We frequently get asked the question above by our guests, and people in general who know we operate a guest ranch. The question can be just a conversation starter to show interest, or wanting to know what is going on in general, or interested in something specific that is happening at The Hideout. We are grateful to AJ Rich, one of the participating, internationally renowned photographers for allowing us to use and share some of his pictures. You can learn more about AJ at richvintage.com.
In this blog I will try to answer the ‘general” interpretation of the question. Throughout the different seasons a lot of the same is going on at The Hideout, much as at other guest ranches in general. This depends on the time of the year and the season. Aside from our four successful Winter Weeks, this time of the year is considered Off-Season. Getting ready to start our main 2024 season March 31st.
This time of the year we are taking care of reservations, tax returns, insurance reviews, getting our fleet of trucks and trailers serviced, checking decals and replace as needed, order materials, update inventories, service heating, AC, and other systems. Deep cleaning of cabins, trucks, and other equipment. Marketing plans, update websites, review telephone and IT systems, clean out and reorganize basements, barns, and attics. Bringing items to the dry cleaner, renewing permits, reviewing water rights, fences, feeding horses, preventative maintenance, checking fences, landscaping, and other plans, etc. After almost 30 seasons, we are starting to get the drill. But each year we learn more.
Employment
Our ranch, like most other guest ranches, is a seasonal business, which means each year we also need to hire several new seasonal employees, mainly in kitchen, serving and wrangling positions. While this is always a challenge, over the last three years this has become increasingly challenging. It takes much more time to recruit staff. In this we are no different than any other business in the US.
We are very fortunate to have a loyal group of year-round employees of whom some have been with us over 26 years, and several employees of last year enthusiastically hired on again for our 2024 season. That is always a relief, as they know the drill, the trails, the horses and how things work at The Hideout.
Many seasonal workers underestimate working at a guest ranch, and we have a long season. Much the same as many other guest ranches we are finding out that many people looking for a job at a guest ranch are looking for an exciting vacation for themselves.
The Ranch Staff – Picture by Lauren Major
Clarity and managing expectations are key. Hiring is a team effort with several key staff involved in the selection process and interviews. We always make clear that while this is a great job and experience where one learns a lot, it is work, and the only people on vacation are our guests.
One of our longtime guests, who also operates a family business, and many of my colleagues who have owned guest ranches since several generations, compare working at a guest ranch to working on yacht or cruise ship, and what is happening below deck to make it happen above deck. Much like in the series Below Deck, which out of curiosity I started watching last December flying to Cape Town. And yes, I recognize some similar situations.
At the beginning of each season, we scratch our head, and ask ourselves every season how we will pull this off again. With a lot of luck and for some magic reason it all comes together. But we are very excited about the new hires who are joining us for your and our 2024 Season. As we always say, we are not perfect, but we try hard, and we care a lot about your experience and the experience and work environment of our team.
Horses
As to the horses, we welcomed several new horses to our herd, and many of our horses in training will start to migrate to the guest string. We did our yearly vet check, together with our vets and our crew checking out each horse, addressing health issues, dental work, and hoof care. This year we freeze-branded many new horses, and horses coming out of training. We continue to train and ride young horses with our own crew and outside partners.
And of course, during our off-season we continue to learn more and improve our own knowledge of horses, riding, and horsemanship. Come March, one guests, who is a leading North American Osteopath specializing in horses, will come and work a week with our horses checking out their backs and general condition. This time of the year he usually works in Wellington tending to high dollar jumping, polo and dressage horses, but was kind enough to come for a week to cold Wyoming to check out and treat the horses in our herd as needed. As you know, happy healthy horses are key to safe and fun horses for you to ride. More news on that in our next blog.
Our many repeat guests know we are constantly improving and upgrading the ranch. Over the last year we have added several brand-new Chevy Duramax 3500 pick-up trucks to assure a comfortable and safe ride for our guests, staff, and horses. Some of the main Winter projects we are tackling this year are continuing to install heavy duty beams and more solid concrete footing at the Casitas, including new railings.
Another overdue project was filling the dark pond near the hot tub, covering the area with nice gravel, and lining the sides with rock. A fire pit and Bacci ball area will be added, with more games to come. It will be another nice hangout area, which is what many of our guests suggested we needed to add. We also added a set of backup generators for the main lodge and cabins. We are adding an additional generator at The Casitas. There are many more small and bigger improvements we are working on.
New entrance sign and other signs
A local talented artist created a new entrance sign in Corden Steel, initially black but through exposure to the elements it will turn into a nice rusty metal color. More AH brand signs will be added on the property.
We provided another talented local artist with oak boards which she turned into very nice property signs, which will now be all consistent in color, wood, and character.
Winter photo shoot
This year’s photoshoot was brutal due to the exceptionally cold weather. The first week of our photoshoot, our riders and horses rode in temperatures as low as -32F. This was by far the most challenging and brutal Winter Photoshoot in almost 20 years organizing these at The Hideout. Kudos to riders, horses, and photographers. Enjoy some nice pictures shared by AJ Rich (richvintage.com), one of the international photographers who joined us that week. Thank you, AJ, for sharing.
Mailchimp
As you opened and are reading this blog, means you have discovered our latest marketing initiative. We would like to thank Eszter and Melanie for putting this together. Especially Eszter dedicated a lot of time to the project.
Thank you for reading our news and we hope to welcome you at The Hideout. Our 2024 season is booking up well, so if you would like to join us this season call Melanie at The Hideout – 307 765 2080 – or email info@thehideout.com.
Warm hugs from us all,
The Hideout Team & Charlie on behalf of Balou, Robbie, Gill, and George, his canine ranch friends
