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7 Day Working Ranch Vacation in Thermopolis, Wyoming
Horseworks Wyoming, 3591 Brown Lane, Thermopolis, Hot Springs County, Wyoming, USA
All Levels Ranch Vacation USA
Horseworks Wyoming calls this a guest ranch vacation or gap year holiday rather than a dude ranch vacation to emphasize the focus on Western riding and horsemanship rather than fancy amenities! Create your dream vacation, not an endurance contest!
Key information
- Rider Weight Limit: 275 pounds / 124 kilograms
- Horse Height Range: 14 to 16 hands
- Tack Type: Western Tack
- Horse Breed: Quarter horses, Appaloosa, paint horses, crossbreds
Highlights
- Long and short trail rides
- Rustic horse and cattle ranch setting
- A great selection of seasoned horses, yearlings, and foals
- Horses and tack for rides during the vacation
- 6 nights accommodation
- Daily delicious meals
- Airport transfers
Skill level
- Beginner
- Intermediate
- Advanced
Styles
6 days with instruction
Group size: Maximum of 8 participants
Airport transfer included:
Yellowstone Regional Airport
Accommodation
Facilities
- Dining area
- Environmentally friendly
- Fireplace
- Kitchen
- Free parking
- Laundry
- Library
- Tour assistance
Horseworks Wyoming's rustic cabins are located between Meeteetse and Thermopolis near the former town of Grass Creek. There are six cabins for two to four people with twin beds or bunk beds. Shared bathrooms are in the lodge, a short walk from the cabins. Also located in the lodge are the laundry, kitchen, and a sitting area with a wood stove, all available 24/7. Cabins have heat and electricity, but no running water. Horseworks, a working horse and cattle ranch, has a spacious open-area lodge, including a sitting area with a wood-burning stove for relaxing prior to going to your cabin for the night.
The lodge, including bathrooms or showers, great room, kitchen, laundry, and library, is accessible 24/7 to guests who stay in the cabins. Guests are not allowed in the corrals or the livestock. This is a rustic, no-frills, working ranch located 23 - 36 miles from the nearest towns on a well-maintained gravel road. The facility is off-grid - Horseworks Wyoming has solar-powered electricity, but no electric or phone lines running into the ranch. Limited Wi-Fi is available to check emails, but not for streaming. Cell phone signal is available in the lodge only and there is no television.
Program
Start your ranch adventure and gap year holiday with a thorough orientation to the ranch, horse safety, policies, and procedures. Horseworks Wyoming will introduce you to the Western horsemanship techniques they use with their horses and carefully match you with a horse appropriate to your riding ability and goals. You must arrive at the ranch on Sunday but may arrive in Cody whenever you wish. If you arrive prior to Sunday, you may stay in Cody at a hotel and they will pick you up when picking up other participants on Sunday.
You must fly into Cody, Wyoming if you want them to meet you at the airport, any and all flights on Sunday, and take you back to any flights on Friday or Saturday (your choice of departure date). They do not pick up from any other airport. If driving, you should plan to arrive after 4:00 p.m. on Sunday since prior to that time they are doing airport runs and other ranch preparations. During the week, take long and short horseback rides over scenic terrain that varies from sagebrush flats to grassy slopes with canyon views.
There is no need for nose-to-tail riding. Enjoy plenty of opportunities to ride side-by-side, visiting with new friends, or in calm solitude, quietly taking it all in. The variety of daily rides includes treks to the cow camp where homesteader cabins were built at the turn of the century, tracking the elusive herds of elk, spotting other wildlife, and rounding up a few cattle to try your hand at cutting and team penning.
The emphasis is on safety (see helmet policy) and matching horses to appropriate riders. Some rides may be divided into smaller groups to ensure that all riders can go at a pace and distance within their comfort level. Horseworks Wyoming invites riders to bond with the same horse for the week or try out horses of various breeds and personalities. The guest ranch vacations and gap year holidays are a great opportunity to enjoy riding a variety of horses.
Location
The vacation will take place in Thermopolis, Wyoming, USA. %Horseworks Wyoming, a working horse ranch located in Grass Creek between Cody and Thermopolis, Wyoming, USA, near beautiful Yellowstone National Park, is on the Absaroka Front, a prong of the Rocky Mountains in the American West. Here, you may ride on 66,000 acres ranging from sagebrush flats to expansive scrub pine mountains.
Today, fewer people travel this 15-mile wide and 25-mile long country than traveled it 70 years ago. The land is wild and beautiful. You may enjoy easy day rides from Horseworks’ ranch headquarters or faster-paced, tougher rides into the high country, trailing the remuda, and on occasion moving the cattle. When you return, rinse off the legacy of the dusty trail with a hot shower and take a break from the saddle to see the Cody Nite Rodeo or soak in the World’s largest hot springs in Thermopolis.
Features
Activities
- Horse riding
- Shopping
General
- Dining area
- Environmentally friendly
- Fireplace
- Kitchen
- Special menu request
Services
- Laundry
- Library
- Tour assistance
Food
Delicious meals will be provided during your vacation included in the price. The lodge, which is accessible 24/7, is where you will savor home-cooked meals planned to satisfy your dietary preference (including vegetarian, food allergies, and so on). Hearty homecooked meals and lots of them energize you for full days of activities.
The following meals are included:
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Snacks
- Drinks
The following drinks are included:
- Water
- Coffee
- Tea
The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:
- Vegetarian
- Lactose Free
- Other dietary requirements on request
If you have special dietary requirements it's a good idea to communicate it to the organiser when making a reservation
Things to do (optional)
It is recommended to keep 250 to 500 USD pocket money for off-ranch activities. They will help you plan your visit to Yellowstone National Park (approximately 150 to 200 USD if a rental car, fuel, and room are shared among participants), soak in the hot springs in Thermopolis after a few days in the saddle, go white water rafting, float the local rivers, and take a trip to Cody for the famous Cody Nite Rodeo and dinner. A weekend trip to Yellowstone is included in the itinerary, but not in the price.
What's included
- Horse riding
- On‐ranch activities
- Horses and tack for rides
- 6 nights accommodation
- Delicious meals
- Transportation from and to the airport
- 24/7 access to the lodge (dining room, kitchen, laundry, bathrooms, and showers)
- Mandatory orientation to ranch and horse safety, policies, and procedures
What's not included
- Off‐ranch activities
- Off-ranch meals
- Transportation to and from the town for the activities
How to get there
Recommended Airports
COD
Yellowstone Regional Airport
74 km
Transfer included
Driving direction from Billings or Cody
- Leave Cody, Wyoming on Highway 120 toward Meeteetse and Thermopolis.
- Go through Meeteetse and continue past the Gooseberry Rest Area on your left to the Grass Creek sign at mile marker 36 (County Road 17 / Four Mile Road).
- Turn right and go four miles to the T.
- Turn left onto Highway 171 (the Marathon Oilfield Headquarters is on your right and a Quonset Hut is on the left).
- Go across one cattle guard and watch for the Coalmine Draw Road sign on the right (about 2.5 miles).
- Turn right onto the gravel road and go 2.5 miles bearing right whenever another road intersects.
- You will see Brown Lane (Horseworks driveway) on the right.
- Turn right and come to the house.
Driving direction from Thermopolis or Casper
- Leave Thermopolis on Highway 120 toward Meeteetse and Cody.
- Go to the Grass Creek sign after the 25-mile marker (Highway 171 / Nine Mile Road).
- Turn left and go about five miles watching for Coalmine Draw Road sign on the left and turn left (gravel road).
- Go 2.5 miles straight ahead.
- You will see Brown Lane (Horseworks driveway) on the right.
- Turn right and come to the house.
Airport: Yellowstone Regional Airport
Airport transfer included: Yellowstone Regional Airport
No additional charges. You can request this in the next step.
Cancellation Policy
- A reservation requires a deposit of 14% of the total price.
- The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
- The rest of the payment should be paid 30 days before arrival.
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