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Follow the leader |
Getting Fit
If you've never thrown a leg over a horse, take a few lessons, even if they're English-style, to get the feel of it and shorten your learning curve at the ranch.
If lessons aren't possible, then make sure your ranch is prepared to teach you.
Riding muscles are very different from those you use in any normal activity, so the more you educate them, the easier your transition will be.
Any exercise that uses your quads, butt, and abdominal muscles will help. Many ski exercises are good for riding.
Decide how much structure you want and read the ranch literature carefully. Rest assured that a bugle will not rouse you at dawn, but most ranches will start serving breakfast early so that you can get on the trail before the heat of the day.
Some ranches assign you a horse and give you the freedom to saddle up and ride out as you please. Others expect you to join scheduled, guided rides—not a bad idea if you're a greenhorn. All ranches will have special all-day group outings and overnight pack rides.
Some will offer combo rides during which you get to fish, study natural history or archaeological sites, practice Native American skills, or explore ghost towns or gold mines. At day's end, the entertainment is usually low-key—cowboy poetry or a wrangler with a guitar.
Who goes on these trips? People just like you. Choose your trip sensibly and you will meet individuals or families who share your interests and would like nothing better than to meet you—same time, same place—for years to come.
Every dude ranch can cite a dozen happy examples. The atmosphere is usually quite social, but you can break away for solitary moments.
Where are you going?
What do you want to do?
