Rawhide Ranch

This place is really great for your family if you want to take them out for a good time there is plenty of to do and there’s a lot of great people here and great food to if you can imagine that there is also music and some kind of they’re is even Cowboys everywhere

I was there for three days with my school and dad the staff is amazing they all love their job they are not too serious or too laid back they keep you safe and teach you how to do everything you need, the animals were very well trained, very nice, and looked very happy, the food was decent and the showers weren’t super clean.

Our family recently went to their Family Camp weekend. We arrived and checked in Friday night. When we first got to the teepee we would be staying in, I was a bit concerned that the door was only a flap and would be accessible to anyone (and anything) the entire weekend. (That’s why they insist that you do not bring any valuables) My kids were a bit concerned when they saw a spider and that they had to walk through the grounds to bathrooms and showers (city kids). The first night, sleeping in our brand new sleeping bags on slightly dusty bunks, the sounds of nature outside our teepee seemed a little too close. Every movement of our teepee’s door flap made us jump just a little.
We started the next morning very early — literally at the crack of dawn. All I wanted was a hot cup of coffee and my warm bed. I got my hot coffee, but I would have to wait for the weekend to be over until I would see my warm bed again. We took a walk around the grounds and visited the animals in their pens. Little did my 9 year old know that she would be shoveling after them and feeding them hay and water right after breakfast.
The day was spent tending to the animals, learning about them, climbing their climbing wall, vaulting (doing gymnastic moves on top of a gigantic horse), and horseback riding. In between each of the activities, we hung out, had popsicles, played table tennis or foosball, and just enjoyed each others’ company. Not once, did the kids complain about not having their devices and games; nor did they worry about how dirty they were. My city kids had the time of their lives. After a great BBQ dinner, we went out to the campfire to sing songs and have s’mores. They were so happily exhausted by the end of the first day, they were sound asleep in our teepee before 8:30.
The following day, we rotated through another great set of activities. Among them were crafts, cooking, archery, and tending to the animals. My daughter’s favorite was getting to wash and groom the horse that she rode the previous day. Her new BFF.
Needless to say, the kids definitely want to go back for the summer program. The staff was very friendly and helpful. There is a family feeling between the staff which makes you feel very comfortable and right at home. City kids will be exposed to something they don’t get very often — if at all. One of the best benefits of all, time will slow down a little and the family can really enjoy each other all without the help of modern tech.

Brought my daughters’ Girl Scout troops back to Rawhide Ranch this weekend (last time, they were 7 – 9 yrs old; this time, 9 – 11) after great memories from coming here 2 years ago, and overall, we had a really good time — riding, vaulting (like gymnastics on a big, patient draft horse), animal care (feeding and cleaning up after the ponies, goats and sheep), animal science and horse science classes, making leather keychains, archery, campfire, games, etc.
On a positive note, the staff is super friendly (especially, Deanne, who was SO cheerful and amazing!), the property is really charming, and the programs are generally very good, but I have to say that the overall experience wasn’t as good as when we came 2 years ago. Why?
1. Not enough riding — last time, the girls got to ride 2x (Sat. & Sun.), vault 2x (Sat. and Sun) and ride or vault again during the horse show on Sunday. This time, was just 1 riding lesson and one vaulting session on Sat. — that’s it (they said it was 1−½ hrs now, instead of two 45 min sessions before, but we liked it better before.
2. Adults no longer get to ride — that was such a cool feature! The price for 2 chaperones/​group is now ½ price, but I missed not being able to ride.
3. They eliminated the «horse show» at the end on Sunday. Parents got to show up; kids got to perform, and ribbons were awarded. This was one of our highlights of the weekend. Now it ended w/​lunch, which seemed very anti-​climactic.
4. For a place that caters to Girl Scout troops, there were a lot of «old fashioned» signs around the property that said things like «all my heroes are cowboys,» «no women in the bar,» «no ladies after 10 pm» «gentlemen only in the lobby,» etc. I’m honestly not easily offended, but the mere quantity of these signs rubbed me the wrong way the first time, and bugged me even more this time. They’re really not so cute; I think it’s time to update them, especially considering your clientele.
5. Food wasn’t as good this time; wasn’t terrible, and definitely catered to the kids, who were generally content w/​it (liked that at least there was a «salad bar,» with some fruit and veggie options), but for example, the fried chicken 2 yrs ago was SO much better than the frozen variety pizza and burgers which were served this year. Also, would appreciate losing the non eco-​friendly Styrofoam. Why not have everyone bring reusable water bottles?
6. There were 3 sessions of «animal care» — but all involved only feeding and cleaning up poop, no grooming, which is one of their favorite things to do (after riding).
Overall, the girls had fun, and I would still definitely recommend it if your kids like horses and are looking for camp and/​or lessons, but we would have liked it even more w/​issues listed above addressed. Like they say at Rawhide Ranch, Yee-​haw!

Year 5 for us and my camper’s excitement grows every year — truly a wonderful place especially for teens to remove them from the digital world and get down and dirty with nature. The staff are amazingly responsive and caring — I never worry while she’s here — yee haw!!!

Our daughter is 11 this was her first time away from us for more than one night. She is an only child and not very independent. We drove down to see the ranch before we signed up. She is a hotel snob was concerned about sleeping in a bunk bed. The ranch is worth visiting — it’s setup like an old Western town, and was started 50 year ago. We brought her own sleeping, pillow, stuffed animal and LED flight light, so that made it more like home. She wrote us four letters telling during camp and said us she’s used to it, and wants to stay. She begged us to take her back for another week. The counselors helped us carry her things to the cabin, and we wondered if we should tip them at the end of the week. We debated sending her, due to the costs, but now know we will send her back again next summer. You get a discount if you sign up in January. The staff said it takes a village, and they do not encourage tipping. We are grateful for the ranch!

you can’t build or recreate what they have here.
ultra incredible staff, i mean, they obviously love their jobs.
your kids have to do this place at least once.
very peaceful.

So, I went to see my niece in the horse show, and it was still very much the same as it was when I used to go, but they have relaxed their standards a bit. They still have different levels of ridership that campers can achieve by passing tests, but when I was there, the riders in the more advanced categories (Buckaroo and Wrangler) seemed much better than they were this summer.
The most disappointing thing was that they have all the campers doing vaulting at a walk, even the B-​team and A-​team (the advanced groups). When I was there, even the beginners did it at a jog (or a slow trot), they just did some very simple maneuvers. The B-​team also did their tricks at a jog, but with more advanced routines. The A-​teamers did vaulting at a lope! Now even the A-​team did their routine at a walk! This was probably most disappointing because vaulting was my thing when I was there, but it seems much more exciting to do it at a jog. I don’t think it’s all that more dangerous, and I don’t know if it is a liability issue or if there is some other reason they have changed it, but these are the main reasons I downgraded it to 4 stars.
Bottom line, I think it’s still a great summer camp (my niece still had a great time), but if the kids really want to learn to ride or vault, the standards have relaxed quite a bit, so they may not be as challenged as they were in the past.

amazing!!! the counselours are so funny, and i’m studying college level veterinary science (for the rank of rancher) and i’m the youngest one to do so!!! i’m such a brat! u can ride, vault, shoot arrows and rifles, throw tomahawks, take care of adorable goats and other animals, climb their climbing wall, swim arts and crafts, and SSSOOOO much more. i’ve been there 7 times, but that’s nothing compared to a friend of mine who’s been there seven times in on summer! i made so many friends there. i hope that i can be well known there. my favorite goat (s) there are montoya and templeton. My fav horse there is Shadow. My fav cows are barbie and sassie (please say with british accent). my fav electives there are probably archery and drama. my fav counselors there are all of them. My ranks: drivers liscense, buckaroo and farmer. awesome place!!!