One of the things I’ve always admired about the mindset of the leadership of Vista Verde Ranch is the consistent push towards “betterness.” You can’t find this term in the dictionary, but it comes from former ranch owner John Munn, and we continue to use it as a guiding principle today. The key is to keep the good and only improve what needs to be improved, rather than just changing for the sake of change. With that in mind, we are most excited about coming up with an improvement that we believe is going to be a game changer for our guests’ experience with horses.
Many people picture that riding a horse on their dude ranch vacation will mean galloping through the mountains with their hair blowing in the wind. But in reality our guests can sometimes get frustrated riding, as horses can be frustrating! They have minds of their own, will look for the easy way out, and will typically do the least amount of work required. Especially for novice riders, this can be challenging as they are just trying to figure out how to stay on the back of their horse and learning the proper cues as well as taking a role as the leader is a lot to master. It has struck us that if our horses were more like a motorized piece of equipment, it would make the riding experience much more enjoyable, because no one really wants to be challenged on their summer vacation, right? So, for the summer of 2021 dude ranch season we are going to be introducing our new fleet of e-horses. We have carefully researched the options, and have found homes for our living, breathing horses as we move them out and move in the new fleet.
Head wrangler Mary said it best when she stated, “The e-horses are going to revolutionize the guest ranch riding experience, plus they will save the ranch so much money in vet bills and feed at the same time. What I am most excited about is never having to work extra hours or be outside in inclement weather caring for a sick or injured horse.”
The best part is we have customized the fleet of e-horses to match some of the former VVR horses who have been around for a while. So, while the living, breathing version of Scotch, Cheyenne, and Midnight may have gone the way of the horse drawn wagon, we can assure you that their e-versions will be waiting by their charging stations, ready for you have the ride of your life!
And, if you made it this far without any suspicions, we ask you to check the date of this post and think about what happens around this date?
Happy April Fool’s Day from all of us, including Scotch, Cheyenne, and Midnight who are currently covered in mud and munching hay in the Winter pasture. And Happy birthday (tomorrow) to ranch owner Chris. If he made it this far reading this then he will be happy to know that we have a top of the line e-horse plugged in and waiting for him at the barn!