welcomed us warmly.  We loaded our gear and climbed aboard a horse-drawn wagon and a mule-drawn stagecoach. The 10-mile trip to the ranch crossed rivers and rugged terrain where motorized vehicles are not allowed and took about 2 hours. Any thought that the stagecoach was a gimmick vanished, as we realized that the technology used in the 19^th century to face 19^th century problems – this rugged, rocky road – was perfectly suited to the task. In fact, the stagecoach ride was one of the (many) highlights of the trip.

Next week, Kerrie will write about our week at The Outpost, in complete trail riding heaven.

Happy trails!

Monica