Wild West Ranch

Absolutely fabulous ranch and excellent owners. Horseback riding is cheap ($ 25 an hour) and guides are excellent as are the trails. They have a wonderful farm area too with lots of animals and babies always being born, owners are great about giving kids tours and allowing them to pet and play with the animals.
We discovered Wild West after a horrible experience at Standley Lake Stables which is also in Aarvada. I would definitely recommend skipping Standley Lake and coming to Wild West!
It’s always best to make a reservation, as they get busy! They also only take cash/​check (no credit cards!)

Great day riding with Lynn and this great herd! Everyone was friendly and knew the story behind each horse. What I love is that they rescue and nurture these beautiful horses. Great job! We’ll be back!

The trainer here is great. I have been taking lessons from her for the past 20 years. She is educated, driven and will through something new when she realizes your getting bored.
I really like her and she does lesson for many different riding styles and ages. Im 30 and she has taught me since I was younger.
She does a really good job and I plan to stick with her 100%.

I’ve now been going here for almost a year. I love it more than anything. I love being around the trainers and horses. If you are willing, there is always a member of staff willing to teach you anything from gait transitions to adjusting a synch.
All the horses I have worked with are healthy, strong and well-​trained (or in the process). No rider is given a horse they cant handle. but sometimes inexperienced riders do things inadvertently that cause their horse to spook. this is a risk that all riders take.
The trails are beautiful. I notice that there are a great many people here telling horror stories about how falling off a horse is the end of the world. that fact of the matter is that horses are not for everybody. if you are and out-​doors sort and want to be around horses this place is heaven on Earth.

I just went out to the Wild West Ranch to celebrate my 30^th Bday with friends. I was really happy with how accommodating the folks at the ranch were for a group our size. We had about 20 people there to ride for 1 hour. Because of the size, they had us split into two groups for safety and even threw in a free hayride for the second group so they had something to do while we wrapped up our first ride.
I read some reviews on here that were not so great about the behavior of the horses so I was a little concerned about how everything was going to play out. I myself had never ridden and we had lots of people in the group who were new at it too. We all had an awesome ride and the horses were tame and behaved.
We had a blast! I highly recommend this little place for a quick ride!

I was terrified to ride here after reading a few bad reviews, especially the one about «sophie»! I did not have the pleasure of meeting sophie, unfortunately, so I can not comment on her demeanor. :) The staff at the ranch was nothing but friendly and accommodating to our large group. All of the horses were well behaved and seemed to be happy and well cared for. The only reason I didn’t give them 5 stars is because I wasn’t a huge fan of the (fairly short) time period we rode next to the road. Very affordable and would definitely visit again.

I see that somehow my review was deleted so I’ll keep this short. This place is GOD AWFUL!
1 — very misleading!
2 — unprofessional and god awfully rude.
3 — I used to run a ranch… And this is definitely NOT, by any definition of the word, a «ranch»
4 — Tanya or whatever the «large» woman’s name is, was too lazy to even walk the ring when the portion of her alleged lesson called for it.
5 — employs children!!!
Please take note and do NOT support this business.

I visited The Wild West Ranch Saturday 8 – 16 to take a leisurely horseback ride. I called ahead to make reservations at noon. I was met at the office by Gary the owner and met my guide Jordan. The horse I rode was Ginger. Since I am an amputee and hadn’t rode a horse for over 20 years, It took a little linger than normal for me to get on the horse but, my guide took the time to make sure I was safely on the horse and my syrups adjusted before my ride began. My ride consisted of 2 laps around the practice area to get me used to riding and to make sure I was comfortable and a trip following a trail to the west. My Jordan and I shared interesting conversation as we rode. We stopped briefly in an open area to let the horses rest and eat some grass. On or return trip we passed other riding groups who were enjoying their ride as much as I was enjoying mine. During my ride I took several pictures which will be cherished memories of the day. My ride was thoroughly enjoyable and I will definitely be returning on a regular basis,. I recommend the Wild West Ranch without hesitation to anyone wanting to enjoy a horseback ride without having to go to drive over an hour to Estes park.

My boyfriend and I decided to try something different, since neither of us had been horseback riding since we were little kids we thought it would be fun to go on a trail ride. Originally we wanted to go up to RMNP but because of weather had to look a little closer to south Denver. My boyfriend came across Wild West Ranch and as a last resort we made the decision to go here instead.
Part 1: first impressions
We pull up to the ranch and even though already skeptical on the appearance I tried to give it a shot. There was a gentleman standing behind the desk at the «office» who gave me the impression of being the owner of this fine establishment. Him and the boy go over the prices again and what it all included…“2 hour premium trail ride (1 hour) through the beautiful foothills of Arvada, co You’ll see tons of wildlife, (chickens and other horses… maybe a dog???) get to follow a beautiful river (irrigation canal) to a wide open field that opens up the view to the mountains way away from the neighborhood (2 blocks away COMPLETELY SURROUNDED by houses). Now not only was this company unbelievably misleading but that’s not even the worst part of the whole thing.
Part 2: Sophie
As I’m crawling up on to an old tree log my worst nightmare walks around the fence. Without going through the full 1 hour trek there are a few key points I wanted to talk about.
–about 100 yards from the ranch I realized miss Sophie is also known as the «B» of the group, stubborn, uncooperative, «tuddy» and little miss thang did not want me on her back. Not saying she wasn’t a beautiful horse and I’m sure can be better but I had absolutely zero control over her and I was completely terrified.
–took off on her own PAST the «guide» on multiple occasions.
–bit the horse in front of her, made him kick back at her, which then caused Sophie to raise up
–our guide started to butt heads with a woman on the trail, he got so heated he needed to smoke a cig to calm himself down, normally this wouldn’t really bother me but as I am getting over bronchitis smoke is still hard for me to be around.
I kept talking to the guides and asking them questions to make sure I was using the right technique. Not only did they make me feel like I was an idiot for not knowing anything about horses, they didn’t even check to see if I was ok to continue although clearly flustered. At one point after Sophie took off for the 5^th time in a row this time the fastest and longest of them all I finally said I’m really scared and really uncomfortable riding her. I had tears in my eyes because at this point I had seen visions of myself falling into busy roads, irrigation canals and at one point waking up in a hospital from a coma, a little dramatic yes but when you’re 5 feet off the ground on a clearly unpredictable animal you start to think of a lot of what ifs…
Wow this is getting long so to sum it all up, this was a very bad experience for me personally. It was a waste of money, and not worth the fear, drive, or saddle butt. The guides and other staff working there were very unprofessional and quite frankly we got screwed on the cost ($ 50/​person for 2 hours, $ 10 extra/​person if you want your horse to trot which had been recommended) now looking back they probably all laughed at us non-​horse people as soon as we walked away. The horses weren’t well trained and yes I know you assume your own risk with something like this but as a beginner I should have been accommodated with one that better suited my skill level. I will never return here and would never refer someone to Wild West.
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I visited Wild West Ranch for a trail ride this weekend. It’s very affordable, close to Denver, and we had a great ride. Remember, cash or check only!

We adore Wild West Ranch. It was our second visit yesterday and both experiences were fantastic. We have a 6-​year old son who was so excited. The guide was patient and allowed him to ride his own horse. By the end of the ride our son was an expert. The trail is easy and the scenery beautiful. We can’t wait for our daughter to be old enough to ride her own horse. We’ll definitely be back!

This was a great idea of my cousin’s to try when we were in Denver. We lucked out and had an absolutely stunning sunny day in March. What I loved about the horses was that they weren’t burnt out exhasted horses – they liked to trot up hills and sneak a bite of grass when you stopped to take a picture. We got several chances to trot and canter due to our riding experience.
They also have a ton of other animals on the ranch. We got to hold a lamb, feed some of the goats, pet the ponies, sheep, rabbits. Really awesome additional experience. I would totally bring kids here as well.
Super affordable, but cash only!

This is a GREAT stop for anyone interested in taking an hour horseback ride close to Denver/​Golden. I had so much fun & loved my horse Ginger!
$ 25 for a 1 hour trail ride.

A friend and I went to Wild West Ranch for my birthday last year (2008). We had barely mounted the horses and were heading down the trail when my friend’s horse took off and she was thrown from the saddle. I watched in disbelief at what had happened and at how the guide did not respond. I had to ask the guide if she was going to help my friend. Of course she chose to go after the horse before checking on my friend who was laying on the ground. Meanwhile, I got control of my horse because I knew he might want to follow. However, despite my efforts my horse ended up bucking me off. I suffered a concussion and terrible bumps and bruises. My friend wasn’t much better off. But the real purpose of this review is to share how the vendor reacted. Despite the fact that the equine laws in Colorado protect the vendors, no one at Wild West called 911 or an ambulance. Nor were we offered a refund. Both my friend and I felt the situation was handled terribly… or rather could have been handled much better. The owner claimed later that he had never had two riders thrown during a ride and that it had been a couple of years since any riders had been ejected from their horse. If you are going to give Wild West Ranch a try know that you are riding at your own risk and that there is little consideration, even on a human to human level of compassion, for your well being.

The Wild West Ranch offers private and group trail rides for anyone from beginners to experienced riders, as well as riding lessons for children and adults, and pony rental for kids, including birthday parties. Trail rides are usually an hour long, though longer rides for experienced riders can be arranged with an advanced reservation, and the rides wind fairly slowly down a trail next to 80^th Avenue in Arvada.
The leaders are generally kids or teens, with adults used as guides for the more advanced rides. The horses are old pros and generally fairly sluggish, nose-​to-​tail types. If you’re looking for a polished, professional outfit, go to Estes Park or somewhere more touristy than Arvada, cause this ain’t it. What it is, is a page straight out of the 1960s– an outfit owned by a grumpy old man, employing mostly underpaid (or not paid at all) teenagers and a couple adults, with most of the property in varying states of disrepair, and solid, well-​broke horses toting dudes (inexperienced riders) down the trail.
Leave your sense of labor ethics at the door, enjoy your ride, and please, tip your guide– it’s probably all she or he is making, if it’s one of the teenagers.