Colorado Guest Ranch Now Offers Year-Round Activities
by Tessa Yannone
Western dude ranches typically see the bulk of their guest bookings in the busy summer season with trail rides, hiking, biking, fishing, hearty comfort food, and evening entertainment that includes live music and line dancing. When Vista Verde Guest Ranch, located in Northwest Colorado just 30 minutes north of Steamboat Springs, expanded its offerings to the winter season, they were on to something. Now the dude ranch is expanding again with a revamped horse program and a fall season complete with a horsemanship clinic and a Thanksgiving holiday stay.
History of the Ranch
Loren Blair and John Hay were the original homesteaders in 1916 of what would soon become the 500-acre guest ranch, Vista Verde. They built a small home and barn and “proved up” their land, receiving the deed in 1919. In 1933 the Tufly family purchased the homestead and one of the sisters named it Vista Verde when she gazed at the green irrigated hay fields. The Tuflys grazed cattle and produced hay on the property until their son Hollis purchased it in 1968 when Steamboat Springs Ski Area opened. He saw an opportunity for tourism and started the first hunting, fishing, horseback riding, and pack trips.
Since then, the ranch has had three more owners who have supplied updates to buildings and facilities including a brand new great room, a new indoor riding arena, and upgrades to cabins and staff housing. The ranch’s offerings also saw a revamp as winter activities were added and new equipment supplied to summer programming—a reinforcement of authentic Western hospitality and unparalleled horsemanship.
The current owners, Chris and Laura Jones, instill a strong sense of service and community across the ranch as well as introducing a horse breeding program, new leadership staff, and a commitment to offering year-round dude ranch experiences.
Exciting New Horse Program
Earlier this year, in a renewed commitment to leading the guest ranch industry with top tier horses and horsemanship program, the ranch welcomed Kaulana Papalimu back to the ranch in a new role as Director of Horse Operations. Papalimu originally came to the ranch in 2013 and worked his way up to head wrangler in 2018. After a brief hiatus he returned and likes to say, “Every time I’ve tried to get away from horses, they always come back.”
With this new commitment to growing the operation and his focus on consistent and well-rounded training methods, Papalimu hopes to elevate the caliber of horses at the ranch while also ushering in some younger horses to develop as dependable dude horses. He’s training other wranglers to have more consistent terminology and riding styles. “I enjoy teaching, and I think what’s most incredible about a horse is how adaptive they are to learning different things,” he says. “I think humans are no different.”
For those guests pining for a little more education than what the ranch typically provides during a week-long stay, Papalimu will be hosting a 4-day horsemanship clinic from October 31 to November 4. Inspired by trainers like Buck Brannaman, Papalimu has developed a style of training based on forming a partnership between horse and human through progressive training and communication.
Welcoming the Start of a New Fall Season
On top of an exciting new horsemanship program, Vista Verde will also see guests in the months of October and November during an a la carte season. So, while guests’ base rate will include accommodations, meals, house beer and wines, and shuttle services to and from Steamboat Springs, daily activities will be based on weather conditions. One day guests might listen to leaves crunch under their horse’s hooves and next go on a snowshoe adventure! Additionally, the ranch will host a Thanksgiving stay from November 27 to December 1 complete with a sumptuous turkey feast and no Black Friday crowds for miles.
And for those close to the Steamboat area, the ranch is dishing out a 2-night special for select weekends in November. Enjoy line dancing, a six-course wine pairing dinner, and a la carte activities based on the weather. Get away for R&R as the seasons change before a busy holiday and winter season.
For more information, visit www.vistaverde.com or call us at 970-579-3858 or 800-526-7433.
See this article in the November 2024 Online Digital Edition:
November 2024
The Northwest Horse Source is an independently owned and operated print and online magazine for horse owners and enthusiasts of all breeds and disciplines in the Pacific Northwest. Our contemporary editorial columns are predominantly written by experts in the region, covering the care, training, keeping and enjoyment of horses, with an eye to the specific concerns in our region.
