When my father proposed doing our annual family vacation at a dude ranch, I was skeptical. I could not fathom how it could be a pleasurable vacation for such a mixed age group ranging from my Dad (60's) to my sister and I in our husbands(30's) to my two sons (4 and 7). I could not have been more wrong. Western Pleasure Guest Ranch was so beautiful and the family that runs it could not have worked harder to make our stay amazing. The property is ridiculously gorgeous and meticulously kept and the meals were delicious and plentiful. I loved how the week was structured. Each member of our family could do as much or as little as he or she liked. There was horse riding available morning and afternoon, or you could just relax or ride bikes or do one of the myriad other activities available to us.
My older son had an absolute blast in the kids horse camp - he made friends, he learned to ride and saddle a horse, and he felt so proud of himself at the end of the day. My younger son wasn't old enough for horse camp, so Janice arranged the sweetest babysitter so that my husband and I could ride and do other activities together. The wranglers were so nice and helpful and friendly - honestly, by the end of the week they felt more like friends than our wranglers.
This was one of the most relaxing vacations I've had with my kids. Its a kid wonderland. My children would wake up in the morning , throw on clothes, tell us goodbye and run outside and play until the breakfast bell rang. They had so much freedom and yet it felt very safe.
This was a vacation of a lifetime. As we were leaving, we were already talking about when we could come back. The children actually cried because we had to go home (they have NEVER done that before). It is, to date, one of the best vacations we have ever taken. I honestly can't say enough great things about this place.
