Dude ranches used to be simple: horseback holidays. Rope a few cows. Dine on chuck steaks around the campfire, where guests sang a few songs.
No more.
“Modern dude ranches offer numerous specialty weeks and clinics which can help create one-of-a-kind vacations,” says the Dude Ranchers’ Association.
“Today dude ranches have expanded to offer a range of specialty weeks which may be centered on improving an artistic skill or an excuse to enjoy a girlfriend getaway.”
For example, guests can learn of “Literature and Landscape of the Horse” at the Vee Bar Guest Ranch or study “Women’s Week” at the Rocking Z Guest Ranch.
“To make a ranch vacation possible for all budgets, many ranches are also offering special discounts early in the season,” the association says.
Discounts of 15 percent are not unusual.
First formed in 1926, the Dude Ranchers’ Association has over 100 member ranches and 150 associate members focused in the western U.S. and Canada.
By David Wilkening
