We recently stayed at the red horse mountain ranch in Idaho on a family holiday. We're maily riders but with the kids growing up we wanted a few other activities besides this. We had several options and we narrowed it down to this one ranch purely on the breadth of the activities offered. We did something different everday and our activities included mountain biking, a high ropes course, archery, kayaking and even yoga. - of course riding that goes without a doubt. The staff really made the trip and they were helpful in organising the stay and making sure we made the most of what was on offer and the meals were very varied with everything from fresh salds to wild game and fish. Our one and only issue was the price as this is a guest ranch that is on the more expensive side - then again that's all a bit confusing as it's more luxurious than others we have visited which is why we would still recommend it - we were also swayed by Ranch Rider the company who booked the holiday for us as they had visited the ranch last year and so were able to give us a true picture of what we could expect. We would suggest that other families weigh up all the facilities at the individual ranch - this was by far the better choice in terms of activities and accommodation

We visited the ranch for one week with 3 other families with kids our ages (7 - 17) with a total of 18 people. The ranch is gorgeous, secluded and refreshing in every way.

The cabins were wonderful. They're more like log cabin homes. They are very sturdy, very clean and the beds are awesome. Our kids liked the beds so much we were inquiring what types of feather beds and mattresses they used. They added some room air conditioners in the past year but they aren't in all cabins. They can move them around from what I understand but the weather was pretty tolerable when we were there so we were fine with the small ones we had. Bathrooms were nice, not spa-like but spotless.

The staff was wonderful. Some are "regulars" who come back every year who are wonderful to be around for their depth of experience while the other half are young college-age students who are all athletic, outgoing and friendly. They are all well trained in making the guests at the ranch happy by pitching in to do whatever is needed.

The ranch is small so we felt at home quickly. Only 28 -32 guests on average to a staff of about 30.

We rode just about every morning on wonderful horses that are all owned by the ranch. We were assigned our horses for the entire stay and they were always saddled up and ready to go when we got there. You do have to get checked out to go on trotting rides.

There are tons of activities at this ranch which was the main draw for our families. We had so much fun between mountain biking, scenic biking on a great bike path, kayaking in local lakes, scenic hiking, 3D archery, clay shooting, plinking (shooting for younger kids), a challenge/ropes course or just relaxing by the pond or pool. Very fun.

The kids between ages 6-12 have the option of going with the Kids Program. The women running teh program are very nice but seem to run out of steam once a main activity like archery or biking are done. The kids were allowed to watch DVDs when there was down time in a couple of situations. I'd rather see all DVD players ripped out of the place, personally. They have no phones, no TVs or even clocks or radios in the room so it would be nice to follow that through in the kids program but... everyone was happy so I didn't raise a fuss. My kids didn't run to the program, however, unless they were doing something really fun like archery, challenge course or plinking.

The food was terrific at breakfast and fine at lunch. The dinners were hit and miss. Sometimes the food was too much of the fried kind and others it was too saucy. However, some meals were great. All the food is served family-style and the kids didn't really get any special food. Some nights that was a problem since there wasn't much the kids liked. The cooking staff was very friendly and did do a great job especially on baked goods. There were plenty of snacks left out for the entire day and night if you got hungry. It was nice to have Happy Hour with free drinks and some hot snacks as well.

They do have a unique setup at the Ranch in that you get to tailor every day to what your family wanted to do. It really is nice but it took us a few days to figure out how it all worked. If we did it again things would be easier. I highly recommend folks don't stay any less than 5 nights, 7 nights being better.

BEST VACATION WE EVER HAD!
This is the best place to get away for it all.
We enjoyed the quiet, the nature, the people who work so hard to make you feel at home. All the staff are friendly, attentive, and will do anything to make your stay comfotable, and memorable. We took our daughters and the girls had a fantastic time. The older daughter learned to fly fish, and the younger made friends with all the horses. We enjoyed ourselves so much we returned that Fall ('06) and again experienced a fantastic trip.
Cory and staff run a first rate operation. The guests are their #1 priority, and you can feel that from the moment you check in.
The food is fantastic, and there's plenty of it.
I cannot say enough good things about Red HorseMountain.