Horses & Riders

If all you want to do on horseback is walk and enjoy the scenery, we have perfect scenery; if you want to trot and lope, we have trails appropriate for that as well. From our herd of 70 horses, you will be assigned your own horse for the duration of your stay. We match the horse and rider according to ability, physical requirements, and temperament, teaching you how to ride well and how to enjoy horseback riding as a life-long sport. Would you like to groom and saddle you own horse? Learn ground-work with him? We'll show you how. You can also enjoy memorable breakfast rides, gorgeous sunset rides, or working with cattle. We organize rides according to rider ability and interest.

Types of Rides

Walk-only rides; Walk-trot; Walk-trot-lope (canter); Walk, work on trot; Walk-trot, work on lope. For further details, also check out our description of Cattle Team-Penning.

Breed of Horses and Horse Herd

Our horse herd usually numbers 75 to 80 head. We have Quarter Horses, Appaloosas, Arabians, Thoroughbreds, and Clydesdales in our herd, but mostly our horses are of mixed breeding – “grade” horses. We find that cross-bred horses have the soundness and stamina for the mountainous terrain in which we ride. We have some horses who started their lives wild on the open range – often referred to as Mustangs. They've been adopted from the U.S. government and trained for our guests to use.  As you might imagine, our horses are of many different colors – black, white, gray, buckskin, paint, sorrel, roan, spotted, palomino, pinto, etc.  Although we own over 70 horses, we will occasionally lease a few horses to meet our needs as the population of the herd changes.

DRA Horse Safety & First Aid

As a Dude Ranchers' Association member, Latigo participates in the DRA's Horse Safety and First Aid for the Trail program.

Rider Weight Restrictions

Horses come in varying sizes, as do riders. A horse can reasonably carry a limited weight without becoming injured. Your athletic ability and riding experience will influence the stress you place on a horse as you ride. It also affects your ability to ride safely. Being able to safely mount and dismount from the horse are very important considerations as well.

We can sometimes accommodate a rider weighing as much as 250 lbs., but that will depend upon how many people over 200 lbs. are here in a given week. Depending on your weight and athleticism, you may not be able to trot or lope on horseback. Your riding may be limited to walk only rides, your rides will most likely be shorter in duration, and you may be riding a draft horse. It may also limit the number of times you can ride in a day. Be sure to call us and talk with us about these issues so that we can help you understand what your ranch riding experience will be like.