The “Dude” In
Focus Dude Ranch
Focus
Ranch continues with the traditions of the historical
dude ranch by operating as a working cattle
ranch and allowing guests to participate in the daily
ranch life. While many dude ranches have transitioned
into resort ranches or include cattle mostly for
recreational purposes, Focus Ranch runs approximately
1300 head of yearling cattle as the basis of an agricultural
operation. Dudes enjoy being a part of ranch life
just as much now as they did back in 1939, when Focus
Ranch became officially known as a dude ranch and
a member of the Colorado Dude Ranch Association.
A Typical Day at the Ranch
The wake –up bell rings at 7am but many
guests have already had their first cup of coffee
and are
waiting to see the wranglers drive the horses across
the meadows to the corrals. It is a great photo
opportunity as the horses are fresh and kicking up
their heels
as they make their way to the barn. Guests will
find they are already being put to work by blocking
in
strategic places to curtail any horse play that
may lead to by passing the gate.
For fishermen, the Little Snake River may be too
tempting to forgo until after breakfast and so with
a short walk from the yard, the first catch of the
day may be had before the second bell rings at 7:30
to announce that food is on the table.
Kids may be anywhere…helping
with or watching the horse activity, checking out
the pigs, baby lambs,
or taking a hike with the other early morning hikers
to view the deer, antelope, foxes and well, the list
goes on!
|
 Focus Updates -
2009 In Review & A Look Ahead to 2010
(updated 12.18.09)
 2009 Clinics
and Workshops (click here)
(updated 1.27.09)
The Rest of the Day…
The beauty of a dude ranch vacation is you can choose
how much or how little you want to participate
in the daily activities. Although the horseback
riding is done for a purpose, to manage the cattle,
we have enough wranglers so that we can structure
the rides to meet the needs/wishes of our guests.
Whether old, young, experienced or never have been
on a horse, we will give you a top notch riding
experience. Meshing the cattle business with the
guest business is what we are good at doing and
have personally been doing, for over 30 years.
Ranch Experiences off the Horse
Not everyone wants to ride, let alone ride all day.
There is life at a dude ranch off a horse. Other
activities on the ranch include fly fishing, hiking,
skeet shooting, swimming, hot tub, and helping
with a variety of ranch work. Off the ranch, there
are day trip activities: museums; rafting trips;
shopping and more. Towns such as: Steamboat Springs,
Colorado; Encampment and Saratoga, Wyoming, provide
entertainment and scenic drives. We tailor the
kids’ activities each week to account for
different age groups and interests. We have always
maintained that the kids find more to do on our
ranch than there is time in the day.
Tour our web site to gain a better understanding
of Focus Ranch.
Your hosts: Maureen and Terry Reidy
|
