Girlfriend Getaways

Girlfriend Getaways at The Hideout Lodge & Guest Ranch

Horseback riders following a trail through pine forest below a rocky mountain ridge.

The Hideout is a safe guest ranch for women. It’s thoughtful, confidence-building and tailored to the rider you are today – and the rider you dream of becoming. All surrounded by a great and fun hospitality culture.

With exception of early Spring, at The Hideout we don’t typically organize a “women’s” or “girlfriend’s” week. We find that when women visit The Hideout, many of them are already coming with a girlfriend, a group of friends or riding partners from their local barn, mothers with daughters and girlfriends traveling together.

Rider on a brown horse standing among rocks with mountains in the distance.

They organize their trip to indulge in a fun-filled week together. Many of our repeat guests, girlfriends, sisters, friends, mothers and daughters come to The Hideout Lodge & Guest Ranch for their riding vacation from April through September and October because school is in session and The Hideout caters for more adult activities. However, as The Hideout is mostly adult oriented, it’s a great destination throughout the season. And many guests return year after year, bringing more friends.

A group smiling and waving around a blue pickup truck.

Black-and-white portrait of a smiling woman beside a log wall.

Black-and-white photograph of a person leading a dark horse near a fence.

Black-and-white photograph of a woman touching a dark horse's face.

Black-and-white view of a saddled horse beside a log building.

A person walking beside a white fence with horses behind it.

Rider in a red shirt on a gray horse in a rocky landscape.

Rider on a chestnut horse beneath tall canyon cliffs.

Rider in leather chaps on a light-colored horse beside a leafy tree.

Four horseback riders crossing a grassy mountain slope.

A person standing with arms outstretched against red sandstone hills.

Rider on a chestnut horse beside red sandstone hills.

Rider on a dark horse in a fenced riding area.

A group riding horses across grass below rocks and pine trees.

Four people standing together in a forested mountain clearing.

Rider on a gray horse with distant mountains behind.

Horseback riders overlooking golden hills and red cliffs.

Female led riding and hospitality culture

A warm, strong, capable-led team sets the tone from the moment you arrive at The Hideout for your girlfriend’s trip.

It’s girl power at The Hideout. If you are looking for the ideal combination of a quality equestrian culture surrounded by a caring hospitality team with people skills, you often find a team of strong and kind women.

Our barn management is mostly female and most seasons all our wranglers are female. They are well traveled and most of them have English and Western riding backgrounds which makes them great “translators”.

A group of horseback riders above a blue lake surrounded by forest.

City Girls to Cowgirls

Marijn

A person holding the lead of a gray horse beside a white fence.

Until 2025, Marijn, one of the owners, was heading the barn, wrangler team and our horse program. She is very decisive, kind, honest, transparent and a straightshooter. Marijn is one of our popular cowgirls.

She moved over with her husband and kids from Belgium to Wyoming in 2006. An accomplished rider and equestrian in her early 60-ties who only started riding at 40 when she moved to Wyoming, most weeks Marijn gives a half-day clinic for those interested in groundwork, communication with horses and playing at Liberty. Marijn holds a Level 4 Parelli in horsemanship.

Marijn’s clinics are the most popular non-riding activity during the week.

Nina

Rider on a chestnut horse in an open mountain landscape.

Since 2026 Nina has been our head wrangler and barn manager in charge of the wranglers and horse program. Nina is German and rode English dressage in Germany. She moved to New York to work in a global corporate environment.

Nina visited The Hideout together with her husband as a guest many times and took a break to immerse herself in Western Riding and Buck Brannaman horsemanship.

After living in New York for 12 years, she left her corporate position and moved to Shell, joining our team 8 years ago. After working 7 years alongside Marijn, we handed her over the reins of the Barn.

Two horseback riders following a trail through mountain forest.

Caroline

Rider on a brown horse beside a forest clearing.

Caroline is our hospitality manager and joined us for her 7th season at The Hideout. She worked for The Hideout as head wrangler many years ago, left to head the equestrian program of an international riding school, retired and returned to The Hideout.

Caroline has worked with horses in the US, Africa and many other places. She also worked as a humanitarian in India, South-Africa, Malawi and other 3rd world countries.

The Wranglers

A group posing together around a blue pickup truck.

Hideout Wranglers need to be accomplished equestrians, by preference in both English and Western. This, in addition to having great people’s skills, keeps guests safe and entertained. They need to be hard working, going the extra length and deeply care about your vacation experience.

Aside of our horse trainer and farrier, most of barn crew and wranglers are female.

Our wranglers need both equestrian and people’s skills. Most of them are mature, independent, fun and friendly well-traveled women.

Our minimum age for wranglers is 25, but we have wranglers in our team varying from ages 25 to 65. Many return each season.

Melanie

Black-and-white portrait of a person in a cowboy hat beside a tree.

Melanie is our Office Manager and has worked for us for 9 years. When you contact The Hideout for your reservation, she is the one that answers your questions and gets your stay organized. It is also her warm welcoming smile that greets you when you arrive at The Hideout.

Melanie hails from New York state, has lived many years in Wisconsin, and worked for NASA and other corporations.

A woman of many talents aside managing The Hideout she also owns The Crazy Woman Ranch in Shell together with her cowboy Clair.

Our Mares

A person standing beside a gray horse in a sandy riding area.

On the contrary to most guest ranch remuda’s we have many great mares in our herd of guest horses. Our horses are part of our crew, and we need to hire the best crew possible. This means we don’t only buy geldings.

A gray horse rolling in a fenced sandy riding area.

“It is refreshing to find a place where there is so much “girl power” among wranglers, management and owners. All these women and girls have such interesting stories to share and are so well-travelled”. – Hideout Guest

People say that cowboys rule The West. At The Hideout our Cowgirls rule the roost. Come ride with us and enjoy meeting the ladies who live and work at The Hideout.