Western Ranch Experiences at our Rustic Holistic Retreat Center

Canada

5

Diane and Bear were not only incredibly giving and kind hosts, but also amazing horse people with a wealth of knowledge about horses, horsemanship, indigenous culture, and sustainable living. The food and accommodation were amazing and we learned so much about western riding and horsemanship. Overall, we would definitely recommend this experience to any individual looking to connect with nature and learn more about horses and indigenous culture.

over 1 year ago

Diane replied

Amelia was a great help on our ranch. She easily transferred her English riding skill to Western style and helped get many of our horses ready for the upcoming season. she is a very competent horsegirl! Amelia is friendly, gets along well with other volunteers, happy to help wherever she was needed. We really appreciated all she did while she was here! Highly recommend her!

Germany

5

Beautiful horses, stunning nature, delicious meals and interesting stories!! ✨🏇Had so much fun that I promised to be back at Wildhorseranch !! ❤️It was such a beautiful experience and I won't forget what valuable lessons I've learned. Diane has such a big heart and I felt super appreciated for the work I did. I was so happy to do any tasks because most of them involved horses and the beautiful nature. I 110% recommend going to Wildhorseranch there is so much to learn and see!

over 1 year ago

Diane replied

Ricky was a great help at the ranch. She did a lot of different horse chores and she became very good at handling horses. Ricky helped with girls who attended our horsecamp and was a stellar supervisor and helper for the camp! She has a big smile and is always willing to help out. We really enjoyed having her!

Germany

2

The time without the camp was quite nice, we only had light work (~6hrs a day) like gardening. While camp took place it got very chaotic without clear instructions and long days of work. After one mistake we got offered to go home, which made us very uncomfortable for the rest of the stay. We got the chance to work more with the amazing horses, which was a lot of fun. You can feel the love Diane has for her horses and that she appreciates it when treating them well. The best thing of this stay were the other staff girls, who are very valueable friends! And we only got 1,5days off in 3 weeks.

about 1 year ago

Sweden

2

I would not recommend this as a "holiday" from your regular job. I was promised a relaxing experience away from my corporate job but instead I ended up working 12 hours 6 days/week + 2 nights for free. The host promotes "good energy" but should try and apply it a bit more herself. The best thing about this experience were the girls I worked with! They were absolutely amazing 10/10! It was also fun to help run the girls camp with the horses.

about 1 year ago

Diane replied

Annie, I'm not sure where you got the idea that this would be a "holiday", this is an experience to be part of a working horse ranch/retreat center. I explained to you before you came that this time period was during my girls summer leadership through horsemanship camps and it is a busy time but the days are split up between the Worldpacker girls that are helping. You said you would love to help out.
No one has ever worked 12 hours a day. We had a lot of help for camp and the time was split into pretty easy segments for everyone.
There were times you did not even show up as you were exhausted, or you had sore feet or sore hips or you had sun stroke. You were given one of our best horses to ride so that you could have a safe ride and you said you loved the rides, and you showed up for the riding times and I appreciated your enthusiasm and games the first week when you were the greeter when the kids arrived.
Interesting that some of you forget that I took you to town a few times for the afternoon to go to our local western store, to go shopping on main street, grab a Tim's coffee, groceries, goodies etc.
Perhaps the "good energy" from me would have been consistent if you had showed up as requested.
I learned a lot during this time as well. All the best.

Germany

4

I had a very good time at the Center! It's such a lovely and peaceful place. Diane has an amazing herd of unique and lovable horses! My staff horse Hudson was just amazing and I am so thankful for the trails we experienced together. ❤️ I had the opportunity to ride almost every day (depending on the weather) 😊 All Volunteers were amazing! The friendships I made are indescribably valuable 🤩 Even when the girls camp were a little stressful sometimes, Diane was always constructive and respectful to me. 1-2 days off were possible by arrangement 😊 All in all I had an amazing time 🫶🏻

about 1 year ago

Diane replied

Sophie I so appreciated your grounded approach to life and how you handled yourself and worked so well with the kids and the horses. I was thrilled to see you take Hudson and put on some incredible, quiet training miles and turn him into a lovely riding horse. What a great refresh of his skills and he just loved having you as his rider - Hudson had so much fun fun with you playing the gymkhana games! You have solid riding skills that were a great asset our programs. Thanks for your patience in working with the girls at camp and helping them become better with their horse skills. There was a great group of volunteer girls here and so nice see many friendships forged. Happy Trails down the path of Life

Germany

3

I chose the Center because I thought we could da lot of riding there, but in the end it was mostly gardening and just a bit of horse work. We always had a 1.5 hour lunch break and never had to work longer than 6 hours, which was really nice. the Center is a wonderful place to relax as long as Diane is in a good mood. When she's stressed or in a bad mood, she can get pretty uncomfortable. She takes most of the work for granted. the Center with all the nature around it is beautiful and the accommodation is pretty nice.

about 1 year ago

Diane replied

Ina, thanks for all the basic horse work that they did with some of our herd, I know you enjoyed that time. If I had that magic mirror that could tell me the future, I would have been able to predict that some of the groups changed their arrival dates. Thus, we did not have the need for girls to help guide the rides and horse experiences = last minute change up of jobs for the volunteers. As an owner during our busy season, my focus is to keep things running as smooth as possible.
Here is a quote from Theodore Roosevelt from his famous speech at Sorbonne, “The man in the Arena speech". It sums up how things run at Wildhorse Ranch.
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” …..

Belgium

2

I was exited to go there because i was told that I'll da lot of horse work but it turned out to be gardening most of the time. Nevertheless it's only 6,5 hours/day and it's not hard work but It was just not what I came for. The horses are amazing and the Center is really nice with beautiful nature around. Accommodation and food are nice. There were a lot of rules and the days off are rare.We spent good/bad days depending on the mood of the host and it was sometimes uncomfortable.The group of volunteers was amazing. If you're sensitive and don't like gardening it's not the right place.

about 1 year ago

Diane replied

Megan, girls that come here with horse skills that help my program are allowed to ride and put nice, quiet, walking training miles on the horses to refresh them before guests start arriving. I’m not sure why it was hard for you to slow down your energy so that the horses would walk out. I saw that I was not getting good results, and the horses were not getting quieter, then there is no point in having you ride and spike up the horses to jog home, or jog on the trail. When I see things happening that are not a benefit to our guest programs then I have to say something to you and if that's uncomfortable for you so be it. I have that Big 4 foot poster on the outside of the tack shed and it says: We Guide Walking trail rides only. Riding is not a right it’s a privilege. Interesting that some of you forget that I took you to town a few times for the afternoon to go to our local western store, to go shopping on main street, grab a Tim's coffee, groceries, goodies etc. You also got to go to the local rodeo and I paid your admission to get in.

Switzerland

4

The Center is a beautiful place to disconnect, and there are many horses to love on. However the horse work in itself is limited compared to what is advertised and there is a lot more gardening than I was informed of ( it also depends on the rides and retreats planned). Diane is a wonderful host, though the frustration of daily life is often taken out on the volunteers.

over 1 year ago

Germany

3

I learned a lot about gardening there and did tasks like graveling, weeding, planting. Also learned the basics of western riding there as I'm used to English riding back home. Working hours doesn't work as agreed as it's every day working and I had no day off in 10 days only one day where I worked 2 hours. Due to personal reasons I had to leave earlier then agreed. It's a great place to adapt to the nature and learn about sustainability. The food is always good and the accommodation is lovely. I would recommend it if you're really into gardening.

over 1 year ago

Peru

5

I've had the best days of my life at the Center. Diane, Bear, their blessed lands and herd of horses are amazing hosts. The lessons your soul can learn here are beyond ordinary. I'm so grateful for being able to come and live so many life growth lessons. If you are an open hearted person, you should definitely come. This is my new safe place ✨🙌🏼

about 2 years ago

Diane replied

Andrea I'm so glad you had such a great time here, it was a pleasure to have you join us! You connected to the horses and the land and recognized how important they both are to our personal wellness. Thank you for all your help in every aspect of ranch work. You were such a willing helper/assistant and great friend to us. Safe travels in your big journey!

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