Spotted Horse Ranch

This place was everything I wanted and more. I didn’t know what to expect visiting at the very end of their season in October, as I had originally planned to come earlier in September. But everything was perfect—the beautiful fall foliage, the crisp air, the cozy cabin vibe, the spectacular views during rides. I had so much fun as a solo traveler and highly recommend this experience to anyone considering going alone—you easily make friends with the families, couples, and other groups there. And despite it being closing week, there were a decent amount of guests and the atmosphere was so vibrant (though also peaceful and relaxing). Shoutout to all the staff—Reba, Erika, Gibson, Walker, Jena, Michael, Olivia, and I’m forgetting a few names, but literally everyone there is wonderful—for contributing to such a special experience. I think every other guest felt the same way. You really can’t go wrong choosing this ranch for your next vacation.

Before I explain why we were disappointed with SHR as a Dude Ranch, I want to first state that the Wranglers, the Cleaning crew, Kitchen staff, Wait staff workers, and Bartender were all attentive and hard-workingl from what we experienced. They multitasked and were always friendly and helpful when we approached them. We went on a couple of horse rides and the wranglers were friendly, helpful and the outings were enjoyable. The meals served were always plentiful, with wonderfully seasoned side dishes and vegetables, and fresh salads. On the food side, there were only a couple of "misses" (for example, the banana cream pie was still partially frozen; and the processed onion rings were a very odd appetizer during Happy Hour — a cheese plate or charcuterie would have been more welcome. Some of the things I’m about to describe may sound "picky", but the reality is that of the Dude Ranches I have visited, Spotted Horse Ranch does not meet the quality of the others, yet still charges the same or larger amount. This is why I say, we will not re-visit Spotted Horse Ranch.

While the staff is clearly working hard to make guest experience great, I am very concerned about the welfare of the horses on this ranch. The wranglers definitely care for these animals, but due to the mountainous terrain and the age of the horses, it’s obvious they are overworked.

I recently hosted a group of International Military friends on a tour of the western US. We stayed at the ranch for 4 nights and everyone raved about the activities, staff, setting, food and activities! Couldn't recommend more.

We are about to go back in June for our 3rd time so that says it all! It is the most beautiful, peaceful place. The horses are amazing and the scenery is absolutely stunning. If you need a peaceful, restorative place to go then this is it. The staff is wonderful and fun - the cabins are perfect. You really can't find a more amazing place!

My husband and I have stayed at numerous dude ranches in Colorado. This was our first in Wyoming as a 43rd anniversary present to ourselves. It was also the worst dude ranch. We stayed 4 nights in September and it started when we pulled in and couldn't find the office (no sign) or any people to check in with. When we did check in - Reba - in the office said if we had any issues not to bother her or the co-owner as they were "worthless" and we should just talk to the staff. My husband and I stayed in the owners cabin. We were assured it was the nicest cabin there. The cabin is in dire need of maintenance. The kitchen faucet was really hard to turn off and dripped constantly. The towels were old and dingy. The mattress sagged. The end table was wobbly. There were no brooms to sweep mud with. The first night we had no heat - the staff solution was blankets because no one knew how to turn the heat on. Apparently someone had turned off the circuit breaker. Couldn't figure that out until the next night when we realized the heat controls did not work. The baseboard heating was either blasting heat or you turned off the circuit breaker. Then when everything was warmed up we were swarmed by WASPS. The co-owner - can't remember his name - used wasp bombs for 2 days in the cabin. We had to cover everything and evacuate. They killed over 200 wasps and still couldn't find the nest or queen. The meals and appetizers were good and basic - not anything I couldn't have cooked myself. Was hoping for a little more creative recipes. The dining room was small and crowded - the noise from all the people laughing and talking so loud you couldn't talk or hear the people next to you. We always ate quickly and left. The crowd that was there liked to drink - apparently with no staff supervision in the lodge - and in the mornings it smelled like stale booze and there was trash and obvious signs of partying - with no clean up. They even broke a table one night. Loved the wrangler we ended up with several times - Olivia. Not her fault the trails were pretty tough. It had rained alot and because the ranch doesn't have alot of flat terrain to ride on the horses would slip and slid in the mud up and down the hills. Not surprising that many beginner riders would complain. The working staff were all very attentive and eager to help in any way. The planned outings were all executed well. But the management and maintenance are sorely lacking. I would not recommend this dude ranch.

Before I explain why we were disappointed with SHR as a Dude Ranch, I want to first state that the Wranglers, the Cleaning crew, Kitchen staff, Wait staff workers, and Bartender were all attentive and hard-workingl from what we experienced. They multitasked and were always friendly and helpful when we approached them. ||We went on a couple of horse rides and the wranglers were friendly, helpful and the outings were enjoyable. ||The meals served were always plentiful, with wonderfully seasoned side dishes and vegetables, and fresh salads. On the food side, there were only a couple of "misses" (for example, the banana cream pie was still partially frozen; and the processed onion rings were a very odd appetizer during Happy Hour — a cheese plate or charcuterie would have been more welcome. ||Some of the things I’m about to describe may sound "picky", but the reality is that of the Dude Ranches I have visited, Spotted Horse Ranch does not meet the quality of the others, yet still charges the same or larger amount. This is why I say, we will not re-visit Spotted Horse Ranch.||As we were checking in, Reba, (the office Manager) explained that if we needed anything we should contact any of the workers, (but not her or Kevin, (the other manager — and I heard 10% owner?), as they wouldn’t be the ones to help us. We thought that was very strange as most managers will delegate assignments but usually would like to know what issues are arising on their property!||A couple of days before our trip, we discussed whether or not we were going to fish. Since the website advertises fly-fishing guides as one of the activities and says you can contact their head fishing guide and discuss options. My husband called the resort in advance to discuss and was told by Reba that "we could figure it out once we arrived at the resort". During Check-in, Reba escorted us to our cabin, and my husband raised the issue of a guided wade trip on the Hoback River.  Reba waved her hand along the river that fronted the cabins and said, "you can go anywhere.  It's pretty much a by the book stream". No mention of guides being available for either  1/2 day or full day guided fishing as advertised on the website specifically for the Hoback River and that we had specifically requested before we arrived.  If a customer is willing to spend extra money on one of your activities, take them up on it.||During Check-in, we also asked Reba about hiking close to SHR (as we were not planning to ride horses during both daily sessions). Reba told us we could cross the bridge; turn left and follow any of the horse trails in that direction. Later, we asked one of the wait staff and they provided some better suggestions for trails that were only 10-20 minute drive away and we were able to find on Google Maps. On our own, we also discovered several nice areas to hike that were not too far away. Had I known that kind of information was not available at the SHR, I would have researched more on my own. Kevin did loan us bear spray, which was a nice touch as we had forgotten to bring our own. But my point is that, it would be nice to keep some information on hand about near-by hiking in case you have other guests that want to hike. ||My next comment is about maintenance. We were told that Spotted Horse Ranch is proud to be "rustic"; and I would agree that they have every right to be proud. The setting is lovely and the old cabins are nicely appointed. But maintenance is somewhat overlooked. Here is a list of things that we encountered in our cabin (Cabin 9): 1. The bed sags and is jiggly in the middle. 2. The faucet fixture looks like someone forgot to clean — but after rubbing it with the make-up cloth, I realized it is actually just some kind of erosion damage to the silver finish; 3. Ceiling light next to closet door — sometimes flickers on and off when walking around in the cabin; 4. A boot-brush on the porch of the cabin and a doormat on the inside would help people keep more dirt out of the cabin. 5. Toilet (which I was told is new) occasionally stuck and water kept running and it moves some on it’s base. On the final day, the toilet flush arm inside the tank came loose at 6 AM and the only way to flush was by manually activation the mechanism in the tank..||While we were at SHR, the Owners cabin had a problem with wasps or yellow-jackets. Kevin had to bomb the cabin 3 times and some people indicated that this might be an on-going problem! It makes me wonder why a professional pest control team has not been called in to determine where the queen is at and eradicate it for good!||The lodge is quaint, comfortable and a nice place to gather with some wi-fi available if needed. However one morning we came in early and some customers had left their empty beer cans and alcohol bottles and other trash in the common area. Apparently, they had also broken the coffee table. I’m not certain what can be done to improve this kind of situation but perhaps quiet hours once the staff is no longer around?||Finally, my last comment is about the dining arrangements. The tables are situated in a way that wait staff and customers are passing back and forth in front of each other. On the last night we had a wonderful steak dinner and the buffet style arrangement was much easier for everyone involved. It might be worth the trouble to look into rearranging the dining room to accommodate smaller dining tables and buffet style meals more often and it would make things easier for the staff.