So, You Want to be a Cowboy….. Take a Dude Ranch Holiday at Sundance Guest Ranch, BC, Canada

When Jill was little, she wanted to grow up to be a cowboy. I am told she had a little suede tasseled vest she would put on each time she went to visit her aunt. She didn’t grow up on a farm and didn’t ride horses. But that cowboy flame burned deep in her soul.

On the other hand, I grew up with a horse on an apple orchard in the Okanagan, British Columbia. I had a lovely Appaloosa horse (the ones with the little spots), and the other kids in our valley also had horses. We would take off in the morning and ride, usually bareback, out into the mountains, sometimes until we found wild horses deep in the hills. We would jump logs and make obstacle courses for our horses. We would teach ourselves circus tricks, like standing on our horses and vaulting on over their butts. Sadly, once I hit 16 and got a car, less and less time was spent on my horse and when I left home at 18 that was the end of my horse-life. I have wanted to start riding again ever since.

In the pursuit of dreams come true, for Jill’s birthday I decided to surprise Jill with a dude ranch holiday. I started investigating dude ranch holidays in Canada and the USA, and found that those in our backyard- the BC and Canada ranch holidays and dude ranches were not only as awesome looking as some of the larger ones in the USA but also significantly more affordable.

A friend of mine highly  recommended Sundance Guest Ranch, in Ashcroft, British Columbia, Canada where she had gone with her family a few times, and so, off we went. Happy birthday Jill!

Step One: Look the Part for your Dude Ranch Holiday in Canada

We started our dude ranch Canada experience with a stop at a Western wear store for some cowboy gear, Lammle’s Western Wear in Kamloops BC, so I could buy Jill a cowboy hat to fulfill her vision of her cowboy self. But a hat was not quite enough to feel in the role. So, in true cowboy-poser style, we each got a sweet cowboy hat, and Jill got to pick out her dream outfit, tasselled chaps and all. And you have to admit… she looks pretty swank (and the outfit was a fantastic addition to our already-overflowing costume cupboard).

Step Two: Find a Western Style Ghost Town for a Photo Opp

En route to Sundance Guest Ranch, we came upon a false western style ghost town. For real. There was no one around, it was empty and clearly not in use. There was a fake western-movie style little town with facades of saloons, and country stores. ..Like a mini movie scene that had been abandoned and now was falling apart and overrun by tumble weed.  We got this super awesome shot here by setting up my iPhone:

Step Three: Ride Horses for Real

Sundance Guest Ranch Holiday Canada

We then went onto the real deal, where we spent 3 days at Sundance Guest Ranch riding horses. This dude ranch holiday experience is located in Ashcroft, British Columbia, Canada.

First things first:  don’t miss the evening stampede! Each day just before dusk, the horses are moved from the stable area to the large fields to graze and sleep. You can stand at the fence, and feel the earth shake under you as a mass of horses stampedes past you. It’s unforgettable (see the feature picture).

We got to the dude ranch on our first day with enough time to go on an afternoon ride before dinner was served. We started with a ride with just myself and Jill and a ranch hand/ guide, a young woman from Australia. She set us up with gentle horses, to start, and to assess our riding abilities.

We struck out into the mountains to check out some views on horseback. We took some time to get a feel for the horses, and the wrangler (guide) gave us riding tips.  My first horse was a large Appaloosa, who was a real gem. Jill, being a beginner, was allocated the laziest and chubbiest horse around. It took a lot of effort to get that horse to move past a walk. We did manage to get a gallop in though, despite that lazy horse’s reluctance.

The Point of a Dude Ranch Holiday: The Rides and the Horses

Each day there was a morning ride and an afternoon ride. You don’t have to go on all rides, but we did!

The rides would be organized into groups depending on the number of people wanting to ride, and if necessary, breaking the participants into groups based on the level of the riders.  Some rides, it was just Jill and I with the guide and other group rides included 6  or  8 people. The wranglers will take you on different trails, through varying scenery and up different mountains depending on what the riders were wanting and their level of experience. And the views were great from the viewpoints!

You could choose to stay with the same horse  for each ride throughout your stay, so you could build your skills and a relationship with a particular horse. Or, you could change horses each time. I found this really awesome, as it lets the rider grow and advance and tailors the experience to that rider.

Jill opted for the first choice. After trading the lazy horse for the Appaloosa  (my first horse) she stuck with that horse for the rest of our time there. And her riding skills visibly improved. She was scared to run the first time, and her horse kept veering off the path because she couldn’t direct it properly at first. By the end of our time there they galloping up hills together and the horse was doing as asked.

I opted for the second choice. I switched horses each ride, each time stepping up to a more advanced horse as my childhood riding skills came back to me. By the end, I had a fast galloper who would rear at times if it wanted to get running (and I stayed on and kept control!).

It was great to have some flexibility and input into the experience, rather than just have it structured and predetermined. I appreciated this tailored approach taken by the ranch, and I think it is a real plus that improves the experience.

Sundance Guest Ranch: Amenities and Staff

The rooms are simple, but have everything you need. We had a room with a double bed, a little electric fireplace, and a bathroom with a bathtub and shower. The rooms aren’t fancy, but it’s a dude ranch—not Shangri-La. They were comfortable, with good views of the ranch and the horse fields, and we were happy. 

Sundance Guest Ranch provides three tasty meals a day, as well as coffee etc throughout the day. The dinners are served group style and we all sat at large tables with the other riders to make friends. I’m telling you, there are some interesting characters who go to dude ranches on ranch holidays (us included I’m sure).

There is a games room, with pool tables, a fireplace, cooshy reading chairs and couches, and books and games. There is a self-serve BYOB bar, where you can leave your booze in the common fridge to help yourself.

The ranch hand / wranglers/ trail guides were all awesome and friendly– most were young women from other countries with a work visa, who clearly knew about and cared about horses. The horses were healthy and well cared for. The farm was family run and the family remains fully involved today, including dining with the guests.

Is it gay-friendly?

We were a bit worried about how we would be treated as a same-sex couple at a dude ranch in rural BC. Even though we live in Canada, a leader in gay rights and equality, the rural areas can still be very red-neck conservative and not so gay-friendly. But we are pleased to say that we were treated with respect and all of the staff and guests were great to us and we had a wonderful, and unique, time.

Recommended?

Would we go again? Once was probably enough to this particular ranch–although that is nothing personal to Sundance Guest Ranch- we would just want to expand our horizons. We would certainly consider another dude ranch or ranch holiday experience, perhaps one that includes a long ride or a working ride, with camping overnights or wrangling cows, all “City Slicker” style.

It was definitely worth doing for a long weekend, and we recommend it. And luckily, the hats and chaps have been put to use many, many times.