The Hideout Story and Your Experience

The story of The Hideout Lodge & Guest Ranch consists of many tales and experiences that when melded together create “Your Experience”.  These stories try to put into words the type of experience that you can expect while vacationing here in Shell, Wyoming.

The story of The Hideout Staff, our secret…

Our staff comes from different walks of life, background and education. They all have their stories as to why they love to work for The Hideout and why they believe that this is the best valley to raise kids and start families. They all share a genuine passion for the West, hospitality, horses, ranching, the outdoors and being a part of offering you the best and most unique guest ranch vacation ever. We want The Hideout Guest Ranch to be the best dude ranch to work at, as we believe that a happy and passionate staff is part of ensuring an exceptional guest experience.

What sets us aside from most other guest ranches is that we employ our key staff year-around. Read more about our culture by clicking on www.thehideout.com/people.html

 

The Story of our Guests

Many of our guests come to The Hideout looking for an experience that blends Equestrian activities, the remote outdoors, an authentic ranch experience and upscale pampering.

Guests arrive from around the world and return frequently.  They have many stories to share about The Hideout, but they will all agree that the reason they return is “The Hideout Story”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Story of our Horses

Horses are the heart of any Guest Ranch. We believe that our horses are as good as they get at a dude ranch. Whether you ride every day or are swinging in to the saddle for the first time, we have the horse that is right for you. Natural Horsemanship is a standard practice, which means we handle our horses in a gentle manner, designed to keep their stress and ours to an absolute minimum. Our key wranglers are also trainers and during the off-season, when not riding with guests, they start our colts, train and fine-tune our guest ranch horses and offer clinics and trainings at The Hideout Guest Ranch.

 

The Story of The Hideout Adventures

David and Paula Flitner founded The Hideout Adventures in 1992. They have nurtured it over the years and it has grown and expanded to what The Hideout is now. Paula and David are still an integral part of the ranch, however they have handed over the reins to family members Peter and Marijn and The Hideout staff.

The Hideout started out as an upscale working cattle guest ranch. Over the years other adventures and an excellent equestrian program where added, however we remain loyal to our commitment to offer the best working cattle ranch experience out West.

During the summer season we keep the guest count between 15 to 25 people, as we feel this maximizes the guest experience.  With a string of 85 horses we assure excellent mounts at all times for our guests. Our horses are bred and raised for this challenging terrain, keep our guests safely mounted for a day of herding cattle or fun and exciting trail rides. Other activities like overnight stays, fly-fishing, trap shooting, hiking and riding lessons are also available.

Authentic, true Western Horse & Stockman ship with an open mind…

In 2006, Peter De Cabooter, nephew of Paula Flitner one of the owners and founders and his wife Marijn Werquin took over the reins of The Hideout. Together with their two twin sons Edward and Victor they moved over from Brussels, Belgium to Shell, Wyoming.

Over the last 4 years they kept the working cattle ranch experience but added a much stronger focus on a quality horse, stockman ship, riding & horsemanship culture. Better quality horses where added, a focus on real horsemanship, clinics & classes and a full time trainer & head wrangler Ramon Castro joined the team. Ramon has started over 1500 young horses, worked as a Charro in Mexico and as a cowboy in charge of the ranch & horse operations at the Flitner ranch. He is also a BLM Certified Mustang Trainer and participated in the Extreme Mustang Makeover.

Rough cowboy approach to horses & life stock has been replaced by Buckaroo and soft hand True Western & Authentic horsemanship in sink with old time ethics and ways of handling animals. Today’s seasonal wranglers are required to have solid horsemanship and a consistent approach to the above culture.

Peter introduced The Hideout Culture of The 3 C’s being Character, Conduct and Competence, knowing one can train for Competence, not for the Character & Conduct. The 3 C’s are a concept that was developed by the Global Leadership Team at Bandag Inc. Adding The Code of The West (Jim Owen) to our culture long before it was adopted and signed in to legislation as The Code of Wyoming by the Wyoming Governor.

Authentic Horsemanship

With an open mind to universal true & authentic horsemanship, you will find that several of our wranglers / instructors have aside Western also a solid English Riding background in disciplines like dressage, hunting, jumping, eventing (military & cross country and that experienced horsemen like Ramon have an open mind to learn anything there is to learn about horses. You will notice that our best horses, for those who can appreciate a light and quality horse, who meet the standards carry the AH (Authentic Horses) freeze brand, an official Wyoming registered brand. No matter where horses come from, only those that meet our standards get this brand.

Consistent with above horsemanship culture we had Bud Williams training our staff in the concept of Low Stress Stockman ship, to be compared with natural horsemanship on the equestrian side. The horsemanship, stockman ship and 3 C Culture on the peoples side all support the same quality concept of a safe, low stress, authentic culture, the ideal environment for your Equestrian Guest Ranch Vacation. During your vacation your will not only relax but learn many things the right way from scratch.

 

The Culinary Story of The Hideout

Under the experienced and well travelled hospitality leadership of Paula Flitner, The Hideout started out offering good Western fare, but over the years has become more and more known for offering an excellent culinary experience.

Following The Hideout 3 C concept, Peter & Marijn with the help of Paula have over the last 5 years focused on bringing The Hideout to the next level when it comes to Western Culinary Quality. The Trapper Lodge & Supper Club, one of the best and more elegant dining places in The Big Horn Basin was started in The Trapper Lodge 2 miles down the road. Chef Robb Howe, who used to work as chef for The Hideout and his wife Heather are heading that venture. Rob Howe, trained in Colorado, California and New York and works closely together with The Hideout Seasonal Chef.

The Hideout seasonal chef this year is Sheena Ernst. She is a Wyoming native from Powell, studied at The University of Wyoming in Laramie and was schooled at The Tante Marie Cordon Bleu in London, UK. She worked in restaurants London, Wyoming, Colorado adding culinary experiences in Tuscany and Israel. Sheena represents in many way what The Hideout Experience is all about. A Western Experience blended with outside quality, sophistication with and open mind and view on the rest of the world. We embrace diversity as an asset as long as it represents quality, ethics and good values.

 The Flitner Ranch Story

In addition to our recreational permits and private lands The Hideout Guest Ranch shares close to 300,000 acres of private, BLM (Bureau of Land Management) and National Forest permits with the Flitner Ranch. Nestled alongside of the Big Horn Mountains, four generations of the Flitner family have worked the ranch and resided here since 1906.  The 100 year-old Flitner Ranch remains an oasis of peace and solitude in this fast-paced world. Paula and David Flitner expanded the ranch to its currents size, encompassing over a quarter million acres. This property offers incredible diverse terrain and spectacular views in all directions.

There are 1,300 head of Black Angus mother cows with calves, 400 head of yearlings, offering our guests plenty of opportunities to experience riding with real cowboy wranglers in a safe environment. Today the Flitner Ranch is managed by David’s son Greg and his family.

 

The Story of Shell and The Big Horn Basin. 

The Hideout is located in Shell, Wyoming, (population 50, elevation 4200 feet) in the beautiful Shell Valley of the Big Horn Basin at the entrance of the dramatic Shell Canyon. It is only 110 miles east of Yellowstone National Park, and 60 miles east of Cody, Wyoming. The nearest town is across the Big Horn Mountains, approximately a one-and-a-half hour drive. The story of Shell starts millions and millions of years ago and the many exposed formations are a visible testimonial of this history. Shell is a popular destination for paleontologists from around the globe digging for rare species of dinosaur remains and other fossils.

 

The Story of The Big HornMountains & National Park and Cloud Peak Wilderness

At 4,100 feet in the high-desert valley of salt sage, cactus, and prehistoric dinosaur discoveries, we climb the rocky canyons of Shell Creek, White Creek, and Trapper Creek, through wide-open range, to an elevation of over 10,000 feet in the Bighorn National Forest and Cloud Peak Wilderness Area, which measures close to 13,067 feet. The green alpine meadows and pine forests are home to the majestic elk and mule deer. Crystal-clear mountain lakes and streams harbor native trout. With this as your back yard, The Hideout Guest Ranch is the perfect spot for your next vacation.