Happy Mother’s Day to all of our friends and fans from Black Mountain Colorado Dude Ranch! We hope you are treating your Mother to a wonderful day and look forward to seeing all of the mom’s that will visit the Ranch this summer!

From DisneyParks Blog, How Does a Horse Become a Disneyland Horse?

Disneyland park is a special place to work – even if you’re a horse. Have you ever watched the horses strutting along Main Street, U.S.A., and wondered how they got a job at the happiest place on Earth? Me too! So I asked Alan Cooper, Equine Trainer Leader at Circle D Corral.

When casting a new horse for a role at Disneyland park, “what we’re looking for is comfort,” said Alan, who has been at Circle D for more than 25 years. He said that the handlers will observe things like interaction and personality when “interviewing” a new horse to work in the park – they look for one that will be comfortable when surrounded by lots of people and activity.

Alan also looks for horses that have unique colors and other visual traits – things that will be noticed by guests and create conversation.

And off to go enjoy the Parks! Happy Wednesday Ya’ll from Black Mountain Colorado Dude Ranch!

One of our Wranglers, Kit, is headed down the aisle tomorrow in nothing less than a pair of great cowboy boots! In honor of her wedding, we wanted to share our Pinterest board, Dude Ranch Weddings! What do you think of the trend of rocking a pair of cowboy boots when you say “I do!”?

Photo credits go to the amazing Colorado photographer Casey Wigotow of Two One Photography! Check out her stunning collection online, featuring some of our favorite friends, horses!

 While the cameras won’t roll until June, businesses in Creede are hoping for a head start on “The Lone Ranger.”

They’re hoping the set construction for the movie will carry this tourist destination past what’s normally a slow economic time of year.

On Friday, the small town west of Alamosa signed a contract with the film’s production company. The move clears the way for the start of set construction and an influx of workers

The Chieftian reported that The Lone Ranger, starring Johnny Depp as Tonto and Armie Hammer as the Lone Ranger is wrapping up filming in New Mexico and will head to Creede next. Eric Grossman stated “They’re filming a movie that is set in the 1880s and 1890s, It’s what we have in spades here”.

We are equally as excited for actor playing Silver, equine Phoebe, who is said to fit right in as reported by the LocalTRIB. “She knows she’s different, and she just kind of goes with it,” Baruman said, “She’ll fit right in, in Hollywood” is said of the rare white horse bred that will star as the Lone Ranger’s horse. Hi Ho, Silver!

One of Black Mountain Ranch’s Wranglers, Andrew Hyde, spent last week hanging out in Nairobi, Kenya. He shared with us some of his pictures from his trip, and they got me thinking…

Growing up training horses, I daydreamed about running off to join the Circus. Only, I would have a traveling Giraffe show, in which of course I would ride a Giraffe. Horses, though, are more common than Giraffe’s, not to mention it’s much easier to get a saddle on a horse than the sloped back of a Giraffe. So, I continued my equine riding, and went on to become an avid equestrian. That hasn’t stopped me from daydreaming, though. 

I have yet to hear of a traveling circus with a Giraffe act, so maybe there’s a small chance the dream could still come true.

Thanks for sharing your pictures with us Andrew! His vagabond lifestyle reminds me to keep dreaming! If visiting Black Mountain Colorado Dude Ranch is a dream for you, it’s not too late to book at trip to visit us this summer! Watch our video to get a taste of what ranch life is like:

Hope to see you at the Ranch! Have a question or curious about our rates, give us a call at (970) 653-4226! We’d love to hear from you!

Take Charge Indy, whose jockey Calvin Borel raced 2010′s Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver, is one of our favorites! Super Saver sired his first foal back in January and we posted a video of his first steps on our blog.

Will you be watching the much talked about race, which is next Saturday, May 5th?

May 3rd will mark the 3rd annual Taste of Derby Event! With the 137th Kentucky Derby just around the corner, this event kick’s off the Kentucky Derby weekend in style!

The evening celebrates and showcases cuisine of popular horse racing destinations across the country, where masterful chefs from these cities serve samples of their signature dishes, while guests also enjoy unique wines paired with the chefs’ regional offerings, and mix and mingle with Thoroughbred horse racing celebrities.

Tickets, which are $300 per person, include a red carpet entry, food and wine tastings, a premium open bar, you know this event will be quite the soiree! Tickets are on sale now so if you plan on going to the Derby, start your weekend off in style at Taste of Derby!

W

It’s 7 a.m. You’ve already checked your email several times. Then you head to the office to stare at a computer screen for hours and answer the incessantly ringing phone. You  go to flop down on the couch and watch TV while you check news on your laptop or iPad. Maybe
you read a couple of pages on your Kindle before lights out. Sleep, repeat.  Forget technology. Access luxury the old-fashioned way at these low-tech resorts.

Grab a copy online at USA TODAY!

Recently while researching for our upcoming Yoga at The Ranch Adults Only Week, that is happening this August, we stumbled upon a new (to us) trend in equine: Yoga. One of the founders of this movement, Linda Guanti, based out of British Columbia holds workshops and classes for people to bring their horses and explore the richness of combining these two worlds.

Now we are pretty sure most cowboys won’t be itching to sign up, but we do think there is some really good stuff going on here. If you are interested in exploring the connection, please join us August 26th-September 2nd for our rich and unique week of yoga, horseback riding, and all the amazing things we have at the ranch.

We will have three different certified yoga instructors teaching 1-2 classes per day and our wranglers will help you slow down in the saddle and enjoy the beautiful landscape that surrounds you when you spend a week at the Ranch. This is open to any adults 18 years of age!

If you have any questions, please email us at howdy@blackmtnranch.com! Grab your yogi friends or come solo, either way we promise you won’t forget this amazing week at Black Mountain Colorado Dude Ranch!

We found this fabulous vintage poster and agree, now is the time to plan your vacation to our Colorado Dude Ranch! Take a tour of our beautiful cabins or head over to our rates and reservations page to get more information!

If you are curious as to what a typical week looks like on the ranch, you must read this! We are looking forward to the summer season and seeing you up at Black Mountain Ranch!