Horse culture at The Hideout

Horseback Riding

What do we mean by "horse culture"?  It's the way we select and train that special animal you'll ride here at The Hideout.  It's also about our trusted  wranglers, the people we have carefully chosen to take good care of you while you're horseback on the trail or in the arena.

And that job starts before you ever get in the saddle. We're proud of every single horse we have in our string. But not every horse is a good fit for every rider. That depends on a number of things, like your riding experience, your size and other factors. Our wranglers are experts at matching you with the right animal to ensure your safety, build your confidence, and make sure you have a great time every time you head out on one of our scenic Wyoming trails.

That process actually begins long before you get to the Ranch. Horses, like deer, are known as "prey animals". Their instinct when they sense danger is to run first, and ask questions later. A large part of training a horse is training that fear out of them. The horse needs to learn we won't hurt them, the saddle won't hurt them, and a plastic bag blowing on the ground won't hurt them. It's called desensitizing the animal. A good example are police horses in a big city. Those horses have learned not to fear crowds, noise, and even gunshots. And the animals can stand like a statue in the middle of all that other urban stuff that was once so scary to them.

Hideout horses get a similar education. They don't graduate to our guest string until we're confident they'll be unfazed by whatever they might run into. And of course these equines must also have the athletic ability required to work cattle and handle the challenging terrain we ride on.