I Waited Years to Go to a Dude Ranch —
Here’s Why I Finally Did
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For most women, the idea of a dude ranch vacation doesn’t even make the list.
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Time is tight. Life is full. Careers, children, family responsibilities, finances — all of it adds weight.
A week at a ranch, riding horses in the middle of nowhere, can feel indulgent, impractical, or simply unrealistic. It certainly felt that way to me for years.
And yet, the dream lingered.
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Like many women, I always loved horses. What little girl doesn’t want a pony? I never had one. I never would. I don’t want to own a horse, and realistically, I never will. Yes, you can lease a horse. Many women do. And many of the women who go on dude ranch vacations have ridden their entire lives. They own horses. They know the language, the tack, the rhythms.
That alone can make you feel behind before you even arrive.​ I certainly did.
My girlfriends weren’t interested. Not in horses. Not in ranches. Not in riding helmets and dusty boots. And that’s often the case. If you’re waiting for the perfect friend to say yes, you may wait forever.
I had taken riding lessons in dressage and jumping — in my earlier years, once my career was underway. Riding was something I gave myself as an adult, not something I grew up with.
And for years, I quietly assumed that a dude ranch was for other women. The experienced ones. The confident ones. The ones who already belonged.
But here’s the truth I learned once I finally went: that’s not why women go to dude ranches at all.
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They go for the adventure.
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For the fun.
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For the food.
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For the scenery.
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For the exhilaration of doing something completely different.
They go for the connection — to the land, to the horses, to the ranch owners and staff who pour their lives into these places, and to the other guests sitting around the dinner table at the end of the day.
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​Yes, there are accomplished riders there. And no, that doesn’t matter.
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Because everyone arrives for the same reason: to step out of their regular life and into something that feels alive.
Reunion Friends
Another thing no one talks about enough? Many women come back year after year — not just to the ranch, but to the same group of women. Friendships form quickly when you’re riding together, eating together, laughing together, and sharing stories far from your everyday world. What starts as a solo trip often turns into a reunion.
Still, none of that erased the biggest hurdle for me.
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If I was going to do this, I was going alone.
So one day, without overthinking it any longer, I decided: it’s time to try.
No grand declaration. No dramatic turning point. Just a quiet decision that I didn’t want the idea of a dude ranch to stay a “someday” dream. I didn’t need to be fearless. I didn’t need to be the best rider. I didn’t need to prove anything.
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I just needed to go.
What I found instead was something far richer than I expected — a place where experience levels don’t define belonging, where the staff wants you comfortable and confident, where laughter matters more than skill, and where going solo is not only accepted, it’s common.
That first trip changed how I saw myself as a traveler. It reminded me that adventure doesn’t have an age requirement, and confidence doesn’t come before the experience — it comes because of it.
If you’ve ever thought, “Maybe someday,” I understand. I was you.
But someday doesn’t arrive on its own. Sometimes you have to saddle up, go solo, and see what happens.​​​
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WHERE I VENTURED