Horseshoe Canyon Ranch – Things You Never Knew About a Dude Ranch

Disclaimer: I was invited on an expense paid trip to #HorseshoeCanyonRanch in Arkansas with the Dude Ranch Association. All opinions are my own. #DudeRanch. Expenses were covered by Horseshoe Canyon Ranch in Arkansas & the Dude Ranchers’ Association! All opinions are my own.  I was asked to promote the ranch but was not compensated for my opinion.

When it comes to visiting a Dude Ranch, I didn’t know what that meant! Of course, I can visit the website and see the different activities. I can also read all of the AMAZING reviews that were posted online. If the reviews weren’t so great and I didn’t have a childhood dream to be able to ride a horse…I would have bailed on this opportunity.

There is nothing I love more than creating memories in life and having new opportunities be presented to me. This website of mine has taught me more about this world than I can even teach all of you! So today I decided to write this post about the things you NEVER knew about a dude ranch! I am going to be more specific and let you know that this list is specific to Horseshoe Canyon Ranch in Arkansas!

1.  OVER 50 Things TO DO at Horseshoe Canyon Ranch! During my stay the staff was amazing. I learned that there were adventure guides and wranglers. They each had their own job and their personalities were so much fun and they were so accommodating. Each day they had activities and choices lined up for everyone. They went above and beyond to make sure there was enough time for everyone to try everything. They worked around the rainy parts of our days and rearranged what needed to be to keep every single person happy.

2. Always be busy! They had a pool and a hot tub and the group that I traveled with NEVER had time to even get in it because we stayed so busy! We checked it out each night but we were so busy and/or so tired by the end of he day from the adrenaline spike that we didn’t quite make it there. A full week of guests average out to about 50 people. So you really get a chance to bond with everyone that you meet.

3. Therapeutic. Lately I felt depression and anxiety. I just have so much on my plate that I can’t really get into that I felt SO relaxed being able to step away, enjoy the outdoors (which I never do here in the city), and ride on horses and challenge my fears!

4. Educational. If you have little ones they can learn about nature, taking care of animals, and explore! Forget the little ones, what about me “the city girl”. I learned that it was okay to face my fear that it was all mental. I convinced myself to jump off the zip-line that was about 400 feet above the ground! How? I closed my eyes. I KNEW it was all in my head!

5. VERY little pests! So what if I might have seen a field mouse once and some carpenter bees on my cabin, I didn’t see any mosquitos or fleas or spiders! So what was keeping all of these annoying bugs away? I think it was the ADORABLE baby bats that we would occasionally see! I didn’t get bit by anything during my trip, I made it home to Kansas City and believe it or not I got bit 3 times in my leg by some annoying mosquito. At Horseshoe Canyon Ranch I was actually able to sit outside and ENJOY the breathtaking views!

Be sure to plan your visit today! Be ready to kick up your feet and enjoy the beautiful view!